The Legend of the Lowcountry Liar and Other Tales of a Tall Order

Brian McCréight

Pineapple Press Inc, 2005 - Fiction - 124 pages

Welcome to South Carolina's Lowcountry, the so-called "Netherlands of the South," where good tales grow like sweet-grass and the truth is as tricky as the Devil himself. Author Brian McCreight recounts thirteen tall tales told to him by his friend Jim Aisle, the Lowcountry Liar, whose homespun Southern yarns weave fact and fiction like the Gullah women make sweet-grass baskets. These tales are for telling aloud; the funny and the fantastic betide true Southern characters in a style as smooth as morning on the Stono River. Hear from Jim the stories of Brave Bob and his encounter with the ne'er-do-wells at the old mansion; of Lazy Lowcountry Jack and his troubles earning his keep and following his mama's orders; and learn about the Native American boy way back when whose hungry fishing trip wound up supplying food for all the coastal peoples. Jim even tells his own story: a firsthand account of a foggy morning on Buzzard's Roost Point, an area strictly off-limits to all but the conjure men and root doctors who work their magic there.

Contents

• THE LEGEND OF THE LOWCOUNTRY LIAR: 1
• THE BAD BUSINESS OF BRAVE BOB: 13
• A LOWCOUNTRY WHALE OF A TALE: 19
• LAZY LUCKY LOWCOUNTRY JACK: 23
• COLD AS THE GRAVE: 33
• MR MRS VINAIGRETTE: 37
• THE WRECTCONSTRUCTION OF THE ASHLEY RIBBAH BRIDGE: 45
• REFLECTIONS ON RELATIONS: 59
• THE LUCK OF THE IRISH FELLA: 65
• DEEP IN THE HEART OF IT: 71
• DIXIES LOWCOUNTRY ROOTS: 75
• JACK AND THE DANCIN PALMETTO BUGS: 87
• THE PEDDLER OF GOLDEN DREAMS: 97
• BACKGROUND NOTES: 120
• GUIDE TO LOWCOUNTRY LINGO: 123

About the author

Brian McCreight of Charleston is a featured storyteller and musician at festivals and events throughout South Carolina. He is the children's librarian and storyteller-in-residence at the James Island Library.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Legend of the Lowcountry Liar and Other Tales of a Tall Order
• Author: Brian McCréight
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Pineapple Press Inc, 2005
• ISBN: 1561643378, 9781561643370
• Length: 124 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology; Social Science / Folklore & Mythology