Tall Tales of Cape Cod by Marillis Bittinger

Tall Tales of Cape Cod gathers Marillis Bittinger's lively regional folklore into a world where humor, superstition, and local history blur together. These spirited New England stories turn Sabbath laws, buried treasure, cursed women, and oddball townsfolk into memorable legends, capturing the wit and stubbornness of Cape Cod life. A sailor's Sunday kiss, a prisoner's fake confession, and a fisherman's bad luck all become cautionary tales with comic bite. Alongside the mischief are romantic and eerie origins: Princess Scargo's carved pumpkin, Mother Melt's feared curse, and Captain Collins's mercy that brings blessing instead of doom. Other tales follow unforgettable characters such as Barney Gould, the messenger who refuses trains, and Timmy Drew, the fiery shoemaker whose greed and gullibility leave him the laughingstock of Chatham after a disastrous frog-selling scheme. Even a boy's fascination with anatomy leads to a strange friendship with the "Skeleton" and an unlikely apprenticeship in science. The collection also reaches into darker myth, from mooncussers and fog-luring sea monsters to the tragic legend of Manshope and the Great Devil Bird, where love, vengeance, and endurance shape the landscape itself. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.