Drafts, autograph manuscript, corrected, of the introduction and chapters 37 and 39 through 71.

Nights With Uncle Remus is a story book dearly loved by children. Besides that, it is an important contribution to the study of Afro American folk lore, and through many years of popularity it has carried a long and learned Introduction, of great interest to students but rather forbidding in aspect to youthful readers. In this new edition, which has been prepared especially for children, and illustrated in colors by an artist who knows how to please them as well as their elders, the Introduction has been omitted, but the stories and their charming setting have been left intact

Traditional tales told by slaves, written in dialect.

I am advised by my publishers that this book is to be included in their catalogue of humorous publications, and this friendly warning gives me an opportunity to say that however humorous it may be in effect, its intention is perfectly serious; and, even if it were otherwise, it seems to me that a volume written wholly in dialect must have its solemn, not to say melancholy, features. With respect to the Folk-Lore series, my purpose has been to preserve the legends themselves in their original simplicity, and to wed them permanently to the quaint dialect-if, indeed, it can be called a dialect-through the medium of which they have become a part of the domestic history of every Southern family; and I have endeavored to give to the whole a genuine flavor of the old plantation...

Reproduction of the original: Nights With Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris

Nights with Uncle Remus (1883) by Joel Chandler Harris (Children's Classics) Nights With Uncle Remus is a story book dearly loved by children. Besides that, it is an important contribution to the study of Afro American folk lore, and through many years of popularity it has carried a long and learned Introduction, of great interest to students but rather forbidding in aspect to youthful readers. In this new edition, which has been prepared especially for children, and illustrated in colors by an artist who knows how to please them as well as their elders, the Introduction has been omitted, but the stories and their charming setting have been left intact

Uncle Remus Stories (1906) by Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908), with illustratrions. Uncle Remus is a collection of animal stories, songs, and oral folklore, collected from Southern United States African-Americans. Many of the stories are didactic, much like those of Aesop's Fables and the stories of Jean de La Fontaine. Uncle Remus is a kindly old former slave who serves as a storytelling device, passing on the folktales to children gathered around him. Br'er Rabbit ("Brother Rabbit") is the main character of the stories, a likable character, prone to tricks and trouble-making who is often opposed by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. In one tale, Br'er Fox constructs a lump of tar and puts clothing on it. When Br'er Rabbit comes along he addresses the "tar baby" amiably, but receives no response. Br'er Rabbit becomes offended by what he perceives as Tar Baby's lack of manners, punches it, and becomes stuck.