The Secret History of the Jersey Devil

How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775)
Cover of the book The Secret History of the Jersey Devil by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito, Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito ISBN: 9781421424910
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: April 2, 2018
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
ISBN: 9781421424910
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: April 2, 2018
Imprint:
Language: English

Legend has it that in 1735, a witch named Mother Leeds gave birth to a horrifying monster—a deformed flying horse with glowing red eyes—that flew up the chimney of her New Jersey home and disappeared into the Pine Barrens. Ever since, this nightmarish beast has haunted those woods, presaging catastrophe and frightening innocent passersby—or so the story goes. In The Secret History of the Jersey Devil, Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito examine the genesis of this popular myth, which is one of the oldest monster legends in the United States.

According to Regal and Esposito, everything you think you know about the Jersey Devil is wrong. The real story of the Jersey Devil's birth is far more interesting, complex, and important than most people—believers and skeptics alike—realize. Leaving the Pine Barrens, Regal and Esposito turn instead to the varied political and cultural roots of the Devil's creation. Fascinating and lively, this book finds the origins of New Jersey's favorite monster not in witchcraft or an unnatural liaison between woman and devil but in the bare-knuckled political fights and religious upheavals of colonial America. A product of innuendo and rumor, as well as scandal and media hype, the Jersey Devil enjoys a rich history involving land grabs, astrological predictions, mermaids and dinosaur bones, sideshows, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, a cross-dressing royal governor, and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Legend has it that in 1735, a witch named Mother Leeds gave birth to a horrifying monster—a deformed flying horse with glowing red eyes—that flew up the chimney of her New Jersey home and disappeared into the Pine Barrens. Ever since, this nightmarish beast has haunted those woods, presaging catastrophe and frightening innocent passersby—or so the story goes. In The Secret History of the Jersey Devil, Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito examine the genesis of this popular myth, which is one of the oldest monster legends in the United States.

According to Regal and Esposito, everything you think you know about the Jersey Devil is wrong. The real story of the Jersey Devil's birth is far more interesting, complex, and important than most people—believers and skeptics alike—realize. Leaving the Pine Barrens, Regal and Esposito turn instead to the varied political and cultural roots of the Devil's creation. Fascinating and lively, this book finds the origins of New Jersey's favorite monster not in witchcraft or an unnatural liaison between woman and devil but in the bare-knuckled political fights and religious upheavals of colonial America. A product of innuendo and rumor, as well as scandal and media hype, the Jersey Devil enjoys a rich history involving land grabs, astrological predictions, mermaids and dinosaur bones, sideshows, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, a cross-dressing royal governor, and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book Pacifists in Chains by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book From Madman to Crime Fighter by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Blake's Agitation by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Abraham Lincoln by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Healing Gotham by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Diversity's Promise for Higher Education by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Public Health for an Aging Society by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Maternal Megalomania by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Updated Evidence and Policy Developments on Reducing Gun Violence in America by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Biology and Conservation of North American Tortoises by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book America and the Politics of Insecurity by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Otherworldly Politics by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Einstein's Jewish Science by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Planting an Empire by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
Cover of the book Military Politics and Democracy in the Andes by Brian Regal, Frank J. Esposito
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy