Arranged by geographical regions, an anthology of American folktales offers legends, myths, folktalkes, jokes, and personal experiences.

v. 1.The Northeast, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic -- Preface -- The Northeast -- Introduction -- Origins -- The making of the world -- Glooscap -- Gluska'be steals summer for the people, escapes from the crows, and overcomes winter -- Black cat and the sable -- Grandmother O-ne-ha-tah, Mother Oo-kwa-e, and the Lost Boy -- How Money Cove got its name -- The Mohawks on the war-path -- Ga'na'a's adventures among the Cherokee -- The thunderers -- Thursday off -- Little girl, Mama Glau, and humming-bird -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- Froth of water -- Rose -- Wolf of the Greenwood -- How Jack went to seek his fortune -- Gluska'be the deceiver -- The fight with the giant witch -- The disobedient boy who became a prince -- The three brothers and the hag -- Rusty Jack -- Three men of Galway -- Nobleman and his cook -- The little cakeen -- Outwitting the King -- Tim Murphy's escape -- You hear a lot of them things -- The birds take back their feathers ; the insult midstream ; playing dead -- Lazy Maria -- My son Ali -- The forgetful boy -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- The secret room -- Dr. B., the witch doctor -- New Hampshire witches -- Jake Strauss -- Tijaiha the sorcerer -- American vampires -- Ghost legends of the Blue Mountains -- Supernatural legends of Chappaquiddick -- Granny Steel -- The vanishing hitch-hiker and the cabbie -- The unseen helpers. The powers that be : secular tales -- Contempt for his torturers -- Nobelman and the minister -- The song of the coffee pot -- Railway chefs -- The suit the sparrow won -- The twist-mouth family -- The Midwest -- Introduction -- Origins -- The flood -- The origin of vegetation -- Wisa` kä -- Wabasiy -- Legendary origin of the Kickapoos -- The origin of the Sauks and Foxes -- Muskrat's tail -- How the wildcat got its spots -- Why the deer has a short tail -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- Bear maiden -- The chief's daughters -- Aiini -- How the big turtle went on the warpath -- Boxer Davey Day -- Battle with the Comanches -- Cab driver con man -- The orphan and the turkeys -- Fox and Wolf -- Manabozho gets scared and takes a journey -- Turtle trying to get credit -- "It was so cold that ..." -- Noggin and the applejack -- Nebraska weather -- Dividing the chicken -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- The traveler -- Providence Hole -- Rescue by lightning -- The rolling skull -- The powers that be : secular tales -- A pioneer crossing the Midwest -- General John H. Morgan's raid through southern Indiana -- General John H. Morgan's raid through southern Indiana 2 : Ripley Country. The mid-Atlantic -- Introduction -- Origins -- Jack-O'-My-Lantern -- How the jays saved their souls -- Trouble (Rabbit loses his tail) -- Why frog lives in the water -- How the Moors came to be in Delaware -- Grandfather's escape to free haven -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- Jack and the bean-pole -- Magic flight -- Tablecloth, donkey, and club -- Above ground and below ground -- The British are coming -- Does a cow have pigs? -- Playing dead twice in the road -- Playing Godfather -- Possum and Weasel have a falling out -- How Mr. Hare proved that Mr. Fox was his riding horse -- Dog and dog-head -- Getting rid of the overseer -- Rabbit, Fox, and the Tarbaby -- Take my place -- Rabbit escapes from the pea patch -- In the bee tree -- Brer rabbit dines on brer wolf -- In liquor -- Rabbit seeks meat -- Lion brooks no rival -- The watcher tricked -- Voice above -- Three ends -- Three more fools -- Chair on his head -- Moon cheese : two Irishmen at the well -- Where's Mr. McGinnis? -- The race -- Dividing the souls -- First out -- The single ball. The powers that be : sacred tales -- The traveling preacher at the haunted house -- The dismembered ghost -- The black dog of the Blue Ridge -- Husband tells of treasure -- The thief at the haunted house -- Mr. Peacock and the deadly ghost -- Cures of a Maryland witch -- Curing a bewitched cow -- Binding a dog -- Out of