Description

The Hair of the Bear: Campfire Yarns and Short Stories Paperback by Eric A. Bye is a collection of 23 tall tales and short stories reminiscent of the humorous American frontier literature which found its highest expression in the works of Mark Twain. The stories focus on exploits in the wild outdoors and are permeated with the adventurous, the outlandish, the implausible, and the larger than life, which are, after all, only extensions of what we respectably term as fiction. Most of the tales are situated in an imprecise time period allowing either a contemporary or 19th century frame of reference.

These stories vary from two to fifteen pages, starting with a glossary in story form to familiarize you with frontier terminology used throughout the book. Bunyanesque dilemmas and animal adversaries such as buffaloes, bears and snakes abound. The more imposing and dangerous the obstacles and the animals, the more interesting the story. Most are illustrated by one of 23 pen and ink line drawings by noted artist Tom Elisii.