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"Every single word is true, unless it is false." From the Crockett
Almanacs
Note: This
page lists biographical/historical resources as well as folklore about
the Crocketts. There are many other books about Davy Crockett (1786-1836)
and his wife, for children and adults, and he is included in many
collections of American tall tales. Not all the Crockett stories are
Appalachian but Crockett was from eastern Tennessee in real life and his fictional
wife Sally Ann was born in the Kentucky mountains in some tales. (Crockett
was really married to Polly Finley, in 1806, and after her death to
Elizabeth Paton.)
 Children's
Books. Audio, and Web Sites:
Note: Because biographies of
Davy Crockett are so numerous, some of the children's books that focus
on retelling tall tales are highlighted with boldface, colored titles
below.
Adler, David A. A
Picture Book of Davy Crockett. Illus. John and Alexandra Wallner.
New York: Holiday House, 1996. N. pag.
Allen, Charles Fletcher, and Frank McKernan.
David Crockett, Scout Small Boy, Pilgrim, Mountaineer, Soldier,
Bear-Hunter, and Congressman: Defender of the Alamo. 1911.
Washington, D.C.: Regnery Pub, 2000. Biography.
Alphin, Elaine Marie
and Tim Parlin.
Davy Crockett. History Maker Bios series. Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2003. 47 pp. Includes bibliography, index, and sections
Introduction - Wild Boy - Hunter and Scout - Pioneer in Politics
- Hunting for Votes - Remember the Alamo - gline.
American Folklore contains retellings
of folktales from every state. In "Davy Crockett and the Frozen Dawn," a short Tenn. tale on Davy Crockett, Davy can kick the sun and use a bear's body to
thaw out the dawn. Also includes "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind
Crockett Bests Mike Fink." Retold by S. E. Schlosser. This site also contains Daniel Boone's Dear–NC tale on Daniel Boone and his wife, John Henry from WV, and other tales from Appalachia.
Beals, Frank Lee. Davy
Crockett. Illus. Jack Merryweather. The American Adventure Series.
Chicago: Wheeler Publishing, 1941. 252 pp.
Brimner, Larry Dane. Davy
Crockett. The Imagination Series. Illus. Donna Berger. Minneapolis, Minn:
Compass Point Books, 2004. 32 pp. Picture book with life story of the
legendary tall tale hero and braggart. Includes episodes called "What
a Guy!" (in which he tries to teach a raccoon a lesson for not
laughing at his grin by cutting down its tree, but he realizes it was
a knothole in the tree so he claims he "could outgrin anything"),
"Davy Makes His Entrance" (about his extraordinary birth and
childhood), "Sally Saves the Day" (Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind
rescues him from some eagles), and "Capturing a Comet." The last
episode explains that he wears coonskin on his head because the comet
scorched some of his hair off, and the comet is still wandering around
space looking its tail. This book says he "rode into this world
saddled to a streak of lightning. He landed near the Nolichucky River"
at his parents' cabin. "The Real Davy Crockett" is a page of
biography. Other sections are a recipe for Tennessee grits, a
glossary, references and background facts, a photo of a statue in
Lawrenceburg, TN, and an index.
Burke, Rick. Davy Crockett. American Lives.
Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2004. 32 pp. Biography.
Cage, Nicholas, Anjelica Huston, Garrison Keillor,
Jonathan Winters, and Washington Irving.
Rabbit Ears Treasury of Tall Tales. Audiobook CD.
Norwalk, CT: Rabbit Ears Entertainment LLC, 2006. Davy Crockett and
Paul Bunyan in vol. 2. Also includes Johnny Appleseed and Rip Van
Winkle.
Calvert, Patricia. The
American Frontier. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
1997.
Carmer, Carl Lamson.
The
Hurricane's Children. Illus. Elizabeth Black Carmer. 1937. New
York: D. McKay, 1967. 175 pp. Tall tales, including "How Davy
Crockett Fiddled His Daughter Out of A Husband" and "How
Tony
Beaver Built the Candy Dam."
Carpenter, Eric, and Jenny Williams. Young Davy
Crockett Frontier Pioneer. A Troll First-start Biography. [Mahwah,
N.J.]: Troll Associates, 1996. 32 pp.
Clemen, Gina D. B. Davy Crockett, An American Hero.
Green Apple. Genoa: Cideb Editrice, 1998. Book and sound recording.
Cohen, Caron Lee.
Sally
Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett. Illus. Ariane Dewey. New
York: Mulberry, 1985. A small picture book that says Sally lived near
the Mississippi River (no Appalachian references). Her fights with
Mike Fink are depicted.
Cohen, Caron Lee. "Sally
Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett Meets Mike Fink, Snappin' Turkle."
Illus. Marcia Brown. In Cohn, Amy L., ed. From Sea to Shining
Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs. New
York: Scholastic, 1993, pp. 118-21.
Collard, Sneed B. David Crockett Fearless
Frontiersman. American Heroes. New York: Marshall Cavendish
Benchmark, 2007. 42 pp. Biography.
