George Magoon and the Down East Game War History, Folklore, and the Law

George Magoon (1851-1929), a notorious moose and deer poacher in Maine, was the hero of scores of funny stories of how he outwitted game wardens. Preserving these oral histories, Edward Ives documents Magoon's life and explores his significance as a folk hero within the context of the conservation movement, the cult of the sportsman, and Maine's increasingly restrictive game laws. "A rich and subtle book, an important work by a major scholar. . . . It is a major contribution to folklore studies, and to history and American studies as well." -- Journal of American Folklore