What really happened on the first Thanksgiving? How did a British drinking song become the US national anthem? And what makes Superman so darned American? Every

This book explores examples of this process of invention and addresses the complex interaction of past and present in a fascinating study of ritual and symbolis

The first really original book on the classical period in American writing that has appeared for a long time.

The first half of the twentieth century witnessed a growing interest in America's folk heritage, as Americans began to enthusiastically collect, present, market

The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, and other celebrations matter to