Review: Ohio
Legends by
Jeff Wilson
By Randy McNutt
December 10,
2012
Overview
Jeff Wilson’s Ohio Legends is a small but fascinating
look at Ohio history through people, places, and things. In his words, it
contains “strange but true Ohio oddities, trivia, and people.” Some of the
people included in the book are well known and others are not. But they all
contribute something fascinating to a book that is highly entertaining, even to
a writer of Ohio books.
Audience/Market
Wilson’s
audience would be of all ages. Adults would enjoy it because it offers things
to ponder and discuss—such as the bizarre “Loveland Frog” incident that began
in 1955 and the “Lake Erie Mystery Tsunami of 1882 and 1942.” These tales,
coupled with ones about famous people such as William McKinley and Annie
Oakley, provide light (and good) reading for anyone who enjoys tales of the
Buckeye State. If priced right, the small book could be marketed to gift shops
in county and state parks, restaurants, gift shops in small towns and big
cities, and bookstores all over the state. The book also would make a good gift
for children as well as adults. As I read the brief stories, I immediately
thought of how it fit into the lobby sales scheme at Bob Evans restaurants, a
chain based in Rio Grande, Ohio.
Importance/Uniqueness
The strong point
of Ohio Legends is its artwork. The
reader could get a good idea of how Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the
West in the Wizard of Oz, looked like
in character, as well as how the Marblehead Lighthouse on Marblehead Peninsula
looks today. Most entries in the book have their own art. Because of this, the
book is attractive and appealing. Although such pictures have been used in
books in the past, this book does it with original and numerous drawings. The
importance of Ohio Legends is that it
pays tribute to Buckeye history while smiling all the while.
Essentials
I believe Jeff
Wilson has assembled a worthy cast of characters, places, and things. It is the
kind of book that could be the first of two or more such books, if his first
effort sells sufficiently. There are no rules governing the people and places
that should be included. This is up to the author, and he has chosen well,
blending the famous, the infamous, and the obscure.
Errors
I can’t find any
noticeable errors and omissions.
Summary
I had a good
time reading the author’s copy of Ohio
Legends, and I believe readers would like the book too.
--Randy McNutt
