Michael P. Branch is a professor of literature and environment at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he teaches creative nonfiction, American literature, environmental studies, and film studies. An award-winning writer and humorist, Michael is the author of How to Cuss in Western and lives with his wife and two daughters in the western Great Basin Desert, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Range.
“Enjoy the thrill of going down this captivating rabbit hole, as we
follow our engaging narrator as he learns everything there is to
learn about the mythic jackalope. Branch's brilliant book is a wild
ride, told with the lively wit of the tall-tale tellers he admires.
On the Trail of the Jackalope [or just "This book"] shows us how
this fascinating embodiment of western kitsch is connected to the
identity of a small Wyoming town, the American folk tradition,
Looney Tunes, mythology, taxidermy, cancer research, and even death
itself. Sit back as Branch spins his tale, and listen, learn,
enjoy, and laugh.”
*David Gessner, author of All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey,
Wallace Stegner and the American West*
“I came to this book for jackalope gossip and lore, of which there
is plenty. But what kept me turning the pages is Michael Branch’s
smart, raucous discussions of tall folktales, elaborate hoaxes,
conspiracy theories, and fanciful acts of taxidermy. On
the Trail of the Jackalope is filled with examples of how we
humans delight in fusing the facts of our natural world with utter
fancies. A delightful read.”
*Elena Passarello, author of Animals Strike Curious Poses*
“Equal parts travelogue, natural history, and tall tale,
Michael Branch’s On The Trail of the Jackalope is a
hare-raising account of America’s most beloved hoax. Branch’s
expansive investigation takes readers from basement taxidermy
studios and dusty saloons to cryptozoology meetings and
sophisticated virology labs. Best of all, his masterful wit and
engaging prose ensure we all get to ride shot-gun on this
fantabulous adventure. I wanted it to never end.”
*Kathryn Miles, author of Quakeland and Trailed: One’s Woman’s
Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders*
"I've longed for this book all my life. The ultimate prize in the
souvenir shops of my Colorado boyhood was the Jackalope, but for
all my wheedling, I never got closer to owning one than a postcard.
Now I feel all that longing has been richly requited by this
brilliant natural history. I have seldom said about a book that it
NEEDED to be written, but this one absolutely did! Stunningly
researched and lived, lovely in its conception and writing,
Branch's Trail is all of what he aimed for and more: an
unforgettable journey along "the mighty, rolling river of
Jackalopiana."
*Robert Michael Pyle, author of Magdalena Mountain and Nature
Matrix*
"In this charming travelogue, Branch recounts his tracking down of
various jackalope tall tales and the roots of such hoaxes and our
fascination with them. He ends with the amazing true story of
the discovery of the role of a virus in actual naturally occurring
“horned rabbits,” and how this led to the creation of the vaccine
for human papillomavirus."
*Booklist*
“Mr. Branch knows at least as much about jackalopes as Einstein
knew about physics. In On the Trail of the Jackalope, Mr.
Branch digs deep into rabbit lore, hailing celebrity hares like
Bugs Bunny and the more obscure Centzon Totochtin of Aztec
tradition—‘a group of divine rabbits who gathered frequently to
throw drunken parties.’ More important, he reveals that the
jackalope of American folklore (or inspired hucksterism) has a
real-life counterpart—the hornéd rabbit, a creature with
protrusions that can resemble antlers. Mr. Branch has a good deal
to say about one of nature’s stranger animals and also deeply
ponders the mythological form, wondering why people dream up
jackalopes and other fanciful creatures in the first place."
*Wall Street Journal*
"On the Trail of the Jackalope is a marvelous romp in two
stellar literary genres: American tall tales and the history of
medicine. Even if jackalopes are a hoax, jackalope history is well
worth exploring and Mr. Branch had a high time doing so. Just as
brightly as the first half of the book shines with charm and good
yarns, the second half impresses with excellent reporting on the
history of medicine and the development of an anti-cancer vaccine.
I highly recommend On the Trail of the Jackalope. It’s an
excellent collection of well-told yarns and a fine piece of medical
history reporting.”
*FORBES*
“I came to this book for jackalope gossip and lore, of which there
is plenty. But what kept me turning the pages is Michael Branch’s
smart, raucous discussions of tall folktales, elaborate hoaxes,
conspiracy theories, and fanciful acts of taxidermy. On
the Trail of the Jackalope is filled with examples of how we
humans delight in fusing the facts of our natural world with utter
fancies. A delightful read.”
*Elena Passarello, author of Animals Strike Curious Poses*
“Equal parts travelogue, natural history, and tall tale,
Michael Branch’s On The Trail of the Jackalope is a
hare-raising account of America’s most beloved hoax. Branch’s
expansive investigation takes readers from basement taxidermy
studios and dusty saloons to cryptozoology meetings and
sophisticated virology labs. Best of all, his masterful wit and
engaging prose ensure we all get to ride shot-gun on this
fantabulous adventure. I wanted it to never end.”
*Kathryn Miles, author of Quakeland and Trailed: One’s Woman’s
Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders*
"I've longed for this book all my life. The ultimate prize in the
souvenir shops of my Colorado boyhood was the Jackalope, but for
all my wheedling, I never got closer to owning one than a postcard.
