American Regional Folklore

An easy-to-use guide to American regional folklore with advice on conducting research, regional essays, and a selective annotated bibliography. Tales, songs, superstitions, beliefs, rituals, crafts, and customs: these aspects of folklore are common to almost every region of the United States, from California to New York, and from the redwood forests to the Gulf of Mexico. But how do students, scholars, and enthusiasts carry out research into local folklore? American Regional Folklore provides the answers.The volume begins with a chapter on library research, including how to locate a library suitable for folklore research, how to understand a library's resources, and how to construct a research strategy. Mood also gives excellent advice on researching beyond the library: locating and using community resources like historical societies, museums, fairs and festivals, storytelling groups, local colleges, newspapers and magazines, and individuals with knowledge of the field. The next half of the book is divided into eight sections, each one highlighting a separate region (Northeast, South and Southern Highlands, the Midwest, the Southwest, the West, the Northwest, Alaska and Hawaii).Each regional section contains a useful overview essay, written by an expert, on the folklore of that particular region, followed by a selective, annotated bibliography of books, journals and web sites. Each section also contains checklists providing samples of tales, characters, and collections for the reader to look out for. All in all, this is a thorough and helpful resource for anyone interested in American folklore.