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Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story
This portrait of Johnny Appleseed restores the flesh-and-blood man beneath the many myths. It captures the boldness of an iconic American life and the sadness of his last years, as the frontier marched past him, ever westward. And it shows how death liberated the legend and made of Johnny a barometer of the nation’s feelings about its own heroic past and the supposed Eden it once had been. It is a book that does for America’s inner frontier what Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage did for its western one.
No American folk hero—not Davy Crockett, not even Daniel Boone—is better known than Johnny Appleseed, and none has become more trapped in his own legends. The fact is, John Chapman—the historical Johnny Appleseed—might well be the best-known figure from our national past about whom most people know almost nothing real at all.
One early historian called Chapman “the oddest character in all our history,” and not without cause. Chapman was an animal whisperer, a vegetarian in a raw country where it was far easier to kill game than grow a crop, a pacifist in a place ruled by gun, knife, and fist. Some settlers considered Chapman a New World saint. Others thought he had been kicked in the head by a horse. And yet he was welcomed almost everywhere, and stories about him floated from cabin to cabin, village to village, just as he did.
As eccentric as he was, John Chapman was also very much a man of his a land speculator and pioneer nurseryman with an uncanny sense for where settlement was moving next, and an evangelist for the Church of the New Jerusalem on a frontier alive with religious fervor. His story is equally America’s story at the birth of the nation.
In this tale of the wilderness and its taming, author Howard Means explores how our national past gets mythologized and hired out. Mostly, though, this is the story of two men, one real and one invented; of the times they lived through, the ties that link them, and the gulf that separates them; of the uses to which both have been put; and of what that tells us about ourselves, then and now.
No American folk hero—not Davy Crockett, not even Daniel Boone—is better known than Johnny Appleseed, and none has become more trapped in his own legends. The fact is, John Chapman—the historical Johnny Appleseed—might well be the best-known figure from our national past about whom most people know almost nothing real at all.
One early historian called Chapman “the oddest character in all our history,” and not without cause. Chapman was an animal whisperer, a vegetarian in a raw country where it was far easier to kill game than grow a crop, a pacifist in a place ruled by gun, knife, and fist. Some settlers considered Chapman a New World saint. Others thought he had been kicked in the head by a horse. And yet he was welcomed almost everywhere, and stories about him floated from cabin to cabin, village to village, just as he did.
As eccentric as he was, John Chapman was also very much a man of his a land speculator and pioneer nurseryman with an uncanny sense for where settlement was moving next, and an evangelist for the Church of the New Jerusalem on a frontier alive with religious fervor. His story is equally America’s story at the birth of the nation.
In this tale of the wilderness and its taming, author Howard Means explores how our national past gets mythologized and hired out. Mostly, though, this is the story of two men, one real and one invented; of the times they lived through, the ties that link them, and the gulf that separates them; of the uses to which both have been put; and of what that tells us about ourselves, then and now.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 29, 2025
Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Mike Fink, Molly Pitcher, Paul Bunyan, and Johnny Appleseed all hold reputations as iconic Early American cultural icons and folklore legends, but it’s the latter of the group—often forgotten under the guise of John Chapman—that has held the fascination of many generations for his mysteriousness. Howard Means sets out to find the very soul and background history of this fabled jack-of-all-trades and captivating Renaissance man, by separating the various myths from the actual facts in an account that hopes to capture all of his known tendencies, distinctions, and experiences. As the opening chapters unfold, it’s left unclear as to whether there will be enough information and research collected by Means in which he can depict his subject in a true biographical fashion.
John Chapman is born into the restlessness of rebellion in the year 1774, with a father that leaves his Massachusetts roost in 1775 as a militiaman for the Continental cause, and a mother that would shortly pass away in 1776 along with her newborn son—leaving John and his sister momentarily orphaned. All of this is recounted by Means in detail, but also with many tangents that trace such figures as Boone, Crockett, and even Chapman’s own prior biographers’ lineage—losing the reader as he speculates on where each ancestor of Chapman’s mother or father’s side may have hailed from.
Even when chronicling Chapman’s first known escapades with his younger brother (in which they leave their newly married father and stepmom in Pennsylvania) Means again uses hypotheticals in describing which routes, trails, or mountain passes the two young travelers may have chosen. This is in conjunction with the weather conditions and travelogues taken by other citizens of the same period or area—Braddock’s march, and even Vanderbilt of railroad fame are oddly brought to attention—where they again may or may not have used the same paths as these two boys. While the reader may be hopeful after enduring a rocky start mostly consisting of unnecessary filler content, it becomes all too clear that upon reaching their destination in Warren, Pennsylvania, Chapman’s life and alleged adventures will be time and time again speculated upon.
