First published in 1996. There has been no more important relationship between folk artist and folklorist than that between Zsuzsanna Palko and Linda Degh. Degh's painstaking collection of Mrs. Palko's tales attracted the admiration of the Hungarian-speaking world. In 1954 Mrs. Palko was named Master of Folklore by the Hungarian government and summoned to Budapest to receive ceremonial recognition. The unlettered 74-year-old woman from Kakasd had become "Aunt Zsuzsi" to Linda Degh-and was about to become one of the world's best known storytellers, through Degh's work.

First published in 1996. There has been no more important relationship between folk artist and folklorist than that between Zsuzsanna Palko and Linda Degh. Degh's painstaking collection of Mrs. Palko's tales attracted the admiration of the Hungarian-speaking world. In 1954 Mrs. Palko was named Master of Folklore by the Hungarian government and summoned to Budapest to receive ceremonial recognition. The unlettered 74-year-old woman from Kakasd had become "Aunt Zsuzsi" to Linda Degh-and was about to become one of the world's best known storytellers, through Degh's work.

"This book shows how folklore -- magic, miracles, and tales ofenchanted princesses and genial giants -- is still alive and well in the modern massmedia.... contains a wealth of facts and observations with which to conjure."-- Journal of Communication

"D gh brings her decades ofexpertise in folk narrative to bear in this well-researched, provocative study ofthe interrelationship between traditional processes of folk narrative performancesand modern mass media.... Highly recommended... " --Choice

"Spanning folk cultural developments as old asfeudalism and as new as today's TV ad, American Folklore and the Mass Mediademonstrates how vital folklore remains, how often it absorbs -- rather than beingabsorbed by -- the most dramatic technological innovations and socialrealignments." -- Carl Lindahl

..". all six essays aremeaty and informative contributions to vital folkloric issues..." --Contemporary Legend

Discusses old crafts and folk skills, from covered bridge building toquiltmaking, as well as the legends and lore of Indiana.