Publisher's description: This two-volume collection of folktales represents some of the finest examples of American oral tradition. Drawn from the largest archive of American folk culture, The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the first-of-its-kind set includes magic tales, legends, jokes, tall tales, and personal narratives -- over 200 in all, many of which have never been previously transcribed or published. Eminent folklorist and award-winning author Carl Lindahl selected and transcribed over 200 recording sessions -- many from the 1920s and 1930s -- that span the twentieth century, including recent material drawn from the September 11th project. This varied collection is organized in chapters by storyteller, tale type, or region, representing diverse American cultures from Appalachia and the Midwest to Native American and Latino traditions. Each chapter begins by discussing the storytellers and their oral traditions, and then introduces and presents each tale, so that the collection is equally accessible to high school students, general readers, or scholars. Multiple indexes further aid in locating tales by motif and tale type, storyteller, and geographical origin.