Ozark Magic and Folklore

"Ozark Magic and Folklore" by Vance Randolph, published in 1947. Randolph draws on the lore, beliefs and superstitions coming forward from at least as far back as our colonial days, and some even back into England and Scotland of the 1400s and 1500s. He has assembled lore on a fairly wide range of topics into a well-organized presentation that is not only entertaining but enlightening about our culture even today nearly 70 years after publication and a few hundred years beyond the cultural sources of the material. His work exhibits the incredible durability and adaptability of human ideas and beliefs - progressive science notwithstanding - that characterized television after the book was published and today rules the Internet as well - for better or for worse. Very much to his credit, Randolph and his sporadic humor are gentle with his Ozark neighbors and their beliefs and ways and (for his day) very respectful of everyone. Though Randolph wrote about the Ozarks, much of what he has recorded is common throughout the eastern and southern United States, and not necessarily restricted to the area usually referred to as "Appalachia" at all. I've heard a goodly portion of this lore and superstition (or some variant of it) in places as diverse as central Maine, western Pennsylvania, the Tidewater, central Florida, eastern and central Tennessee, and all over Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. If there are any "common denominator(s)" they are most likely: a Scottish, Scotch-Irish or English heritage, a fairly isolated and subsistence-based rural environment, and a clannish social strata that fosters the retelling of lore through successive generations. A disappointing part is that it demonstrates that we Americans will believe almost anything no matter how nutso, which probably explains why we haven't yet thrown all of Washington D.C. in jail. But the best part is... it's an interesting and fun read. PLUS, you learn really handy stuff like "Always coat the bottom of the pan with Spicebush when you bake a possum".

Good book

This is a curious book. It can be a divertissement; we can experience a different time and place. For it is a chronicle of sorts, a capsule complete in itself, of a different time and place. We're in the United States, the Ozarks to be exact, in fact we have no lack of people, places, time, and things to divert us. There are witch wigglers, craw pappies, power doctors, devil dogs, covered wagons, ghost stories, 'sayings', whole hoards of odd lore. And believe me, some of this stuff is in the extreme 10s. But there are a few technical facts of an esoteric nature (Witchcraft, power folk, moon magic), which if one is willing to dig one will find to bring back to this place and time. That said, this is a hefty read. And best of all, it's American. Enjoy it, I did.

Oh my..one good.story after another in this book about the Ozarks. Easy read and kept me engaged

I purchased this book when I was 17 or 18 from the Silver Dollar City bookstore. Back then, it seemed dry to me as a teen, but historically interesting as I am a 7th generation Ozarks native. I purchased it again recently, and my love of the subject matter has only grown. This is a fascinating and entertaining collection of Ozarks oral history.

Lots of info of the region, with relatives hailing from the ozarks of southern missouri.. this book was a gem. Gives context to the superstitious nature of some of my hillfolk relatives.

Since my mother grew up in the Ozarks before moving to VA. Her relatives was living in Casville and Shell Knob MO where we visited every year when I was younger . So reading this book was interesting and considered we live close to the Blue Ridge mountain and some of the stories was also told here.

This book was published in the -40's and contains folklore I think any southerner or Appalachian would recognize. I am from WV and I know I recognized it right away. This is the second copy of this book. My mother confiscated the first copy and it is officially hers now. I had to get my own copy.