Stable Views offers an inside look at the thoroughbred racing industry through the words and perspectives of those who labor within its stables. In more than fourteen years of field research, Ellen E. McHale has traveled throughout the Eastern Seaboard, Kentucky, and Louisiana to gather oral narratives from those most intimately involved with racing: the stable workers, exercise riders, and horse trainers who form the backbone of the industry. She interviewed workers at Saratoga, ...

New York and its folklore scholars hold an important place in the history of the discipline. In New York dialogue between folklore researchers in the academy and those working in the public arena has been highly productive. In this volume, the works of New York's academic and public folklorists are presented together.Unlike some folklore anthologies, New York State Folklife Reader does not follow an organizational plan based on regions or genres. Because the New York Folkl...

The Loch Ness Monster. The Yeti. Bigfoot. These are just some of the iconic mythical creatures studied by the discipline of 'cryptozoology'.The idea of mysterious and terrifying creatures goes back centuries. They are known by the experts as cryptids. Today, these legendary beings continue to capture our imaginations.Discover the fascinating and often bizarre stories of real life monsters and the scientists who strove to separate the fact from ficti...

The author of Witches of Pennsylvania and "Pittsburgh's Historian of the Supernatural" takes on the region's folklore, ghost stories, and urban legends (Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership).The ghostly woman of Summit Cut Bridge, a black hound that guards the Gates of Hell and the whispering dead entombed beneath the Black Cross—these are the spirits of southwestern Pennsylvania. Join local author Thomas White as he recounts such chilling stories as that of Re...

Endymion, Pelops, Daedalus, Pygmalion – what are the stories behind these and the hundreds of other familiar names from Greek mythology – names that recur throughout the history of European culture?In a two-volume work that has become a classic reference book for both the serious scholar and the casual inquirer, Robert Graves retells the adventures of the important gods and heroes worshipped by the ancient Greeks.Drawing on an enormous range of sources, he has brought toget...

This beautiful fairy tale collection presents seven original versions of Snow White from around the world.Discover the origins of your favourite fairy tale in this wonderful anthology. Featuring seven different versions of Snow White, this volume showcases the amazing breadth and diversity of classic fairy tales. Beautifully illustrated, the Origins of Fairy Tales from Around the World series breathes new life into traditional fairy tales and reve...

A folklorist chronicles the history and lore of witchcraft in the Keystone State from William Penn's 17th century witch trial to 20th century occultism.As English and German settlers migrated to Pennsylvania, they brought their beliefs in magic with them from the Old World—sometimes with dangerous consequences. In 1802, for example, an Allegheny County judge helped an accused witch escape an angry mob. But Susan Mummey was not so fortunate. In 1934, she was killed ...

This "magisterial account" explores the fear of witchcraft across the globe from the ancient world to the notorious witch trials of early modern Europe ( The Guardian, UK).The witch came to prominence—and often a painful death—in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In The Witch, historian Ronald Hutton sets the European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and trace...

Learn the spooky secrets of upstate New York in this haunting historical tour—photos included!Embark upon the haunted adventure of a lifetime using this comprehensive guide to some of Buffalo's spookiest sites.Avid ghost hunter and paranormal investigator Dwayne Claud and researcher Cassidy O'Connor present stories of the city's most acclaimed spooks and spirits, such as Tanya, the five-year-old who can be spotted bouncing on guest beds at the Grand Island ...

What makes something mythic? What do mythic events and narratives have to do with us? In Mythology, David Leeming offers an unusual and effective approach to the subject of mythology by stressing universal themes through myths of many cultures. This anthology collects a wide array of narrative texts from the Bible to English literature to interpretations by Joseph Campbell, C.G. Jung, and others, which illustrate how myths serve whole societies in our universal search for meaning....

The authors of Haunted Fells Point tour Maryland's capital and "detail ghostly sightings at some of the city's best known landmarks" ( Capital Gazette).Beneath the statehouse dome and from the banks of the Severn River, the ghosts of Annapolis rise to roam the red-bricked streets of the old city. The capital of Maryland since 1694, the city hosts the restless dead who never left the narrow alleys, taverns and homes where they met their ends. Come ...

Take a ghostly journey through Long Island's history—photos included!Ghosts lurk at the Execution Rocks Lighthouse, where Revolutionary War Patriots were brutally tortured and killed by the British during the Battle of Long Island. Popular gathering places have otherworldly tenants, including Bayport's Grey Horse Tavern and the Cutchogue Village Green, where several old buildings—and their former inhabitants—are preserved.Long Island's history, dating all t...