Crockett, David. Davy Crockett: His Own Story, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee. Bedford, MA: Applewood Books, 1993. 122 pp. A reprinting of Crockett's 1834 autobiography. "It's more like a tall tale of the life of the frontiersman than it is a true autobiography, but that just adds to the book's fun" (back cover).
"Davy
Crockett: A Folktale for Reading Out Loud."
Activated Storytellers! National Touring Theatre. L'Eau Theatre
Productions, 1996. With audio, an activity involving animal figures,
and performance photographs of "this version adapted from the stage
production written by Dennis Goza." In a section on Sally Ann
Thunder Ann Whirlwind, Davy meets her at a barn dance where she said
she would marry any man who could outdance her, and after dancing hard
all night, Davy wears her out. Other folktales with audio and slide
shows are available at this site.
"Davy Crockett Trees a Wolf." In Animal Folk Tales of America: Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, the Jumping Frog, Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Sweet Betsy, and Many Others. Adapted and illustrated by Tony Palazzo. New York: Sterling, 2010. "Retells fourteen American folktales focusing on the role animals played in American pioneer heritage." Limited source information given.
Davy Crockett y los piratas del río.
Colección Acción y aventura. Buenos Aires: Editorial Atlantida, 1973.
Book in Spanish based on Walt Disney production.
Devillier, Christy. Davy Crockett. A Buddy
Book. Edina, Minn: Abdo Pub, 2004. 32 pp. Biography.
Dewey, Ariane.
The
Narrow Escapes of Davy Crockett: From a Bear, a Boa Constrictor, a
Hoop Snake, an Elk, an Owl, Eagles, Rattlesnakes, Wildcats, Trees,
Tornadoes, a Sinking Ship, and Niagara Falls. More Tall Tales Series. New
York: Greenwillow, 1990. 48 pp. Episodes based on the Crockett
Almanacs retold in fairly brief text. "Summary: Recounts the wild adventures
of Davy Crockett, including his tangles with a wrestling bear, eagles
that wish to pull out his hair, and an alligator he rides up Niagara
Falls." Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind uses a rattlesnake rope
to save Davy from eagles tearing out his hair; he falls in love with
her, and he calls for her from a distance in a voice like a tornado,
so they get "hitched up." Later he makes a toy with a rattlesnake's
rattles for their child Rockett Ann. Brightly colored, humorous
illustrations in watercolor and black ink line.
Driskill,
Frank A. Davy Crockett The Untold Story. Austin, Tex: Eakin
Press, 1981. 56 pp. Biography.
Feeney,
Kathy. Davy Crockett A Photo-Illustrated Biography.
Photo-illustrated Biographies. Mankato, Minn: Bridgestone Books, 2002.
24 pp.
Ford, Ann. Davy Crockett.
Illus. Leonard Vosburgh. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1961. "A
see and read book." Recommended by NEA's Read Across America program, Books from all the 50
states list.
French, James Strange. Sketches and
Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett of West Tennessee. New York:
J & J. Harper, 1833. Rpt. Popular Culture in America. New York: Arno
Press, 1974. 209 pp. Biography.
Furstinger, Nancy. Davy Crockett. Folk Heroes.
Mankato, MN: Weigl, 2003. 24 pp. Biography.
Grant, Bruce, and William Timmins. Davy Crockett
American Hero. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1955.
Grant, Matthew G., and Jack Norman. Davy Crockett,
Frontier Adventurer. Mankato, Minn: Creative Education; distributed
by Children's Press, Chicago, 1973. 29 pp. Biography.
Harmon, Daniel E. Davy Crockett. Famous
Figures of the American Frontier. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002. 64
pp. Biography.
Hasday, Judy L. Davy Crockett. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. 117 pp. Biography for secondary school readers.
Herweck, Diana. Davy Crockett. Buiding Fluency Through Reader's Theater series. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, 2010. 24 pp. With tips for reader's theater adapted from Aaron Shepard.
Hogrogian, Robert. Davy Crockett. People to
Remember Series. [Hawthorne, NJ]: January Productions, 1981. Book and
sound recording.
Holbrook, Stewart Hall. Davy Crockett. New York: Random
House, 1955. Biography. 179
pp. with illustrations.
Johnston, Marianne. Davy Crockett. American
Legends. New York: PowerKids Press, 2001. 24 pp. Biography.
Kellogg, Steven.
Sally
Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett. New York: Mulberry,
1995. One of Kellogg's many humorous, colorful tall tale retellings.
In this version of her life, Sally Ann is born in the mountains
of Kentucky, able to beat her brothers and others in various contests
of strength and speed. She has many adventures (based on 8 tales in
Davy Crockett's almanacs, 1834-56): she scares a bear out of its skin,
"invents" bald eagles, marries Davy Crockett, causes a tornado
of flying alligators, and flings tall tale hero Mike Fink 5 miles
up the Mississippi River. See cover and description at Nancy Keane's Booktalks, brief review at Childrenslit.com, Teacher Resource File on Steven Kellogg at JMU.
