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kelseyjobrien's review against another edition
4.0
A great book about New York folklore, that I particularly enjoyed, because most of the stories and tales are from places I grew up in, or not too far from. For one to fully get a sense of the origin of the folklore, you have to know three things (if you don't know the history of places like Troy, Albany, Cooperstown, etc). One, most of the towns mentioned in this book were established by the poor/working class Irish. Two, most of the towns feature some sort of post or house where the Continental Army stayed, or where a distinguished person, such as Benedict Arnold, or George Washington himself, has stayed, and, three, during the 1800's, the towns experienced a boom in economy, and became places for the elite, such as Herman Melville.
Now that we know all that, let me get into the review!
What was fascinating to me especially was the fact that all of the ghost stories and folktales seemed to derive from one of those three things. Either Irish legends, ghosts of Washington or Revolutionary War soldiers, or other mystic things, like any Victorian person would conjure up, seeing as how, during that time period, (almost surprisingly), people were obsessed with ghosts and seances.
I also loved reading about my hometown, and other surrounding areas, and seeing the folklore that came before my time. Unfortunately, it seems as though it's all but faded from resident's memories, as I've never heard of any of these tales before. Of course, this book was published in 1959, and included a lot of tales from the 40's, but still, it was honestly really cool! Now, we have our own ghost stories and legends, and maybe, just maybe, someone will write all of them down for future generations to read. I know I have a ton of experiences. Perhaps that person will be me :)
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes local folklore (though I know it won't be local for a lot of you) and ghost stories. And, even though most of these ghost stories and local legends have faded out, we still have a lot around Troy, New York. Stop by some time to hear the ghost cavalry in the woods, or spend a night camping there to glimpse my favorite legend, our Lansingburgh werewolf (which, yup, is a real legend!) We also have an insanely haunted house, where three suicides occurred, and which new house owners can't stay for more than three months. Asylums more your style? Yup. We have one of those, too, which always makes "Most Haunted" lists. It also seems that every single one of our cemeteries make national lists for being incredibly, incredibly haunted, too. There's a cemetery you won't even be permitted in to, and it's believed to be the most haunted cemetery in all of the United States. It doesn't stop people from breaking in at night though, and ghost hunting!
Or, you know, stop by for normal things. Herman Melville's house. Benedict Arnold's Continental Army post, in which they stayed on their way to the Battle of Saratoga. The Lansingburgh mansions are lined up in a neat, and huge, row, or stroll through the streets of Troy, and gaze upon all the Victorian houses and brownstones. Don't forget to take a peep in our renowned musical hall, either. And, even if they are considered normal, Troy is considered to be the weirdest and most haunted town in the entire state of New York. You might just see a ghost after all!
Heck, even visit me. My house is haunted, too.
Now that we know all that, let me get into the review!
What was fascinating to me especially was the fact that all of the ghost stories and folktales seemed to derive from one of those three things. Either Irish legends, ghosts of Washington or Revolutionary War soldiers, or other mystic things, like any Victorian person would conjure up, seeing as how, during that time period, (almost surprisingly), people were obsessed with ghosts and seances.
I also loved reading about my hometown, and other surrounding areas, and seeing the folklore that came before my time. Unfortunately, it seems as though it's all but faded from resident's memories, as I've never heard of any of these tales before. Of course, this book was published in 1959, and included a lot of tales from the 40's, but still, it was honestly really cool! Now, we have our own ghost stories and legends, and maybe, just maybe, someone will write all of them down for future generations to read. I know I have a ton of experiences. Perhaps that person will be me :)
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes local folklore (though I know it won't be local for a lot of you) and ghost stories. And, even though most of these ghost stories and local legends have faded out, we still have a lot around Troy, New York. Stop by some time to hear the ghost cavalry in the woods, or spend a night camping there to glimpse my favorite legend, our Lansingburgh werewolf (which, yup, is a real legend!) We also have an insanely haunted house, where three suicides occurred, and which new house owners can't stay for more than three months. Asylums more your style? Yup. We have one of those, too, which always makes "Most Haunted" lists. It also seems that every single one of our cemeteries make national lists for being incredibly, incredibly haunted, too. There's a cemetery you won't even be permitted in to, and it's believed to be the most haunted cemetery in all of the United States. It doesn't stop people from breaking in at night though, and ghost hunting!
Or, you know, stop by for normal things. Herman Melville's house. Benedict Arnold's Continental Army post, in which they stayed on their way to the Battle of Saratoga. The Lansingburgh mansions are lined up in a neat, and huge, row, or stroll through the streets of Troy, and gaze upon all the Victorian houses and brownstones. Don't forget to take a peep in our renowned musical hall, either. And, even if they are considered normal, Troy is considered to be the weirdest and most haunted town in the entire state of New York. You might just see a ghost after all!
Heck, even visit me. My house is haunted, too.
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