The same modern day comparisons, musings on other known travelers and their respective works, and tangents on the very tools he purchased and their probable uses continue to dog each page. Deemed by Means as the “American Robin Hood” while discussing the history of apples through the ages, this seems quite a stretch as it appears the only connection Chapman has to this Englishman is the fact that both are found in fables—unlike the usual hero of the poor and underdogs that usually accompanies such a title. Means moves on and describes the various famed followers and members who prescribed to Swedenborg’s New Church movement, mentioning Chapman’s name here and there but guessing as to when he joined the religious sect—similar to his ramblings on whether or not Chapman planted an orchard, or the whereabouts that such a nursery could be found.
Chapman’s next excursions appear to take him into Ohio, where Means relates tales of his expertise in animal whispering as well as tidbits on his comings and goings, but more so focuses on the history of the Ohio Territory—randomly adding Arthur St. Clair’s disastrous defeat to its background, alongside that of runaway slave stories, and Christopher Gists’ journal on the local Northwest Territory Native populations. Paging past the now-familiar extended accounts of local citizens and the population census of each town that Chapman seems to inhabit or stroll on through (with his seeds and Swedenborg Bible), we find him in the excitement of the War of 1812, where a barely-clothed Johnny Appleseed is remembered for sounding the alarm of the approaching Redcoats and their heathen Native allies:
Just about every version agrees that Chapman made the trip bareheaded and barefooted, and that he set off just at sunset, but by what means and in what time frame the trip was made are open to interpretation. Had there been a horse available for the purpose—and it’s hard to believe there wasn’t—surely Chapman would have jumped on it and set off on his mission that way, just as Paul Revere had, maybe even with a lantern to light his way. Historian A. Banning Norton has him doing just that.
While Means’ research methods and overall structure are suspect to say the least, his writing style does not disappoint—apart from a few too many inappropriate exclamation points. Nonetheless, the reader will find that about two thirds of the way through the book, there truly is going to be nothing miraculous or evidently interesting about Chapman’s life. Apparently, he is mostly known for a few quips and sermons that he has preached to the random populace that he stays or becomes acquainted with, or for his random land grabs and purchases in the various counties and states that he moves through. More can be discovered from Means’s account on the Swedenborgian New Church movement—not to mention the local histories of the territories, roads, and towns that are discussed—than that of his subject Chapman.
It seems that even before his death, homesteaders, friends—even his own church that he devotedly preached about—were all trying to distance themselves from his radical image and carefree way of life. Now in his sixties, Means basically depicts him as a sort of down-and-out skinny Santa Claus—a ragamuffin that enjoys relating tall tales to the children sitting upon his lap, always hopeful for free stay and board. Unsurprisingly and by now all too routine, by the time of his death sometime in March of 1845, Means speculates as to whether it was March 11th or 22nd, as there are a few different accounts that give different dates and locations of where he may have been put to rest. At this point his audience is most likely left bewildered and unconcerned as to the whereabouts or exactness of Chapman’s final resting place, nor the epitaphs granted to him by the “Optimist Club” or “Indiana Horticultural Society.”
With the last few chapters describing much of the lore and mythology that was created posthumously on Chapman as “Johnny Appleseed,” Means discusses his onscreen Disney appeal, as well as those orchards that still claim to have an apple tree grafted or planted by the legendary figure. Johnny Appleseed reads more as a legacy piece and tribute from the author—indeed, even a side by side companion guidebook à la “Travels with Johnny”—than a biography. The book contains maps of his supposed travels and the orchards tied to him, sketches of the man in relation to the theme of each chapter, as well as sources and notes.
John Chapman is born into the restlessness of rebellion in the year 1774, with a father that leaves his Massachusetts roost in 1775 as a militiaman for the Continental cause, and a mother that would shortly pass away in 1776 along with her newborn son—leaving John and his sister momentarily orphaned. All of this is recounted by Means in detail, but also with many tangents that trace such figures as Boone, Crockett, and even Chapman’s own prior biographers’ lineage—losing the reader as he speculates on where each ancestor of Chapman’s mother or father’s side may have hailed from.