Recommended by NEA's Read Across America program, Books from all the 50
states list.
Krensky,
Stephen. Davy Crockett: A Life on the Frontier. New York:
Aladdin, 2004. 48 pp. Nonfiction. A Ready-to-Read book, level 3.
Kunstler, James Howard, and Steve Brodner. Davy
Crockett. Rabbit Ears Book. Edina, Minn: Abdo Pub., 1992. Book and
sound recording.
Le Sueur, Meridel. Chanticleer
of Wilderness Road: A Story of Davy Crockett. Illus. Aldren A.
Watson. New York: Knopf, 1951. 160 pp.
Lisker, Tom. Tall Tales: American Myths. Milwaukee: Raintree
Children's Books, 1977. 48 pp. Includes "Davy Crockett - King
of the Old Wild West."
Luna, Sagrario, José Ma Alvarez, and Jesús
Alonso. David Crockett. Historias de siempre, 9. Madrid:
Alfaguara, 1996. In Spanish.
McCall, Edith S. Pioneers
on Early Waterways, Davy Crockett to Mark Twain. Illus. Carol
Rogers. Her Frontiers of America Series. Chicago: Children's Press,
1961. 127 pp.
Malcolmson, Anne. "Davy Crockett." Yankee Doodle's
Cousins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969.
Meadowcroft, Enid La Monte.
The Story of Davy Crockett. Illus. Charles B. Falls. Signature
Books Series. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1952. 178 pp. "Summary:
A biography of the famous woodsman and hunter who could snuff a candle
with a bullet, was hated by every bear in the county, and was known
by politicians as 'the gamecock of the wilderness.'"
Miller, Bobbi.
Davy Crockett Gets Hitched. Illus. Megan Lloyd. New York:
Holiday House, 2009. Picture book. "An accidental encounter with a thorn bush on his way to the spring dance has Davy Crockett kicking up his heels and out-dancing even the audacious Miss Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind." She is described as "full of spit and vinegar," able to "run like a shooting star, jump rainbow high, and outwhistle the wind." The burr in Davy's britches cause him to dance and yodel so wildly that, as Sally Ann tries to compete with him, they knock things over and in the process, Davy eats garlic pickles, makes applesauce, mashes potatoes, and stirs all the food on the tablecloth into a stew. Finally they settle down to eat amicably and dance together all night. In the illustrations, some of the oil paintings look a little like American folk art landscapes.
Moriarty, J. T. Davy Crockett Frontier Hero =
defensor de la frontera. New York: Rosen Central Primary
Source/Editorial Buenas Letras, 2004. 32 pp. Biography. In English and
Spanish and Spanish-English bilingual editions.
Moseley, Elizabeth Robards.
Davy Crockett, Hero of the Wild Frontier. Illus. Thomas Beecham.
A Discovery Book Series. Champaign, IL: Garrard Pub., 1967. 80 pp.
"Summary: A profile of the woodsman, politician, and soldier
whose decisions were abetted by his motto, 'Be sure you're right,
then go ahead.'"
Osborne, Mary Pope. American
Tall Tales. Illus. Michael McCurdy. New York: Knopf, 1991. Includes
Davy Crockett, "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind,"
John Henry, historical background and a bibliography,
with energetic tinted wood engravings. Davy is born on a comet. A
dramatic double-page engraving shows Davy facing a giant panther
perched on a pile of bones, the panther which he then civilizes and
takes home as a sort of servant. Also includes Davy's brag about
outgrinning a knothole on a tree (which he mistook for a raccoon). In
Davy's encounter with Mike Fink, they wear each other out bragging and
screaming at each other. Davy thaws the frozen earth by rubbing bear
grease on the sun and kicking away giant blocks of ice. "Sally Ann
Thunder Ann Whirlwind" tells about Sally rescuing Davy with a rope
made of rattlesnakes when he is caught in a tree, her encounter with
Mike Fink, and her victory over a bear after she invites it to dance.
When she meets Davy, she tells him not to call her a "sweetie" and
brags about her abilities, such as wearing a hornets' nest for her
Sunday bonnet. The Sally Ann story is
reprinted in Jones, Raymond E. and John C. Stott, eds. A World of
Stories: Traditional Tales for Children. Toronto: Oxford
University Press, 2006.
Parks, Aileen Wells. Davy
Crockett, Young Rifleman. Illus. Justin Pearson. Indianapolis:
Bobbs-Merrill, 1983. Rpt. New York: Aladdin Books, 1986. 192 pp. "Summary
A biography of the famous frontiersman and Congressman, focusing on
his childhood."
Perry, Frances Melville.
Four American Pioneers: Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, David
Crockett, Kit Carson: A Book for Young Americans. Katherine Beebe
(joint author or illustrator?). The Four Great Americans Series. New
York: Werner School Book C., 1900. 255 pp.
Prior, Colleen, and Loÿd Petilotte. Davy
Crockett. Fortune series. Brighton, England: Litor, 1900s.
