"One can't put a finger on the secret of his art. Plenty of people have visited out-of-the-way communities and written about them, and editors and publishers are not usually encouraged toward authors who propose to do it again. Carmer does it, and makes it seem important, as though he were leading up to a generalization which would make complicated matters seem plain."—New York Times
"People (of the past) Carl Carmer has drawn vividly—but most successful of all are his pictures of the living people he met on the way."—Walter D. Edmonds
"Carmer has put down the beauty, the oddity, and human smack and savor of what he saw. And throughout the pages, he has done it with understanding."—Stephen Vincent Benet
Description
In this classic book, Carl Carmer describes the social life and customs of his native New York. Wandering from Buffalo to the Adirondacks across upstate New York, he heard folk tales, tall tales, stories of religious fervor and scandal. A born storyteller himself, Carmer writes about the beautiful Genesee, the Seneca and Tuscarora, the Cardiff Giant and the Loomis Gang, and the story of the Murdered Bride of Rensselaer County.
About the Author
Carl Carmer is the author of Stars Fell on Alabama and The Tavern Lamps Are Burning. He was for many years the editor of the distinguished Rivers of America series.
Related Interest
May 1995