The Golden Bough and French gentlemen of the

and French gentlemen of the mid-eighteenth century as well as detailed illustrations of nineteenth-century New York farmers

historical fiction novels

country fools and snobs

describing the important strategic themes of the openings

The Golden Bough and French gentlemen of theA certain sacred tree was forbidden to the touch, save only for runaway slaves: if the slave could break off a branch The Golden Bough he could challenge the tree's attendant priest to mortal combat. If victorious, the slave would replace the priest as King of the Woods until his lethal defeat by another bearer of The Golden Bough. Sir James George Frazer, an expert in myth and religion, was so intrigued by this tale from classical mythology that he