Quackenbush, Robert. Quit
Pulling My Leg! A Story of Davy Crockett. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1987. Picture book biography.
Retan, Walter. The Story of Davy Crockett
Frontier Hero. Illus. Steven Petruccio. Famous Lives. New York:
Dell, 1993.
Roberts,
Russell. Davy Crockett. What's So Great About...? Series.
Hockessin, Del.: Mitchell Lane, 2007. 32 pp. Biography.
Rourke, Constance. Davy Crockett. NY:
Harcourt Brace, 1934. Garden City, NY: Junior Deluxe Editions, 1956.
256 pp. Biography.
Sanford,
William R. and Carl R. Green. Davy Crockett: Defender of the Alamo.
Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1996. 48 pp. Biography.
Santry, Laurence. Davy
Crockett: Young Pioneer. Illus. Francis Livingston. Troll, 1983.
47 pp. This is a chapter book on Crockett's life, with very little
on the tall tales about him. Black and white drawings throughout.
Sattler, Anne, Edwin Vandermeulen, and Bruce Miles.
I Ride Panthers for Fun.
Scottsdale, Ariz: Remedia Publications, 2003. Book and CD. Includes
Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett and Mike Fink.
"Davy Crockett: Hero
of the Frontier." In Schafer, Liza, ed. Famous Americans:
Twenty-two Short Plays for the Classroom. New York: Scholastic
Professional Books, 1994. 199 pp. For grades 4-8.
 Schanzer, Rosalyn.
Davy
Crockett Saves the World. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. N. pag.
Based on the Davy Crockett almanacs published in the 19th century,
claiming "every single word is true, unless it is false."
Crockett is "the greatest woodsman who ever lived," who
"could whip ten times his weight in wildcats and drink the Mississippi
River dry." His bear Death Hug and girlfriend Sally Sugartree
participate in his fantastic exploits. Among Crockett's impossible
feats, he saves the world from Halley's Comet in response to an ad
from the President. A pourquoi episode at the end explains why he
wears his coonskin cap after taking on a comet. Carolyn Phelan (in
Booklist) wrote, "the vivid language places the story
squarely in the tradition of American tall tales, where exaggeration
is not just allowed, it's celebrated."
Shapiro, Irwin. "Strong
But Quirky: The Birth of Davy Crockett." Illus. Molly Bang. In
Cohn, Amy L., ed. From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury
of American Folklore and Folk Songs. New York: Scholastic,
1993, pp. 85-88. A retelling of a tall tale account of Crockett's
birth as a gigantic child, "half horse, half alligator, with
a little touch o' snapping turtle!" Also in this book: "John Henry" (with music) in "I've Been Working
on the Railroad."
Shapiro, Irwin.
Yankee
Thunder: The Legendary Life of Davy Crockett. Illus. James Daugherty.
New York: J. Messner, 1944. 205 pp. Illustrations archived at
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. "Strong but Quirky" is an
excerpt from Shapiro's book about Crockett's birth in Haviland, Virginia, ed.
North
American Legends. Illus. Ann Strugnell. New York: Collins,
1979.
Stoutenburg, Adrien.
American
Tall Tales. Illus. Richard M. Powers. New York: Puffin,
1966. A small collection of prose retellings on eight folk heroes,
including Davy Crockett and
John Henry, with black and white prints. No background
information. "Davy Crockett—Frontier Fighter" gives
an overview of Crockett's life: his powerful grin, his ability to
talk to animals, his marriage to Polly Finley Thunder Whirlwind, his
adoption of his pet bear Death-Hug and pet alligator Old Mississippi,
his military and political career, his hunting exploits, his defeat
of the Comet, his ending of the Big Freeze, and his death at the Alamo.
Also available as sound cassettes with Ed Begley.
Sullivan, George. Davy Crockett. In Their
Own Words. New York: Scholastic Reference, 2001. 128 pp. Biography
with color illustrations. Brief discussion at the end of legends about
Crockett's superhuman feats, and lines from a song sung in Tennessee
after they mourned the death of their hero.
Townsend, Tom. Davy
Crockett: An American Hero. Austin, TX: Eakin Press, 1987. 70
pp. "Summary: Follows the life of the renowned pioneer, with
an emphasis on his experiences on the American frontier in the early
nineteenth century." Available from netLibrary if you have library
access to this online book collection.
Trotman, Felicity and Shirley Greenway. Davy Crockett.
Great Tales series. Illus. Chris Molan. Milwaukee, Wis: Raintree Children's Books,
1986. 32 pp. Biography. Also published by Ideals.
Wade, Mary D. David Crockett: Creating a Legend. Illus. Joy F. Hein. Houston, Tex: Bright Sky Press, 2009. 23 pp. Biography for children.
Wade, Mary D. Wade. David Crockett: Hero and Legend. Illus. Don Collins. Texas Heroes for Young Readers series. Houston, Tex: Bright Sky Press, 2009. 63 pp.
