The Great Serpent Mound: An Ancient Ohio Mystery

by Jeffrey Alan John

112 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

Jeffrey Alan John experienced journalism as a daily newspaper reporter, editor of a motorcycle magazine, and writer for a state historical society before entering the teaching and research life of academia, which he continues as a Professor Emeritus at Wright State University. Jeff is the author of the sci-fi Lab Rats Can't Say No: A Story in the Future, and co-author with the late Frank L. Johnson of A Bird in Your Hand: A Story of Ambiguous Justice, a true crime tale. He enjoys tennis, fly fishing and restoration of a Triumph TR3 sports car in his spare time. Jeff and his wife Karin Avila-John are the parents of triplet sons, and they live in Oregon Historic District in Dayton, Ohio.

Reviews

[Paul Lunger]

The Great Serpent Mound is one of the more recognizable mounds in the state of Ohio and also one of the more mysterious as to the why it was built. Jeffrey Alan John with "The Great Serpent Mound: An Ancient Ohio Mystery" attempts to tell some of the story, but at times fails miserably in the process. The does a good job with the explanation of the cultures present in this part of Ohio at the time but also doesn't do much of a job with the creation of it as well as what the potential evidence is there for what its purpose is. There is a bit of a section on trying to save this gem which is important because of the history of destroying the mounds across the US not only just in Ohio; however, this book itself is more of a minor overview of stuff and for people familiar with parts of this area will not find of any major use.