This is a superb collection of ghost tales from the hills of Wisconsin's driftless region, the southwest area untouched by the last of the glaciers. The region has a rich legacy of folktales, passed down from generation to generation, that are sure to entertain.

“A fast-moving story about small town life with characters that seem to have walked off the pages of Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology.”—The Wall Street Journal The few hundred souls who inhabit Words, Wisconsin, are an extraordinary cast of characters. The middle-aged couple who zealously guards their farm from a scheming milk cooperative. The lifelong invalid, crippled by conflicting emotions about her sister. A cantankerous retiree, haunted by childhood memories after discovering a cougar in his haymow. The former drifter who forever alters the ties that bind a community. In his first novel in 30 years, David Rhodes offers a vivid and unforgettable look at life in small-town America. “[Rhodes’s] finest work yet . . . Driftless is the best work of fiction to come out of the Midwest in many years.”—Chicago Tribune “Set in a rural Wisconsin town, the book presents a series of portraits that resemble Edgar Lee Masters’s ‘Spoon River Anthology’ in their vividness and in the cumulative picture they create of village life.”—The New Yorker “Encompassing and incisive, comedic and profound, Driftless is a radiant novel of community and courage.”—Booklist (starred review) “A welcome antidote to overheated urban fiction . . . A quiet novel of depth and simplicity.”—Kirkus Reviews “It takes a while for all these stories to kick in, but once they do, Rhodes shows he still knows how to keep readers riveted. Add a blizzard, a marauding cougar and some rabble-rousing militiamen, and the result is a novel that is as affecting as it is pleasantly overstuffed.”—Publishers Weekly

Southwest Wisconsin, the rugged area untouched by the last glaciers, is a gem of exquisite beauty and unique natural features. In these lyrical essays, John Motoviloff explores the region as a hunter and fisherman, breaking down the traditional barriers between hunting and environmentalism, between poetry and prose.

An easy-to-use guide to American regional folklore with advice on conducting research, regional essays, and a selective annotated bibliography. 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.

From the award-winning author of The End of Vandalism. “Equal parts heist caper, ghost story and romance . . . in prose that is spare and sly.” (The New York Times) Set in the rugged region of the Midwest that gives the novel its title, The Driftless Area is the story of Pierre Hunter, a young bartender with unfailing optimism, a fondness for coin tricks, and an uncanny capacity for finding trouble. When he falls in love, with the mysterious and isolated Stella Rosmarin, Pierre becomes the central player in a revenge drama he must unravel and bring to its shocking conclusion. Along the way he will liberate $77,000 from a murderous thief, summon the resources that have eluded him all his life, and come to question the very meaning of chance and mortality. For nothing is as it seems in The Driftless Area. Identities shift, violent secrets lie in wait, the future can cause the past, and love becomes a mission that can take you beyond this world. In its tender, cool irony, The Driftless Area recalls the best of neonoir, and its cast of bona fide small-town eccentrics adrift in the American Midwest make for a clever and deeply pleasurable read from one of our most beloved authors. “Drury is nothing less than a wizard . . . Not since Twin Peaks has he rural surreal had such an artful airing.” —The Boston Globe “Superb . . . by one of America’s finest, most imaginative authors.” —San Francisco Chronicle “With deceptively simple prose, Drury is able to evoke characters and scenes in just a few brush strokes.” —Los Angeles Times

Going Driftless is a book that explores a whole world within a world in the upper Midwest and looks at the nostalgia of small towns and local living (eating, shopping, etc.)—and asks how does it work what lessons can we learn from it.

Can't get enough of the Packers? Discover a unique and fascinating historical survey of Green Bay's early town football teams. Colorful accounts of individual team members, descriptions of significant games, fan and community reactions, and snippets of actual newspaper stories will take you on the a journey from 1895 to the day in 1921 when the Packers became founding members of the National Football League. Included are photographs of Green Bay town teams and some of their earliest opponents.

There is absolutely no better guide for haunted Wisconsin. Linda S. Godfrey. With her smooth journalistic style and her keen sense of what makes a good ghost story, she has the ability to send chills up and down your spine --Brad Steiger, author of Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places Wisconsin's leading authority on the paranormal presents strange stories from around the state, from witches in the Wisconsin Dells to spirits in the State Capitol. Readers will encounter Kenosha's Headless Nun, the Man Bat of Lacrosse, Rocky the Rock Lake Monster, and John Dillinger's phantom. They will explore Aztalan's ancient mounds, the ghostly bars and taverns of Madison and Milwaukee, and the creepy town of Caryville, one of the most haunted places in America.

Wisconsin is a land rich with stories. It was the "mother of all circuses," a place of buried treasure and home to eerie ghosts and monsters. Native American legends, tall tales told at lumberjack camps and taverns, ghostlore and modern urban legends all form the wonderful mythology of the Dairy State. Many know of Rhinelander's famous Hodag, the Beast of Bray Road in Elkhorn, Milwaukee's haunted Pfister Hotel and the Ridgeway Ghost. But few have heard obscure tales like the Christmas Tree Ghost Ship of Two Rivers, the Goatman of Richfield's Hogsback Road and the legend of the Witch's Tower of Whitewater. Author Tea Krulos, an expert in all things strange and unusual, digs up Wisconsin favorites and arcane lore.

Take a mysterious and fascinating tour through Iowa's underground treasures. This guide will reveal the state's subterranean attractions including show and wild caves, springs, mining sites and other geological and man-made sites. If you are a sport caver, a scientist, or curious tourist, this guide will give you all you need to know to begin exploring Iowa's underground world. IN THIS BOOK YOU'LL FIND - Detailed directions with helpful tips and precautions. - Descriptions of various lead- and coal-mining museums. - Fun stories and legends, including cave fairies, trolls, and ghost towns. - Additional information about Iowa's coal-mining past. - Facts about underground biological life. "A uniquely written perspective on the underground wonders of Iowa, by a premier Midwest cave historian." --Gary K. Soule, Speleo Historian and Trustee, American Spelean History Association