her skin -- Out of their skins -- The snake-wife -- The doe with a ring -- Woman cat -- The brothers who married witches -- Trapping a hag -- Keeping off witches -- Mark Flaherty -- Vengeance on a witch rider -- The captive witch wife -- Witch's apprentice -- Death by conjuring -- The six witches -- Battling witches -- Mate to the Devil -- Soul or sole -- The powers that be : secular tales -- Judgment day -- Going to heaven -- The Lord and Langton -- To torment already -- Rank -- Appendix : Original versions -- The Northeast -- Little girl, Mama Glau, and humming-bird -- The birds take back their feathers ; the insult midstream ; playing dead -- Di Granni Shdil -- Der Tshåek Shtraus -- The suit the sparrow won -- The mid-Atlantic -- Jack'O'-M-Lantern -- How Mr. Hare proved that Mr. Fox was his riding horse -- Does a cow have pigs? -- Mr. Peacock and the deadly ghost -- Glossary -- Bibliography to Volume 1 -- General bibliography -- Cumulative index. v. 2. The South, the Caribbean -- Introduction -- The South -- Origins -- Kanati and Selu : the origin of corn and game -- The origin of corn -- The man who invented fire -- Origin of the Alabama Indians -- When Mr. Pine Tree and Mr. Oak Tree fall out -- Why the people tote brer rabbit foot in their pocket -- Origin of the bear : the bear songs -- How come brer bear sleep in the winter -- How come Mr. Buzzard to have a bald head -- The rattlesnake's vengeance -- How come pigs can see the wind -- Why Mr. Owl can't sing -- When brer rabbit saw brer dog's mouth so brer dog can whistle -- Ol' rabbit an' de dawg he stole -- Allen Chesser's initiation : the bear fight -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- The wine, the farm, the princess, and the tarbaby -- The tarbaby -- The rabbit and the Frenchman -- Mr. Deer's my riding horse -- Rabbit rides wolf -- On horseback -- Incriminating the other fellow -- Playing Godfather -- How brer rabbit practice medicine -- When brer wolf have his corn shucking -- The sack of peas and the mule -- The Irishman and the pumpkin -- The sea tick and the Irishman -- Shooting grasshoppers -- The fox and the wolf -- When brer rabbit was presidin' elder -- Jack the giant killer. How brer fox dream he eat brer 'possum -- Brer rabbit's cool air swing -- The lion and the unicorn -- When brer 'possum attend Miss Fox's house-party -- The tasks of rabbit -- When brer rabbit help brer terrapin -- Rabbit kills big man-eater -- Rabbit and big man-eater -- How the deer obtained his horns -- Rabbit fools alligator -- Rabbit gets a turkey for wildcat -- When brer frog give a big dining -- Bouqui and Lapin : the smokehouse -- Jean Sot feeds cows needles -- Jean Sot kills the duck -- Jean Sot and the cowhide -- Lazy Jack and his calf skin -- Ti Jean cannot tell a lie -- Boudreaux and the cottonmouth -- Cajun cockfight -- 'Coon in the box -- The buck fight -- A sight of alligators -- Lies too far apart -- The Arkansas shakes -- Voices in the frying pan -- The bent gun -- The marvelous potato -- The King and old George Buchanan -- Jack and the beanstalk -- Old Bluebeard -- Hardy hardback -- How brer rabbit bring dust out of the rock -- Rabbit steals fire -- Whiteberry Whittington -- Old Foster. The powers that be : sacred tales -- Why the spider never got in the ark -- The Spanish moss -- Hellhound comes for a drunkard -- Sol Lockheart's call -- Where did Adam hide? -- Possessed of two spirits -- Miller's witch wife -- Phoebe Ward, witch -- A bewitched churning -- The raven mocker -- The witch and the boiler -- A bewitched gun -- The bell witch -- Avenging ghosts -- The rich ghost -- Return of the ghost wife -- Riders pursued by ghosts -- The mysterious deer -- The bride of the evil one -- The chosen suitor : the forbidden room -- The haunted house -- Race with a ghost -- The ghost of Alex -- The spirit defenders of Nïkwäsi' -- The powers that be : secular tales -- Jim Johns and the tiger -- When Mr. Terrapin went riding on the clouds -- Are you man? -- The grease girl -- All dressed up and no place to go -- The talking eggs -- Your horse stays outside. The Caribbean -- Origins -- Adam and Eve -- Brother rabbit an' brother tar-baby -- Nancy and the honey tree -- Brother elephant and brother whale -- Why rabbit has a short tail -- Playing mourner -- Cock's breakfast -- The origin of woman -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- The brave tailor -- Nancy fools his wife -- Annancy and the yam hills -- Seeking trouble -- Brother rabbit, brother booky, and brother cow -- The sperrit house -- Bale of cotton or bag of salt -- Mr. Hard Time -- John the Fool and John the Smart -- Anansi and the lady in the well -- Magic flight -- The three sons -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- The chosen suitor -- The big worm -- The night beauty -- Under the green old oak tree -- The old woman and her child -- Rescued from the lups garous by Loa Saint James -- A zange disguises as a snake -- A loup garou disguises as a beggar. The powers that be : secular tales -- The Solomon cycle -- De story of de man and six poached eggs -- Education for a carpenter's son -- Dayday Agastin -- The r girl and the fish -- Appendix : Original versions -- The South -- Ol' rabbit an' de dawg he stole -- Allen Chesser's initiation : the bear fight -- Mr. Deer's my riding horse -- Incriminating the other fellow -- Where did Adam hide? -- The chosen suitor : the forbidden room -- La graisse [the grease girl] -- The Caribbean -- B'Helephant and B'V'wale (Brother elephant and brother whale) -- The origin of woman -- Seeking trouble -- De big worrum (the big worm) -- The girl and the fish -- Glossary -- Bibliography to Volume 2 -- General bibliography -- Cumulative index. v. 3. The Southwest, the Plains and Plateau, the West -- The Southwest -- Introduction -- Origins -- Origin of Acoma -- Origin of the Apaches -- Origin of the animals -- Origin of fire -- How sheep and horses and burros came to the Zuni -- Noqoìlpi, the gambler : a Navajo myth -- The antelope boy -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- The hero twins -- How the twins of war and chance fared with the unborn-made men of the underworld -- How the twins killed the giant elk -- How Tiyo punished Man-Eagle -- Elfego Baca -- Booger Red -- The turkey herd -- History of a buffalo hunter -- Victorio's raid -- Range life in Texas -- The Adams diggings -- Them petrified buzzards -- meteor hell! Cicero done it -- The coyote and the woodpecker -- Some of coyote's adventures -- Tales of fox -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- Witch flights -- Witches discovered -- Curanderas and Brujas 1 -- Curanderas and Brujas 2 -- The ghost penitente. The Plains and Plateau -- Introduction -- Origins -- Origin of the universe -- Arikara creation -- Coyote's theft of fire -- The cannibal and his wives -- How the whites became rich -- Crossing the plains from Kentucky -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- Young men who killed the horned serpent and released the buffalo -- The stone boy -- The story of No-Tongue -- The further adventures of No-Tongue -- Long tail and Spotted Body rescue their nephews who become the twin monster killers -- Bill Foscett -- Matthew "Bones" Hooks, cowboy -- Coyote and the buffalo -- The eye-juggler -- Joke on Jake -- He-man from the West -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- The three nephites -- Legend of the Teton Sioux medicine pipe -- The woman with a bear lover -- Magical flight -- Ghost wife -- Two faces -- The West -- Introduction -- Origins -- Silver Fox creates the world and humans -- Creation of man -- The making of the world -- The creation of the Indians. A giant's rock-throwing -- How Milu became the king of ghosts -- The theft of fire -- How the Saboba people came to California -- Legend of the breadfruit tree -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- The bride from the underworld -- The adventures of Haininuy and Baumegwesu -- Kampuaa legends : legends of the Hog God -- Centipede -- The theft of pine nuts -- Prairie falcon's contest with meadowlark -- Coyote and the grizzly bears -- How the coyote married his daughter -- Coyote and wolf -- Coyote and the sun -- Hell, Bob and me planted 'em -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- Pele's long sleep -- Meeting with Wovoka -- The man who brought water to Atami -- Coyote and his sister robin -- Walking skeleton -- Glossary -- Bibliography to Volume 3 -- General bibliography -- Cumulative index. v. 4. The Northwest, cyberspace -- The Northwest -- Introduction -- Origins -- The giver creates the world -- Arrow young men : creation of the world -- Fable of the animals -- Origin of fire -- The theft of fire -- Coyote arranges the seasons of the year -- coyote frees the salmon -- The origin of the seasons and of the mountains -- The origin of death -- The xudele -- Origin of the Adlet and the whitemen -- The origin of the Narwhal -- The woman who married a dog -- Recovering the sun -- Brother and sister -- The sad woman -- The first ship seen by the Clatsop -- How the Lee family came to Oregon -- The Blue Bucket mine -- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- The children of the dog -- Qauaxsaqssuaq -- The giant women -- The girls who married stars -- Hunting exploits of the God K'mukamtch -- The five grizzly bears -- The girl who married her brother -- Coyote and the old woman -- The death of the grizzly bears -- Coyote and raccoon -- Coyote's amourous adventures -- Coyote and pitch -- Coyote and beaver -- The great snowfall -- The fight between the coyote people and the bat people -- Coyote and the stump-man -- The killing of the Dutchman. Thunder and his son-in-law -- When raven wanted to marry snowbird and fly with the geese -- Blue jay and his sister -- Robin and blue jay -- The beaver and the woodrat -- The story of skunk -- Big Fred -- The gold brick -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- Coyote creates taboos -- The doom of the Katt-a-quins -- The marmot woman -- The visit to the sky -- Legend of Sattik -- Amhuluk, the monster of the mountain pool -- The bewitched wives -- Qautipalung -- The man and woman who became sea-otters -- The brother and sister who became hair-seals -- The powers that be : secular tales -- The woman who was fond of intestines -- The maddest man in town -- Appendix -- Cyberspace -- Origins -- Kentucky Fried Chicken becomes KFC -- John Kerry's medals -- REd Bull -- Chronic dehydration -- Spielberg's crusade (parody?) -- Life without black people -- Why we love children-- Heroes, heroines, tricksters, and fools -- Mr. Jones's advice -- An act of kindness -- The navy Seal and the atheist -- T-bone steak -- Grandmother's revenge -- A patriot's answer to an Iraqi -- Teamster boycott. Wal-Mart boycott -- Home depot boycott -- How many Aggie foremen does it take -- Priceless -- Jane Fonda nomination -- Bush refuses to sell home to blacks -- Attacker in the backseat -- Body part initiation -- Mall abduction ploys -- Poison perfume -- Restroom kidnapping -- Handshake assault -- Date rape drug -- The chloroformed roommate -- HIV needles -- Poison payphone -- Car jacking scheme -- World Trade Center survivor's son joins the terrorists -- Katrina worker report -- 809 scam-- 90# scam -- Slavemaster -- Anger management -- Gullibility virus -- The mother of all urban legends -- Organ theft parody -- Finally putting to rest e-mail myths -- George and Saddam -- Death of William Hung -- White substance delays Aggie football practice -- Tales from Northern Michigan -- Redneck vasectomy -- Toilet paper miracle -- Wanted for attempted murder -- Free Honda -- The rich adolescent's chain letter -- The powers that be : sacred tales -- Christians charged for reading Bible in prison -- Procter and Gamble and Liz Clairborne confess to Church of Satan on Sally "Touched by an Angel" cancellation -- The Dalai Lama's instructions for life -- Life lessons -- Hotline to heaven -- Wailing wall. The powers that be : secular tales -- Black vote cancelled -- Elevator intimidation -- president Bush's IQ -- Ticket rip-off -- The little alligator's problem -- Go to school -- Gasoline company boycott -- E-mail charge -- Neiman Marcus cookies -- Deadly ball pits -- Money talks -- Terrorist Halloween attacks on malls -- Poisoned Coca-Cola -- Boycott Dunkin' Donuts -- 7-Eleven terrorism -- Citibank boycott -- American women vs. the Taliban -- Guantanamo Bay detainees -- Alligators in the toilet -- Katrina blunders -- Debit card abuse by Katrina victims -- Glossary -- Bibliography to Volume 4 -- General bibliography -- Cumulative index.