About the Book
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: A Sourcebook arid Research Guide provides the answers.
"American Regional Folklore" 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 rest of the book is divided into eight sections, each one highlighting a separate region (the Northeast, the 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 and a directory of related resources.