Wade, Mary Dodson. David
Crockett: Sure He Was Right. Illus. Pat Finney. Austin, TX. Eakin
Press, 1992. 60 pp. An illustrated biography. Available from netLibrary
if you have library access to this online book collection.
Walker, Paul Robert.
Big
Men, Big Country: A Collection of American Tall Tales. Illus.
James Bernardin. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1993. Includes John Henry and "Davy Crockett Teaches the Steamboat
a Leetle Patriotism." Contains dramatic realistic paintings and
small drawings.
Welch, Thomas B., and Samuel Stillman Osgood.
The Life of Colonel David Crockett Comprising His Adventures As
Backwoodsman and Hunter; His Services As Soldier and Scout in the
Creek War; His Electioneering Canvasses; His Career As Congressman;
His Tour Through the Northern States; and His Services and Death in
the Texan War of Independence: to Which Are Added Sketches of General
Sam Houston, General Santa Anna, Rezin P. and Colonel James Bowie.
Philadelphia: Henry T. Coates & Co, 1884. Long biography.
Winders, Richard Bruce. Davy Crockett The Legend
of the Wild Frontier. The Library of American Lives and Times. New
York: PowerPlus Books, 2003. 112 pp. Biography.
Zadra, Dan, and Jack Norman. Davy Crockett
Frontier Adventurer (1786-1836). Mankato, Minn: Creative Education,
1988. 30 pp. Biography.
Zorn, Steve.
Classic
American Folk Tales. Illus. Gary Gianni. Philadelphia: Courage
Books, 1992. 55 pp. In addition to Davy Crockett and John Henry, includes Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed,
"How Brer Rabbit Tricked Brer Fox," "The Story of Bobcat
& Coyote," Pocahontas, Pecos Bill.
Top of Page
Other
Crockett Stories:
"Bear Hunting in Tennessee." From Narrative
of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee (1834)
by David Crockett, edited by Angel Price (11/96). Electronic Text
Center, University of Virginia Library. This text is introduced
by the page Davy Crockett, which says, "A Narrative
of the Life of David Crockett (1834) is the autobiography most
likely to be the actual work of Crockett; edited by Thomas Chilton.
Much of the other writing attributed to Crockett was actually
penned by ghost writers (presumably due to Crockett's lack of formal
education) and was approved by Crockett before publication. 'Bear
Hunting in Tennessee' is a story . . . that emphasized Crockett's
reputation as a great bear hunter--one of the first mighty hunters
in Southwestern humor. Unlike Thorpe's later creation of the mighty
hunter, Jim Doggett, Crockett's role is used to further the myth that
allowed Crockett to become a legend of the old West within his lifetime
and for years to come." With several illustrations.
Blair, Walter.
Tall Tale America A Legendary History of Our Humorous Heroes.
Illus. Glen Rounds. New York: Coward-McCann, 1944. Chicago: U of
Chicago Press, 1987. "This is a folksy history of the United States,
told as if the characters were all real." Includes Daniel Boone, John
Henry, Davy
Crockett, and others.
Blair, Walter, and Raven I. McDavid, Jr., eds. The Mirth of a Nation: America's Great Dialect Humor. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1983. Includes Davy
Crockett stories and "Larkin Snow, the Miller" (1859) by Harden E. Taliaferro.
Botkin, B. A., ed. A Trecasury
of Southern Folklore: Stories, Ballads, Traditions, and Folkways of the People
of the South. New York: Crown, 1944. This large anthology reprints Davy Crockett materials in several sections.
Crockett, David. A
Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee.
1834. Rpt. Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1973. A facsimile
ed. with annotations and an introduction by James A. Shackford and
Stanley J. Folmsbee. Original ed. published by E. L. Carey and A.
Hart, Philadelphia.
Crockett, Davy. The
Autobiography of David Crockett. The Modern Student's Library
Series. American Division. New York: Scribner, 1923. Introduction
by Hamlin Garland. 328 pp. Contains "Col. Crockett's Exploits
and Adventures in Texas," a pseudoautobiography generally ascribed
to Richard Penn Smith.
Crockett, Davy. Davy
Crockett's Own Story as Written by Himself: The Autobiography of America's
Great Folk Hero. Illus. Milton Glaser. New York: Citadel Press,
1955. 377 pp. "Consists of... A narrative of the life of David
Crockett...written by himself, published in 1834; An account of Col.
Crockett's tour to the North and down East, published in 1834, and
Col. Crockett's exploits and adventures in Texas, published posthumously
in 1836. 'Col. Crockett's exploits and adventures in Texas' is a pseudo-autobiography
generally ascribed to Richard Penn Smith" (notes from Appalachian
State Univ. library catalog).
Crockett, Davy. King of the Wild Frontier: An Autobiography. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2010. "This Dover edition, first published in 2010, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published in 1834 as A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee, by E. L. Carey and A. Hart, Philadelphia."
Crockett, Davy. A
Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee.
Written by himself, edited for the modern reader by Joseph J.
