Phantom of the Pines: More Tales of the Jersey Devil [Paperback]

James F. McCloy (Author), Ray, Jr. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

Emitting shrill cries and leaving its footprints in mud and snow, it has roamed the Pine Barrens of South Jersey for almost three hundred years. It is usually said to resemble a composite of several different animals, but it walks upright and is believed to be the child of a human mother. It is often associated with witchcraft and devil worship, yet it sometimes travels in the company of beautiful golden-haired girl. And it has lent its name to everything from small businesses to a professional hockey team.

What is this mysterious creature? The Jersey Devil course! And in this brand-new collection of fascinating legends and lore, you will learn more than ever before about New Jersey's most infamous resident.

More than twenty years after their first book about the Jersey Devil was published, James F. McCloy and Ray Miller Jr.'s, new research into this phenomenon continues to intrigue readers. Using historical accounts and interviews with New Jerseyites, many of whom were eyewitnesses to the creature's actions, the authors try to piece together the mystery that is the Jersey Devil.

Despite the variations and contradictions that have shaped its story through the years, one thing is certain: the legend of the Jersey Devil is not likely to disappear anytime soon. And as one believer notes, "Behind every tradition...there's something real." Does the Jersey Devil actually exist, leaving its fearsome mark throughout the region? Or is it simply a hoax, grown to epic proportions through years of storytelling? Open Phantom of the Pines-if you dare-and decide for yourself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Middle Atlantic Press (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912608951
• ISBN-13: 978-0912608952
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #876,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a good source of mythological information for someone to build great ideas on, August 11, 2006

By 

Mr. Richard K. Weems "emperor_weems" (Fair Lawn, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Phantom of the Pines: More Tales of the Jersey Devil (Paperback)

Growing up near (and sometimes in) the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, it is safe to say that I have had a fascination with the Jersey Devil all my life. First, it started as a natural childhood monster fascination (the same thing that had me watching Godzilla movies and being unable to fall asleep with the lights out), and over time it simply became an interest in how ideas survive through the ages, as well as how they morph and change from person to person.

This book is a great collection of the multitudinous versions of the Jersey Devil myth, along with connected legends and stories of sightings to document the wide variations that have occured over time. Even the shape and form of the Devil himself is in contention--from something serpentine to humanoid. The authors set down the wide array of variations with an almost anthropological removal. Rather than going for cheap conclusions or pale insinuations of a real monster out there in the pines, the authors relish in the array of tales that are out there as a kind of history of New Jersey storytelling. Their proper tone keeps the evidence convincing, and I became impressed with their thorough work and had no doubt that their research was authentic.

In the end, though, I did leave wanting some kind of summation of things beyond the information provided. Obviously, this was not the point of the book itself, but I do hope that it has been (or will be) the fodder of some analysis of Jersey folklore that looks at the drive behind the legend--what truths about New Jersey can be found in the proliferation of the Devil myth? McCloy and Miller have done great work laying down the foundation. I am waiting for someone to build the spires atop of it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a very informative book, April 28, 2000

By 

Charles. (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantom of the Pines: More Tales of the Jersey Devil (Paperback)

If you are a believer in the jersey devil, this book is for you. It contains many new tales of eery encounters with the jersey devil. It also has some interesting views on the creature and what it is.There are though, a few problems with this book, the cover makes the book look like a B movie from the fifties, and some of the pictures inside could be more detailed, yet being that it is one of the only books on this amazing creature, it is an indespendable resource for anyone interested.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite cryptozoological monster ..., June 18, 2003

By 

Eric Turowski (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Phantom of the Pines: More Tales of the Jersey Devil (Paperback)

Aspects of Phantom of the Pines are slightly cheesy, but ultimately, the Jersey Devil has to be my favorite mythical beast. The accounts of parents not allowing children to school for fear they'd be prey of the monster are as chilling as they are silly.
The JD has a long, rich history. You can say that sasquatch encounters go back to Native Americans, but the "wild man" hairy hominoid stuff is very Jungian. The Devil is its own beast.
This is a fun, worthwhile introduction to the terrifying creature. You don't need to be from Jersey to appreciate the Devil.