Now I feel all that longing has been richly requited by this
brilliant natural history. I have seldom said about a book that it
NEEDED to be written, but this one absolutely did! Stunningly
researched and lived, lovely in its conception and writing,
Branch's Trail is all of what he aimed for and more: an
unforgettable journey along "the mighty, rolling river of
Jackalopiana."
*Robert Michael Pyle, author of Magdalena Mountain and Nature
Matrix*
"In this charming travelogue, Branch recounts his tracking down of
various jackalope tall tales and the roots of such hoaxes and our
fascination with them. He ends with the amazing true story of
the discovery of the role of a virus in actual naturally occurring
“horned rabbits,” and how this led to the creation of the vaccine
for human papillomavirus."
*Booklist*
“Mr. Branch knows at least as much about jackalopes as Einstein
knew about physics. In On the Trail of the Jackalope, Mr.
Branch digs deep into rabbit lore, hailing celebrity hares like
Bugs Bunny and the more obscure Centzon Totochtin of Aztec
tradition—‘a group of divine rabbits who gathered frequently to
throw drunken parties.’ More important, he reveals that the
jackalope of American folklore (or inspired hucksterism) has a
real-life counterpart—the hornéd rabbit, a creature with
protrusions that can resemble antlers. Mr. Branch has a good deal
to say about one of nature’s stranger animals and also deeply
ponders the mythological form, wondering why people dream up
jackalopes and other fanciful creatures in the first place."
*Wall Street Journal*
"On the Trail of the Jackalope is a marvelous romp in two
stellar literary genres: American tall tales and the history of
medicine. Even if jackalopes are a hoax, jackalope history is well
worth exploring and Mr. Branch had a high time doing so. Just as
brightly as the first half of the book shines with charm and good
yarns, the second half impresses with excellent reporting on the
history of medicine and the development of an anti-cancer vaccine.
I highly recommend On the Trail of the Jackalope. It’s an
excellent collection of well-told yarns and a fine piece of medical
history reporting.”
*FORBES*
“I came to this book for jackalope gossip and lore, of which there
is plenty. But what kept me turning the pages is Michael Branch’s
smart, raucous discussions of tall folktales, elaborate hoaxes,
conspiracy theories, and fanciful acts of taxidermy. On
the Trail of the Jackalope is filled with examples of how we
humans delight in fusing the facts of our natural world with utter
fancies. A delightful read.”
*Elena Passarello, author of Animals Strike Curious Poses*
“Equal parts travelogue, natural history, and tall tale,
Michael Branch’s On The Trail of the Jackalope is a
hare-raising account of America’s most beloved hoax. Branch’s
expansive investigation takes readers from basement taxidermy
studios and dusty saloons to cryptozoology meetings and
sophisticated virology labs. Best of all, his masterful wit and
engaging prose ensure we all get to ride shot-gun on this
fantabulous adventure. I wanted it to never end.”
*Kathryn Miles, author of Quakeland and Trailed: One’s Woman’s
Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders*
"I've longed for this book all my life. The ultimate prize in the
souvenir shops of my Colorado boyhood was the Jackalope, but for
all my wheedling, I never got closer to owning one than a postcard.
Now I feel all that longing has been richly requited by this
brilliant natural history. I have seldom said about a book that it
NEEDED to be written, but this one absolutely did! Stunningly
researched and lived, lovely in its conception and writing,
Branch's Trail is all of what he aimed for and more: an
unforgettable journey along "the mighty, rolling river of
Jackalopiana."
*Robert Michael Pyle, author of Magdalena Mountain and Nature
Matrix*
"In this charming travelogue, Branch recounts his tracking down of
various jackalope tall tales and the roots of such hoaxes and our
fascination with them. He ends with the amazing true story of
the discovery of the role of a virus in actual naturally occurring
“horned rabbits,” and how this led to the creation of the vaccine
for human papillomavirus."
*Booklist*
“Mr. Branch knows at least as much about jackalopes as Einstein
knew about physics. In On the Trail of the Jackalope, Mr.
Branch digs deep into rabbit lore, hailing celebrity hares like
Bugs Bunny and the more obscure Centzon Totochtin of Aztec
tradition—‘a group of divine rabbits who gathered frequently to
throw drunken parties.’ More important, he reveals that the
jackalope of American folklore (or inspired hucksterism) has a
real-life counterpart—the hornéd rabbit, a creature with
protrusions that can resemble antlers. Mr. Branch has a good deal
to say about one of nature’s stranger animals and also deeply
ponders the mythological form, wondering why people dream up
jackalopes and other fanciful creatures in the first place."
*Wall Street Journal*
"On the Trail of the Jackalope is a marvelous romp in two
stellar literary genres: American tall tales and the history of
medicine. Even if jackalopes are a hoax, jackalope history is well
worth exploring and Mr. Branch had a high time doing so. Just as
brightly as the first half of the book shines with charm and good
yarns, the second half impresses with excellent reporting on the
history of medicine and the development of an anti-cancer vaccine.
I highly recommend On the Trail of the Jackalope. It’s an
excellent collection of well-told yarns and a fine piece of medical
history reporting.”
*FORBES*
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