Arpad. The Masterworks of Literature Series. New Haven, Conn.:
College & University Press, 1972. 171 pp.
Crockett, Davy. The
Sayings of Davy Crockett in His Own Language. Compiled by Larry
Mills,1938. 37 pp. Subject: Aphorisms and apothegms.
The
Crockett Almanacs (1836). In The Heath Anthology of American
Literature. 4th ed. Eds. Paul Lauter, et al. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 2002. Includes "A Pretty Predicament," "Crockett's
Daughters," "Sunrise in His Pocket." Links and other
references and study aids given at this link in Heath web site.
David Crockett: His Life and Adventures by John
S. C. Abbott (New York: Dodd & Mead, 1874). Electronic Text
Center, University of Virginia Library. Davy marries a "little
wife" in chapter 3, but she is not the tall tale heroine Sally
Ann.
"Davy Crockett."
In Harvest of World Folktales. Crown, 1988. p. 74.
"Davy Crockett Shoots
Bears." In Gohdes, Clarence Louis Frank, ed. Hunting in the
Old South: Original Narratives of the Hunters. Southern Literary
Studies Series. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Univ. Press, 1967.
Lofaro, Michael A., ed.
The Tall Tales of Davy Crockett: The Second Nashville Series of
Crockett Almanacs 1839-1841. Knoxville: Univ. of TN Press, 1987.
Lofaro, Michael A., ed.
Davy Crockett's Riproarious Shemales and Sentimental Sisters:
Women's Tall Tales from the Crockett Almanacs, 1835-1856.
Stackpole Books, 2001. Collects and analyzes the stories of courageous
and masculine backwoods females from the Almanacs. Reviewed by
Grace McEntee in
Appalachian Journal, vol. 29 (Summer 2002).
Peck, Catherine, ed. QPB
Treasury of North American Folktales. Illus. Charles Blake.
Introduction by Charles Johnson. New York: Quality Paperback
Book Club, 1998. Reprints a number of Appalachian folktales
and tall tales, including "David Crockett Meets a Bear,"
John Henry, Maud Long's "Jack and the Giants' Newground." (Also published
as A Treasury of North American Folktales, Norton, 1999).
Sketches and Eccentricities
of Col. David Crockett of West Tennessee. Popular Culture in
America Series. New York: Arno Press, 1974. 209 pp. "The author
was unknown to Crockett who wrote his 'Narrative' to correct the wrong
impressions produced by this publication. Cf. Pref. to Crockett's
Narrative. Doubtfully ascribed to J. S. French by E. A. Poe. Cf. Southern
Literary Messenger, v. 2, 1835-36, p. 589. Reprint
of the 1833 ed. published by J. & J. Harper, New York (notes from
Appalachian State Univ. library catalog).
Sockdolager! A Tale
of Davy Crockett, in which the Old Tennessee Bear Hunter Meets up
with the Constitution of the United States. Richmond: Virginia
Commission on Constitutional Government, 195?. 15 pp. Reprinted from
Freeman Magazine.
The Tall Tales of
Davy Crockett: The Second Nashville Series of Crockett Almanacs, 1839-1841.
Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1987. Facsimile ed. with
an introduction by Michael A. Lofaro. 116 pp.
"Davy Crockett: Sunrise in his Pocket,"
In Rugoff, Milton, ed. A Harvest of World Folktales. New York:
Viking, 1949. Other American tales include "Jack
and the Varmints," "Jack's Hunting Trips," "Old Gally Mander,"
"The Tar Baby," "Dicey -- and Orpus," "The Man and his Boots,"
"Big John the Conqueror," "Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men,"
"Paul Bunyan's Big Griddle," "Paul's Cornstalk," "John
Henry and the Machine in West Virginia."
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Poems
and Songs:
Davy Crockett appears
in a number of folk songs and ballads found at Mudcat Cafe: A Magazine Devoted to Blues and Folk Music
(put "Crockett" in search window for different versions
with audio and discussion links).
"Davy Crockett."
In Ballads of the Civil War. Sound recording 33 1/3 rpm.
Folkways Records, 1954. Sung by Hermes Nye, with guitar.
"Davy Crockett."
In Sarah Ogan Gunning: Girl of Constant Sorrow. Audio recording
33 1/3 rpm. Folk-Legacy Records, 1965. Unaccompanied folk-songs performed
by Sarah Ogan Gunning. Program notes by Archie Green.
"Davy Crockett."
In The Silver Dagger. 1 sound disc. 33 1/3 rpm. Somerville,
MA: Rounder Records, 1976. Performed by Sarah Ogan Gunning; with Jim
Garland on Band 2/1 and Band 2/9. Recorded in Medford, Mass., in May,
1974. Produced by Mark Wilson.
"Davy Crockett."
Performed by Clyde Caso. In Folksongs and Ballads. Vol. 4.
1 sound cassette. Elkins, WV: Augusta Heritage Recordings, 1992. Labeled
"West Virginia traditional music." Recorded and produced
by Gerry Milnes.
