Nine boisterous Tall Tales are included in Paul Robert Walker's Big Men, Big Country, which features the legendary adventures of many well-known figures, as well as those of a few more obscure characters. Here is Davy Crockett, that "ring-tailed roarer" who - in Davy Crockett Teaches the Steamboat a Leetle Patriotism - confronts a steamboat captain who won't allow his friend, Death Hug the Bear, on board his boat. Here too is Old Stormalong, the greatest sailor of them all; Big Mose, the tallest, strongest fireman in nineteenth-century New York City; that massive North Woods lumberjack Paul Bunyan, and his giant blue ox, Babe; and John Henry, the fastest steel-driving man ever. Less famous characters, like John Darling of the Catskills, Ol' Gabe of Yellowstone, and Gib Morgan, the oil-driller, also make an appearance. Finally, Pecos Bill and his wife, Slue-Foot Sue, round out the collection.

Told in true Tall Tale style, with embroidered words and an informal, colloquial tone, these tales are full of humor and fun. As the name of the collection would suggest, they are also heavy on the masculine side of adventure, and those looking for a more contemporary take, which gives more attention to female heroes, will be disappointed. Walker addresses this in his brief introduction, where he (rightly) notes the dominance of men in this type of tale. I don't really have a problem with his approach, especially since his book can be paired with Mary Pope Osborne's American Tall Tales, which does include more women, or Robert D. San Souci's Cut from the Same Cloth: American Women of Myth, Legend, and Tall Tale. Not every folk collection has to focus on women, or even give them equal "air time," as long as a diversity of collections are available. In addition to presenting nine engaging stories, Walker also provides detailed source notes for each of the selections in Big Men, Big Country, something I particularly appreciated. All in all, an excellent addition to any library with a shelf devoted to Tall Tales. ( )