In John the Balladeer, the late Manly Wade Wellman gave us one of the most original characters in fantasy literature - a singer who, wandering through the backwoods of Appalachia, battles supernatural evil with his silver-strung guitar and the magic of his voice.

John first appeared in Wellman's stories in the 1950s, stories steeped in the folklore of the Southern mountains. Now for the first time ever, all 17 of the John the Balladeer stories, plus two sets of shorter vignettes, are collected together in their original, unaltered versions.

Here are the hoodoo men and witch-women who dwell in the back hills of North Carolina, strange supernatural beasts, malevolent spirits and even George Washington's ghost. Knowledgeable in the secrets of magic as well as the folkways of the people he meets, John the Balladeer faces these creatures with down-home charm and a brand of resourcefulness distinctly his own.