"Me and Davy Crockett." In Crawdads, Doodlebugs and Creasy
Greens: Songs, Stories and Lore Celebrating the Natural World
by Douglas B Elliott. Musical score.
Folk music. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 1997. Also
includes "
The Frogge and the Mouse."
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Film
and Television (in chronological order):
Most of
these films are
listed with details and additional comments in Southern
Mountaineers Filmography by J. W. Williamson, Appalachian State
University Libraries:
Davy Crockett—In
Hearts United. New York Motion Picture Co., 1909. "The earliest
known Davy Crockett movie, wherein the Alamo does not appear. This
is the alternate Crockett of the Lochinvar legend."
Davy Crockett. Selig
Polyscope, 1910. "Another non-Alamo Crockett story."
The Immortal Alamo.
Star Film Co., 1911. "The familiar Alamo story filmed on location
in San Antonio, starring Francis Ford as Davy Crockett."
Martyrs of the Alamo,
or, The Birth of Texas. D. W. Griffith. Fine Arts/Triangle Film,
1915.
Davy Crockett.
Pallas Picture/Paramount, 1916. "Based on the Frank Mayo stage
characterization, a non-Alamo romance in which Davy saves the girl.
. ."
Davy Crockett at the
Fall of the Alamo. Sunset Productions, 1926. "Early scenes
set in Tenn. show Crockett as top-hatted gentleman. He only puts on
buckskin & coonskin hat when he goes west to the Alamo."
Heroes of the Alamo.
Sunset Productions, 1937. "This company also made the silent
'Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo.'"
Man of Conquest.
Republic Pictures, 1939. "Story of Sam Houston, consorter-with-Cherokees
and fierce warrior, with a number of scenes involving Andy Jackson."
Davy
Crockett, Indian Fighter. Walt Disney television series beginning
Dec. 15, 1954.
Davy Crockett, Indian
Scout. United Artists, 1950. "This version of Davy makes
him a part of the Wild West and does not take him to the Alamo."
The Man from the Alamo.
Universal-International, 1953. "Not a mountain picture but a
conventional Western, though it begins at the end of the Davy Crockett
legend."
Davy Crockett, King
of the Wild Frontier. Walt Disney/Buena Vista, 1955. "The
movie based on the three-part TV series that was one of the cultural
events of the '50s, the movie that started the rage among youngsters
for coonskin caps."
The Last Command.
Republic Pictures, 1955. "Alamo story, with Davy Crockett, though
this is really Jim Bowie's story. Takes place entirely in Tex. Arthur
Hunnicut's Crockett is the best ever."
Woody Meets Davy Crewcut.
Walter Lantz, 1956. "Woody Woodpecker meets the coonskin-capper
of legend."
Davy Crockett and
the River Pirates. Walt Disney/Buena Vista, 1956. "Adapted
for theatrical release from the 'Disneyland' TV production's second
set of stories about the famous coonskin-capper. Features authentic
settings along the Ohio R."
The Alamo. Batjac
Production/United Artists, 1960. "John Wayne's notorious portrayal
of Davy Crockett: A 'splashy, simple-minded reenactment.... there
is little excuse for the outrageous historical inaccuracies found
everywhere throughout this irritating cliche-ridden script.'"
Davy Crockett: Rainbow
in the Thunder. Wonderful World of Disney/NBC-TV, 1988. "Another
take on the Davy Crockett legend, made for TV, with Johnny Cash as
the older Col. David Crockett."
Davy Crockett. Videocassette. Dir. David Grossman. With Shelley Duvall, Mac Davis, Adam Carl, Michael McKean, McLean Stevenson, Susan Denim, Jack Carrerow, Lisa A. Bannick, Bridget Terry, and Frederic S. Fuchs. Richardson, TX: Distributed by Lyrick Studios, 1998. American Tall Tales and Legends series. 1986 television production. "Ben, the class clown, can't relate to studying American heroes, until the teacher gives him a magical book. Ben is transported to the World of Davy Crockett, where he meets the hero, and learns something about himself."
Sottnick, Mark, David Bromberg, Steve Brodner,
James Howard Kunstler, B. B. King, Barry Jackson, Brad Kessler, Ry
Cooder, Tim Raglin, and Brian Gleeson. Frontiers. Footprints
across America. VHS tapes. [S.l.]: Sunburst Communications, 1996.
Includes "The Legend of Davy Crockett," "John Henry," and "Pecos
Bill," with teacher's guide.
Davy Crockett. Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends: The Complete Series. DVD. Dir. Howard Storm. Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends TV Series. Edward Asner, Howard Cosell, and Rebecca DeMornay. Port Washington, NY: Koch Vision, 2005. 1 of 9 epidodes. John Henry is another one.
Messecar, Ray, Carol Ann Messecar, Thomas H.
Zingarelli, Robyn Ferracane, John Barilla, and Rusty Ferracane.
