Algonquin Legends of New England by Charles Leland

 by Audrey Sage

Algonquin Legends of New England by Charles Godfrey Leland is a collection of myths and folklore derived from the Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribes, recorded during the late 19th century. The work aims to preserve the rich cultural heritage of these Northeastern Algonquin tribes by compiling and narrating their ancient tales, which explore themes of creation, morality, and the relationship between humanity and the divine.

The collection presented in the book is a result of the collecting efforts of folklorist Charles G. Leland and Rev. Silas T. Rand, a Canadian Baptist clergyman who was the first to record these legends from Indian narrators and highlight the complexity and antiquity of their mythology. The particular legend of Glooskap takes up the majority of the book.

Leland outlines the main figure, Glooskap, a demigod representing the good principle, and his evil twin, Malsum, or the Wolf. As the narrative unfolds, it reveals Glooskap's benevolent deeds, such as creating humans and animals, while also suggesting a parallel between these legends and Norse mythology. The opening sets the stage for a captivating exploration of folklore that weaves together elements of the natural world with the spiritual beliefs of these indigenous cultures, inviting readers to delve into a world rich in storytelling and tradition. — Notes from Project Gutenburg and Public Domain Review

This central character, Glooskap, "grows to a more appalling greatness than Thor or Odin in his battles," and whose name literally means Liar, because it is said that when he left earth he promised to return but has never done so. In addition to Glooskap, a large proportion of the book is dedicated to "The Merry Tales of Lox, the Mischief-Maker", a character, as Leland explains in his introduction, who ranges "from Punch to Satan, passing through the stages of an Indian Mephistopheles and the Norse Loki, who appears to have been his true progenitor". Also, throughout the book are scattered a set of wonderful illustrations , presumably copied from tribe members themselves, though no information is given on this. - Public Domain Review

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The University Libraries received a copy of Algonquin Legends of New England from a kind donor. As you can see, it had suffered much damage, from wear and tear, animal chewing, insect activity, and time. The original construction included a textblock construction technique that involved stapling through the fold of the signature (a gathering of folded pages) into the backing material, instead of the more traditional sewing of signatures together, first, to form the text block, then applying the cloth backing to the spine. The quality of the metal staples was inferior, as can be seen, and they had rusted which degraded the paper and the cloth.

From various usage and ownership, the endpapers suffered abuse.

The book was taken apart, the staples removed, and any necessary paper mends along the folds were performed.

The signatures were sewn together using the linked stitch pattern. New backing cloth, a japanese paper hollow, and new endpapers, similar to the original color and of archival quality were all attached.

Once the textblock was rebuilt, attention was then given to the damaged cover. Pigment was applied to the areas where the original coating had been eaten away.

The original cloth was lifted and a new mending cloth was inserted. After a protective coating of Klucel G was applied, the textblock was then reinserted into the cover.

The book has now become much more attractive and functional.