Even when chronicling Chapman’s first known escapades with his younger brother (in which they leave their newly married father and stepmom in Pennsylvania) Means again uses hypotheticals in describing which routes, trails, or mountain passes the two young travelers may have chosen. This is in conjunction with the weather conditions and travelogues taken by other citizens of the same period or area—Braddock’s march, and even Vanderbilt of railroad fame are oddly brought to attention—where they again may or may not have used the same paths as these two boys. While the reader may be hopeful after enduring a rocky start mostly consisting of unnecessary filler content, it becomes all too clear that upon reaching their destination in Warren, Pennsylvania, Chapman’s life and alleged adventures will be time and time again speculated upon.
The same modern day comparisons, musings on other known travelers and their respective works, and tangents on the very tools he purchased and their probable uses continue to dog each page. Deemed by Means as the “American Robin Hood” while discussing the history of apples through the ages, this seems quite a stretch as it appears the only connection Chapman has to this Englishman is the fact that both are found in fables—unlike the usual hero of the poor and underdogs that usually accompanies such a title. Means moves on and describes the various famed followers and members who prescribed to Swedenborg’s New Church movement, mentioning Chapman’s name here and there but guessing as to when he joined the religious sect—similar to his ramblings on whether or not Chapman planted an orchard, or the whereabouts that such a nursery could be found.
Chapman’s next excursions appear to take him into Ohio, where Means relates tales of his expertise in animal whispering as well as tidbits on his comings and goings, but more so focuses on the history of the Ohio Territory—randomly adding Arthur St. Clair’s disastrous defeat to its background, alongside that of runaway slave stories, and Christopher Gists’ journal on the local Northwest Territory Native populations. Paging past the now-familiar extended accounts of local citizens and the population census of each town that Chapman seems to inhabit or stroll on through (with his seeds and Swedenborg Bible), we find him in the excitement of the War of 1812, where a barely-clothed Johnny Appleseed is remembered for sounding the alarm of the approaching Redcoats and their heathen Native allies:
Just about every version agrees that Chapman made the trip bareheaded and barefooted, and that he set off just at sunset, but by what means and in what time frame the trip was made are open to interpretation. Had there been a horse available for the purpose—and it’s hard to believe there wasn’t—surely Chapman would have jumped on it and set off on his mission that way, just as Paul Revere had, maybe even with a lantern to light his way. Historian A. Banning Norton has him doing just that.
While Means’ research methods and overall structure are suspect to say the least, his writing style does not disappoint—apart from a few too many inappropriate exclamation points. Nonetheless, the reader will find that about two thirds of the way through the book, there truly is going to be nothing miraculous or evidently interesting about Chapman’s life. Apparently, he is mostly known for a few quips and sermons that he has preached to the random populace that he stays or becomes acquainted with, or for his random land grabs and purchases in the various counties and states that he moves through. More can be discovered from Means’s account on the Swedenborgian New Church movement—not to mention the local histories of the territories, roads, and towns that are discussed—than that of his subject Chapman.
It seems that even before his death, homesteaders, friends—even his own church that he devotedly preached about—were all trying to distance themselves from his radical image and carefree way of life. Now in his sixties, Means basically depicts him as a sort of down-and-out skinny Santa Claus—a ragamuffin that enjoys relating tall tales to the children sitting upon his lap, always hopeful for free stay and board. Unsurprisingly and by now all too routine, by the time of his death sometime in March of 1845, Means speculates as to whether it was March 11th or 22nd, as there are a few different accounts that give different dates and locations of where he may have been put to rest. At this point his audience is most likely left bewildered and unconcerned as to the whereabouts or exactness of Chapman’s final resting place, nor the epitaphs granted to him by the “Optimist Club” or “Indiana Horticultural Society.”
With the last few chapters describing much of the lore and mythology that was created posthumously on Chapman as “Johnny Appleseed,” Means discusses his onscreen Disney appeal, as well as those orchards that still claim to have an apple tree grafted or planted by the legendary figure. Johnny Appleseed reads more as a legacy piece and tribute from the author—indeed, even a side by side companion guidebook à la “Travels with Johnny”—than a biography. The book contains maps of his supposed travels and the orchards tied to him, sketches of the man in relation to the theme of each chapter, as well as sources and notes.
