The Saginaw Paul Bunyan

“Gathers the oral traditions of the loggers who settled Michigan’s Upper Peninsula . . . Stott preserves the tall tales for generations to come.” —Grandpa Shorter’s, “Seven Michigan Authors to Put in Your Beach Bag This Summer” The loggers who settled Michigan’s Upper Peninsula whiled away winter evenings with tales of extreme weather, strange geography, legendary beasts and improbable feats. One mythic figure strode confidently from one story to the next, his legend growing with each retelling. Soon, Paul Bunyan began to appear in newspapers, magazines, books and even a Walt Disney cartoon. In this first collection since 1946 set exclusively in the UP, author Jon C. Stott recaptures the oral tradition that cast Bunyan’s shadow across the national imagination. Relive the winter of the blue snow and cross paths with familiar companions like Babe and Johnny Inskslinger, as well as odd creatures like the hodag and the agropelter.

Michigan in Literature is a guide to more than one thousand literary and dramatic works set in Michigan from its pre-territorial days to the present. Imaginative, narrative, dramatic, and lyrical creations that have Michigan settings, characters, subjects, and themes are organized into sixteen chapters on topics such as Indians in Michigan, settlers who came to Michigan, diversity in the state, the timber industry, the Great Lakes, crime in Michigan literature, Detroit, and Michigan poetry. In this most complete work to date, Clarence Andrews has assembled the literary reputation of a state. He illustrates, with a wide variety of literary works, that Michigan is more than just a builder of automobiles, a producer of apples and cherries, a supplier of copper and lumber, and the home of great athletes. It is also a state that has played—and continues to play—an important role in the production of American literature. To qualify for inclusion, a work or a significant part of it has to be set in Michigan. Andrews shows how novelists, dramatists, poets, and short story writers have created their particular images of Michigan by using and interpreting the history of the state—its land and waters, people, events, ideas, philosophies, and policies—sometimes factually, sometimes modified or distorted, and sometimes fancied or imagined. Biographical information is featured about authors, editors, and compilers, who range in fame from Ernest Hemingway and Elmore Leonard to persons long forgotten. The published opinions and judgments of reputable critics and scholars are also presented.

American Cycle, a sequence of long poems inspired by our folklore and past, was written over a period of forty-seven years. Its forms are invented out of the traditions of the language, as appropriate to its subjects. Its styles are deeply connected to American speech: Spanish words loaned from Old California, the rough colloquialisms of Paul Bunyan, the power of African-American vernacular English in John Henry, the bare oratory of Chief Joseph, the old west phrases in Wyatt Earp, the circus ballyhoo of P. T. Barnum, the aviation jargon in Amelia Earhart, the backwoods dialect of Blue Ridge, and U. S. Rivers braids eyewitness history, legends, and old folk songs. Plot, as a literary device, is replaced with life, in varying shapes, and character, with the universe inside. The Cycle's themes are love, local mythology, history, justice,memory, accomplishment, time. I hear America singing, the varied carols. . .

Timber fellers in action with broad axes in Michigan's North Woods during the lumbering heyday, 1865-1885.

The perfect addition to every family’s home library and just right for sharing aloud, American Tall Tales introduces readers to America’s first folk heroes in nine wildly exaggerated and downright funny stories. Here are Paul Bunyan, that king-sized lumberjack who could fell “ten white pines with a single swing”; John Henry, with his mighty hammer; Mose, old New York’s biggest, bravest fireman; Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, who could “outgrin, outsnort, outrun, outlift, outsneeze, outsleep, outlie any varmint”; and other uniquely American characters, together in one superb collection. In the tradition of the original nineteenth-century storytellers, Mary Pope Osborne compiles, edits, and adds her own two cents’ worth—and also supplies fascinating historical headnotes. Michael McCurdy’s robust colored wood engravings recall an earlier time, perfectly capturing all the vitality of the men and women who carved a new country out of the North American wilderness.

MICHIGAN ENCYCLOPEDIA is the definitive reference work on Michigan ever published. The noted Michigan historian Dr. Matthew Lawrence Daly, Assistant Professor of History at Grand Valley State University, has authored articles on Introduction to Michigan History, Early History of Michigan, and Michigan History. These articles cover the history of Michigan, from the early explorers to twenty-first century events. Other major sections in this reference work are Michigan Symbols and Designations, Geography and Topography of Michigan, Profiles of Michigan Governors, Chronology of Michigan Historic Events, Dictionary of Michigan Places, Michigan Constitution, Bibliography of Michigan Books, Pictorial Scenes of Michigan, State Executive Offices, State Agencies, Departments and Offices, Michigan Senators, Michigan Assembly Members, U.S. Senators and U.S. Congress members from Michigan, Directory of Michigan Historic Places and Index.MICHIGAN ENCYCLOPEDIA contains stunning photographs and portraits to compliment the expertly written text. Population charts are arranged alphabetically by city or town name, and by county. This allows students easy access to find population figures for their area of interest. Other population charts list all places in Michigan by largest populated places to least populated places by city or county. Directories contain the information on elected state and federal officials along with their contact information including mail and email addresses, phone and fax numbers. Easy to use reference maps are included to find your elected state or federal officials. The Directory of State Services lists the head officials and full contact information on state agencies and departments, some of which were just newly created by the legislature. The Directory of Michigan Historic Places contains all the latest up to date information on every Michigan historic place. The Bibliography includes that latest books published on Michigan. A detailed Index makes the work thoroughly referential. MICHIGAN ENCYCLCOPEDIA offers librarians, teachers and students a single source reference work that provides the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Michigan and its history.

A collection of stories drawn from Michigan’s rich folk heritage