Davy Crockett. Greatest American Tall Tales & Legends. DVD
animated video for children with teacher's guide. Wynnewood, PA:
Schlessinger Media, 2006. Also VHS tape. 23 min.
Other
References and Teaching Resources:
Born on a Mountaintop?: Davy Crockett, Tall Tales, and History,
2002. Detailed lesson plans for grades 3-5, with excerpts from and
links to historical texts on Crockett. An NEH Edsitement site.
Chatham, Anne Bassett
Stanley. Tidewater Families of the New World and Their Westward
Migrations: Case Studies in Southern States Research. Includes
appendices on Davy Crockett and Pocahontas. Edited and illustrated
by Karen Clifford. Austin, TX: Historical Publications, 1996.
Davy Crockett. Links to internet resources in Tall Tales section of the Internet School Library Media
Center.
Davy Crockett Commemorative Stamp designed by a fifth
grader for a tall tales project, Fairland Elementary School, Md.,
1997.
Dorson, Richard Mercer.
Davy Crockett, American Comic Legend. New York: Spiral Press
for Rockland Editions, 1939. Rpt. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press,
1977. Foreword by Howard Mumford Jones. 171 pp.
Hauck, Richard Boyd. Crockett,
a Bio-bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1982.
Rpt. Davy Crockett, a Handbook. Lincoln: Univ, of Nebraska
Press,1986. 169 pp.
Review
of Davy Crockett Stories. By Sam, age 8. Indiana. Nov. 2007 for
AppLit.
Rourke, Constance. Davy
Crockett. 1934. Illus. James MacDonald. New York: Harcourt, Brace &
World, 1962. 276 pp. Intro. and study guides by Geraldine Murphy.
Map on lining papers.
Shakkford, James Atkins. "Davy
Crockett: The Legend and the Symbol." The Frontier Humorists: Critical Views. Ed. M. T. Inge. Hamden, Conn: Archon Books, 1975.
Shakkford, James Atkins,
ed. David Crockett: The Man and the Legend. Chapel Hill:
Univ. of NC Press, 1986. Rpt. Lincoln: Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1994.
Introduction by Michael A. Lofaro. 338 pp.
Sunrise
in his Pocket The Life, Legend, and Legacy of Davy Crockett. Information
and photos on a 2002 exhibit at the Bob Bullock Texas State History
Museum. "More
Than Just the Facts, Ma'am," by Wayne Alan Brenner, is an
Austin Chronicle article (6/14/02) with discussion of a historical
play associated with the exhibit.
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See
also:
John
Henry,
Swamp
Angel,
Tony Beaver
Appalachian
Folktale Picture Books: Tall Tales
Jack is able
to cure the President's daughter and overcome death in Tom Davenport
film's
Soldier Jack, and he does the same with the king's daughter
in "Something Old, Something New" by Donald Davis.
Card, Orson
Scott. "The Grinning Man." In Short Novels by the Masters
of Modern Fantasy. Ed. Robert Silverberg. Tom Doherty, 1998.
"Wandering an alternate earth in 'The Grinning Man' is . . .
Alvin the Maker, who meets the Grinning Man while roaming through
Kenituck. The Grinning Man turns out to be none other than Davy Crockett,
who has a magical knack for charming bears. He does little, though,
to charm Alvin and Alvin's ward, Arthur Stuart, when he spreads lies
to his neighbors that the pair are burglars. While in town, Alvin
and Arthur have a run-in with a cheating miller, who first hires them
in an effort to take advantage of their good natures but soon learns
that he is being taught a lesson in honesty. Alvin also manages to
get even with the Grinning Man by trading a bit of Crockett's 'heartfire'
with that of a bear. Card continues his exemplary fusion of American
magic, folklore, and history, and manages to creates a dialect and
language reminiscent of Manly Wade Wellman's cherished Silver John
character" (from Barnes & Noble editorial review by Tom Piccirilli).
Tales of Alvin Maker is Card's series of fantasy novels creating "an
alternative American frontier powered by folk magic where Native Americans
remain powerful" (publisher's notes).
Compare with:
Other American tall tale
heroes. See AppLit's
Tall Tales and Jack Tales: Literature and Writing Activities.
Johnny Appleseed and Mike Fink are other tall tale heroes who are
definitely based on real people.
Sally Ann's rival Mike
Fink can be found in many resources on American tall tales. See, for
example, short entry on Mike Fink from Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2001,
at Bartleby.com, and Steven Kellogg's comical picture book Mike
Fink (New York: Mulberry, 1992).
Crocodile Dundee.
Dir. Peter Faiman. Prod. John Cornell. Perf. Paul Hogan, Linda
Kozlowski. Rimfire Films/Paramount, 1986. "Comments: Co-written
by Paul Hogan who created the character, an Australian version of
Davy Crockett (and the best characterization of what the backwoodsman
has always meant in American mythology)." Information from Southern
Mountaineers Filmography by J. W. Williamson, Appalachian State
University Libraries.
Last
update:
8/28/11
Top of Page Links checked 7/12/05 |