Phantom of the Pines: More Tales of the Jersey Devil

by James F. McCloy, Ray Miller

Emitting shrill cries and leaving its footprints in mud and snow, it has roamed the Pine Barrens of South Jersey for almost three hundred years. It is usually said to resemble a composite of several different animals, but it walks upright and is believed to be the child of a human mother. It is often associated with witchcraft and devil worship, yet it sometimes travels in the company of beautiful golden-haired girl. And it has lent its name to everything from small businesses to a professional hockey team. What is this mysterious creature? The Jersey Devil course! And in this brand-new collection of fascinating legends and lore, you will learn more than ever before about New Jersey's most infamous resident. More than twenty years after their first book about the Jersey Devil was published, James F. McCloy and Ray Miller Jr.'s, new research into this phenomenon continues to intrigue readers. Using historical accounts and interviews with New Jerseyites, many of whom were eyewitnesses to the creature's actions, the authors try to piece together the mystery that is the Jersey Devil. Despite the variations and contradictions that have shaped its story through the years, one thing is the legend of the Jersey Devil is not likely to disappear anytime soon. And as one believer notes, "Behind every tradition...there's something real." Does the Jersey Devil actually exist, leaving its fearsome mark throughout the region? Or is it simply a hoax, grown to epic proportions through years of storytelling? Open Phantom of the Pines-if you dare-and decide for yourself.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, History

166 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

Reviews

[Nick Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically just a collection of accounts and possible sightings, no matter how minute. Which is fine, just feels like they come at rapid fire pace and doesn’t feel particularly well written.

[Nancy Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for south Jersey residents who are familiar with the Jersey Devil. Not sure there is a wide audience for this book. I especially loved the poems at the end. I once saw 3 animals in the Pinelands that I do not know what they were. They were not scary in fact they were rather sad since one lay on the ground as it had been hit by a vehicle the other 2 were standing over it and appeared to be crying. They were size of a pony, tri colored, horns like a ram, coarse hair like a goat, tuffs on legs like some horses and faces like horses. They appeared to be what you'd get if you bred a horse, a sheep and a goat together. Sadly this was in the days before cell phone cameras so no pics. Still don't know what animal they were so I'm saying Jersey Devils :-)

[Dylan Freno · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too segmented for my taste. There was some great analysis of the Jersey Devil as a legend and as folklore towards the end of the book but contained a lot of interviews and other details that seemed dropped in with little to no commentary.

[Chris Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, one of the core JD books that everyone else pulls their info from.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a bit dry. But it is a good overview. The authors do look at the various stories and go into the historical context a bit.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up near (and sometimes in) the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, it is safe to say that I have had a fascination with the Jersey Devil all my life. First, it started as a natural childhood monster fascination (the same thing that had me watching Godzilla movies and being unable to fall asleep with the lights out), and over time it simply became an interest in how ideas survive through the ages, as well as how they morph and change from person to person.

This book is a great collection of the multitudinous versions of the Jersey Devil myth, along with connected legends and stories of sightings to document the wide variations that have occured over time. Even the shape and form of the Devil himself is in contention--from something serpentine to humanoid. The authors set down the wide array of variations with an almost anthropological removal. Rather than going for cheap conclusions or pale insinuations of a real monster out there in the pines, the authors relish in the array of tales that are out there as a kind of history of New Jersey storytelling. Their proper tone keeps the evidence convincing, and I became impressed with their thorough work and had no doubt that their research was authentic.

In the end, though, I did leave wanting some kind of summation of things beyond the information provided. Obviously, this was not the point of the book itself, but I do hope that it has been (or will be) the fodder of some analysis of Jersey folklore that looks at the drive behind the legend--what truths about New Jersey can be found in the proliferation of the Devil myth? McCloy and Miller have done great work laying down the foundation. I am waiting for someone to build the spires atop of it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some feel differently, but I liked this much better than "The Jersey Devil," which I think of as Part One. It covers a bit of the same ground, but with more exposition on the folklore and a brief recap of 1909. After that, it contains lots of information on sightings in Pennsylvania (including the Dorlan Devil and Montie the Monster flaps) and Delaware (these took place during 1909 as well). It also deals pretty extensively with the more modern encounters with what's at least taken to be the Devil (though I note modern times include far more auditory than visual encounters).

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to the authors' "The Jersey Devil", this book gives accounts of more recent encounters and events.