Febold Feboldson

Book excerpt: "Paul Bunyan yarns have generally been conceded first place among the lies of all time, but here is Febold Feboldson, a Swede who has pushed his way out front and deserves recognition as the most accomplished, the most unqualified, the least repetitious, and--for a change--the most laughable legendary figure to steal the spotlight."--Buffalo, N.Y., Evening News. "Gorgeous reading for all who love genuine Americana."--The American Mercury. "Let us give Febold his full due as a purely regional phenomenon. As such--as an expression of the never-ending fight of Nebraskans against drought, flood, blistering heat, paralyzing cold, choking dust, and bottomless mud--he is very nearly perfect. . . . Paul Beath has done regional literature a service by collecting these richly imaginative tales."--Victor P. Hass, Chicago Sunday Tribune Magazine of Books. "Everyone who loves American folklore will welcome this book. . . . The book contains no less than fourteen tales or groups of anecdotes, all of them cheerful, sly, or hilarious."--Stanley Vestal, The Daily Oklahoman. "Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry, and others of heroic mold may move over and listen a while. . . . Febold, the big Swede who homesteaded down on the Dismal River, his only neighbors the Dirtyleg tribe of Indians, is a folk character made almost before our eyes."--Kansas City Star.