Description
Book SynopsisA provocative look at the mystery surrounding the Jersey Devil, a beast born of colonial times that haunts the corners of the Pine Barrensand the American imaginationto this day. Legend has it that in 1735, a witch named Mother Leeds gave birth to a horrifying monstera deformed flying horse with glowing red eyesthat 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 passersbyor 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 peoplebelievers and skeptics alikerealize. Leaving the Pine Barrens, Regal an
Trade ReviewEssential for the cryptid-keeper's library. This secret history is a welcome and necessary text on the historicity of the Leeds/Jersey Devil.
—Sharon A. Hill, author of
Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal ResearchersFascinating. An enchanting exploration whence monsters might come.
—Steve A. Wiggins, author of
Holy Horror: The Bible and Fear in MoviesThe Secret History of the Jersey Devil can provide folklorists with historical context for understanding a legend and the behavior surrounding it.
—Daniel Peretti, Memorial University of Newfoundland,
Journal of Folklore ResearchIn this fine study of accounts about a monstrous creature inhabiting the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Regal and Esposito show how the shape of the creature shifted to reflect changing times. Their detailed analysis shows how speculation about the New Jersey Devil played around the changing frontiers of scientific knowledge. It also demonstrates the relish for fantastic stories, the gullibility of believers, and the flair for hyperbole, satire, and exploitation of believers that seem to be irrepressible features of American life. Regal and Esposito even liken the conspiracy theories and manipulation of facts in our own time to the same proclivities that keep bringing the New Jersey Devil back to life.
—Amanda Porterfield, Florida State University,
Journal of American HistoryA thorough dissection of the American monster, [
The Secret History of the Jersey Devil] is a fascinating look at almost every aspect of the Devil . . . Here [Regal and Esposito] not only untangle the various major threads that were braided into the Devil's biography, but also uncover the many murkier, more nebulous components that go into the gradual generation of a monster legend.
—J Caleb Mozzocco,
Fortean TimesThis is a detailed and exceptionally well-referenced account of the birth, growth, survival and triumph of a legendary monster.
—John Rimmer,
Magonia Review of BooksTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. "Let this one be a Devil!"
2. The Devil and Daniel Leeds
3. The Devil and the Founding Father
4. The Birth of the Jersey Devil
5. The Devil's Biographers
6. The Devil Becomes a Star
Epilogue
Notes
Index
