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Science of the magical: from the Holy Grail to love potions to superpowers
By Matt Kaplan. 2015
A science reporter for The Economist looks for the germ of truth behind myths. From Bible stories of the Flood…
and from Norse mythology to modern superhero comic books, Kaplan takes popular magical beliefs and shows how they might be grounded in scientific facts. 2015The hero: a study in tradition, myth, and drama
By Lord Raglan, Fitzroy Richard Somerset Raglan, Raglan. 2003
Analysis of mythology, folklore, and drama to derive a set of twenty-two motifs that characterize the qualities and actions of…
heroic figures in traditional and literary narrative. Disputes the historical actuality often claimed for many traditional heroes, including Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the warriors at Troy. 1936Guys read: True stories (Guys Read #5)
By Jim Murphy, Jon Scieszka, Douglas Florian, Sy Montgomery, Candace Fleming, Elizabeth Partridge, Nathan Hale, Steve Sheinkin, James Sturm, T. Edward Nickens, Thanhhà Lai. 2014
Award-winning authors and journalists provide a collection of essays, biographies, travelogues, and more--all geared to males. In "Sahara Shipwreck," author…
Steve Sheinkin tells the true story of capture, enslavement in the desert, and urine consumption in order to survive. For grades 5-8. 2014West Texas tales (American Chronicles Ser.)
By Mike Cox. 2011
Not without laughter
By Langston Hughes. 1995
White Pine County: where the Great Basin highway meets the loneliest road in America
By Andrea Graham. 2003
Missouri caves in history and legend (Missouri Heritage Readers Ser. #1)
By H. Dwight Weaver. 2008
There are over 6000 caves in the state of Missouri, created by limestone rock slowly dissolved by groundwater. They have…
much to tell us about extinct species and Native Americans; they have been hideouts for outlaws, and have been mined for saltpeter and guano. H. Dwight Weaver, a former show cave operator, tells of the historical and social impact they have had on the stateSteel drivin' man: John Henry, the untold story of an American legend (Cityscapes Ser.)
By Scott Reynolds Nelson. 2006
History professor explores the truths behind the legend of railway man John Henry. Recounts his imprisonment and forced labor for…
the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. Confirms Henry's 1871 contest with a steam drill, explores his mysterious death, and traces the evolution of the folk song that immortalizes his exploits. 2006American heroes
By Marfe Ferguson Delano, Marfe Delano. 2005
Fifty profiles of heroes drawn from four hundred years of American history: Pocahontas, Frederick Douglass, Queen Lili'uokalani, Helen Keller, Jonas…
Salk, and Roberto Clemente, among others. A list of facts accompanies each entry. Time lines and essays introduce historical eras. For grades 5-8. 2005The young Hans Christian Andersen
By Karen Hesse, Erik Blegvad. 2005
Portrays the early life of Hans Christian Andersen, the nineteenth-century Danish author of Andersen's Fairy Tales (RC 49568). Depicts Hans…
as a boy who was himself an "ugly duckling," but who believed that he would someday be famous. For grades 3-6. 2005Chinese mythology: an introduction
By Anne M. Birrell. 1999
English translations of some three hundred representative myths from more than one hundred classical Chinese texts. Selections are grouped thematically…
covering topics such as creation, gods, divine birth, love, heroes, the natural world, and immortality. Includes introduction and explanatory notes analyzing the context and significance of each narrative. 1993The hero's journey: the world of Joseph Campbell : Joseph Campbell on his life and work
By Joseph Campbell, Phil Cousineau. 1990
Campbell's lifelong interest in the similarities between art, religion, mythology, psychology, and literature is explored in this series of interviews.…
Traces his development of a personal revelation of "inner bliss" and the ability to translate the eternal myths into everyday experiences. Outgrowth of the film Hero with a Thousand Faces. 1990Johnny Appleseed: a tall tale
By Steven Kellogg. 1988
John Chapman, who later became known as Johnny Appleseed, was born in 1774 in Massachusetts. Near his home was an…
apple orchard, and John loved to watch the apples grow. The animals sensed his love of nature and grew to trust him. As soon as he was old enough, John left home to explore the West. He planted apple trees along the way, and the legends about him grew larger than life. For grades 2-4 and older readers. 1988"Ghost dance winter" and other tales of the frontier
By Sally Springmeyer Zanjani. 1994
A selection of stories from Nevada's history taken from articles written and published over a span of 20 years. Zanjani's…
tales are woven from stories told to her during her childhood and historical research. AdultAn ornery bunch: tales and anecdotes collected by the WPA Montana Writers Project, 1935-1942
By WPA Montana's Writer's Project, Megan Hiller, WPA Montana Writer's Project Staff. 1999
Between 1935 and 1942, the field workers for the Montana Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), conducted oral…
history interviews and researched folklore for a Montana folklore publication. Read about beer rustling in Butte, horses so fast they can outrun a storm, winters so cold they'll freeze your shadow to the ground, and the touching first meeting of Brother Van and Kid Curry. Some of Montana's first pioneers recorded these outrageous and often hilarious tales covering everything from a poker-playing magpie to the accepted cure for a greedy hunter. Every Westerner with a sense of humor and heritage, and folklorists everywhere, must add this book to their collectionsJohn Beargrease: legend of Minnesota's North Shore
By Daniel Lancaster. 2009
John Beargrease (1862-1910), the son of an Anishinabe chief, hauled the mail by dogsled between pioneer communities along Minnesota's tempestuous…
Lake Superior shore line. The annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is named in his honor. Daniel Lancaster follows the legendary Beargrease through the settlement and development of the North Shore on his difficult traverse from traditional Anishinabe life to the modern world. Rich in history, mythology, and local legend, this is an engrossing read for anyone who has ever fallen in love with Lake Superior's wave-washed shores and snowy winters. UnratedThe Soul of the Indian (Native American)
By Charles A Eastman, Charles Alexander Eastman, Charles Alexander. 2003
In The Soul of the Indian, Eastman brings to life the rich spirituality and morality of the Native Americans as…
they existed before contact with missionaries and other whites. This is a rare firsthand expression of native religion, without the filters imposed by translators or anthropologists. Rather than a scientific treatise, Eastman has written a book, "as true as I can make it to my childhood teaching and ancestral ideals, but from the human, not the ethnological standpoint." His discussions of the forms of ceremonial and symbolic worship, the unwritten scriptures, and the spirit world emphasize the universal quality and personal appeal of Native American religion. Adult. UnratedMedusa's gaze and vampire's bite: the science of monsters
By Matt Kaplan. 2012
Science journalist examines ancient and modern myths of monsters, from the Nemean Lion of ancient Greece to King Kong and…
the Terminator. Uses archaeology and other disciplines to theorize on the sources of these tales and the reasons they fascinate us. Young adult appeal. Some violence. 2012These happy golden years: A Newbery Honor Award Winner (Little House Ser. #8)
By Laura Wilder. 1943
Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder, the town's most eligible bachelor, enjoy a delightful romance while Laura teaches school. When her…
last term ends, they marry and look forward to a long and happy life together. Sequel to Little Town on the Prairie (BR 11326). For grades 5-8 and older readersThe long winter: A Newbery Honor Award Winner (Little House Ser. #6)
By Laura Wilder. 1953
The Ingalls family moves from their stake on the Dakota prairie to their store in town to escape the severe…
winter. One blizzard follows another until trains stop running and the community, isolated for months, faces starvation. Sequel to By the Shores of Silver Lake (BR 11324). For grades 4-7