Signed by the author, May Justus (1898-1989), this book is a wonderful collector's item, even though it is not in mint condition. It is the book that summarizes all the folklore knowledge that May Justus absorbed growing up in Del Rio, Tennessee, at the eastern boundary of what became the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and living briefly as well in Cataloochee Cove in nearby North Carolina now part of the Park. The illustrations by the iconic Robert Henneberger make this book even more attractive. May Justus and her partner, Vera McCampbell were recruited to come to Monteagle Mountain in Tennessee in 1931 to teach elementary school by Dr, Lillian Wyckoff Johnson the year before she donated land there for Don West and Myles Horton to set up the Highlander Folk School. May Justus was the author of dozens of charming children's books, and served as the volunteer secretary and treasurer of Highlander. Her partner, Vera McCampbell, was fired by the Grundy County School Board for her support of the Center the year before she was eligible for her pension. At that time, May Justus has resigned her teaching position to become a full-time author.
Hardcover
New York: E.P. Dutton, 1952