October 8, 2014
Even though it was in some ways disappointing for recreational reading, I don't want to dismiss the quality of the research in this work: if you are doing genealogy on ancestors who trekked westward in the early Republic, this book does a good job of imagining the lives they led and choices they made. I had hoped this work would be similar to the biography of Charlie Chan by Yunte Huang, but it wasn't a very fun read. The remoteness of the time covered (1776-1845) is one problem--the facts of John Chapman's life are rather sparse (though less sketchy than for many people of that era). But the book reads like a genealogy research draft rather than a biography. The facts about Swedenborg and early American history and tangential figures swirl about, and Johnny Appleseed gets lost in the details. I respect the author's desire to keep close to the facts, but I see a lot of my own, flawed genealogical writing in this book--the connections that build around the research subject are too tantalizing not to share, but they detract from the purpose. As a trans-Mississippi West gal, I also found the geography of this trans-Appalachian (or is it trans-Allegheny?) wave of migration confusing, and the maps didn't include all the places mentioned--I kept flipping back trying to find the map that referred to each part of the text. I didn't really know where Marietta, Ohio is, or the river valleys of Pennsylvania. I pushed through to the end and feel that I came away much informed about the man and the historical time, but if I weren't such an avid genealogist and lover of eighteenth-century history in general, I would probably not have persisted. One thing is clear from reading this book: contemporary American culture is terribly ignorant of the religious currents that were such a critical part of our country's founding; it is very wrong to read religious sensibility from our own time back onto a time that was so radically different. We learn about 1776 and all that, but it was those decades in the early Republic that really set into motion cultural movements that still affect us.
February 21, 2020
This is a fascinating book on many levels. It covers the history of the first American frontier across the Appalachians, mental illness vs. eccentricity, apple growing, the Swedenborg religion, discovering clues in historical documents, and how myths are formed. John Chapman AKA Johnny Appleseed was quite the character.
April 23, 2018
An excellent biography trying to separate the man from the myth. We know about his sowing appleseeds, but that he was also a missionary of the Swedenborgian religion ( based on the beliefs of a Swedish mystic) is less well-known. Means also looks at the myth that grew up around the real person.
March 21, 2025
Very well researched but also highly readable, this biography has no problem calling out previous works and authors for inaccuracies about Johnny Appleseed’s life. I enjoyed the background info regarding his family, going back, including side stories of half-siblings and what have you. There’s also lots and lots of back story about the Swedenborgian religion and how it affected our hero. Having visited the site that is Johnny’s purported burial mound, I’m a bigger fan of the man for having read this.
February 15, 2022
An interesting look at 18th century frontier life
This isn't quite a biography but more is a look at life on the frontier with a focus on Johnny Appleseed. So if you are looking for a straight biography this isn't it. But this work shows more of how historians and biographers search for the history of illusive figures. The author reads the silences well but still the work could use additional editing to make the work more concise.
This isn't quite a biography but more is a look at life on the frontier with a focus on Johnny Appleseed. So if you are looking for a straight biography this isn't it. But this work shows more of how historians and biographers search for the history of illusive figures. The author reads the silences well but still the work could use additional editing to make the work more concise.
February 1, 2019
I bought this book after my second-grader son came home from school talking about Johnny Appleseed. I realized that while I'd long heard the tall tales of his life, I knew nothing of who he really was. This book gave the answers.
October 8, 2024
This really was superb reading. Stripping the myth from the man is not easy. Howard Means relates to us both the myth and the historical, and he charts a path between the two. Being a resident of Ohio has me standing on common ground with the actual man who did so much to birth the state. I loved the retelling of the war of 1812 and how Johnny Chapman went from Mansfield to Mount Union to warn settlers that Native Americans were on the warpath and slaughtering people throughout the new settlements. There appears to be some historical problem with the story, since Johnny traveled nearly 50 miles (ca. 80 km) on foot as he went from town to town and back, warning people within a twelve-hour period.
But the core of the story is what made the man tick. He was a preacher of Swedenborgian New Church and also a capitalist, employing his skills as a planter of trees to provide an important product of the frontier to new settlers. He would acquire lands in various ways, plant orchards that he would seed, and return periodically to harvest the plenty. Not always successful financially, it seems his primary goal was to spread his gospel of simplicity.
Highly recommended for people who enjoy history of our country. Johnny Appleseed was certainly an icon and an important forge of western expansion.
But the core of the story is what made the man tick. He was a preacher of Swedenborgian New Church and also a capitalist, employing his skills as a planter of trees to provide an important product of the frontier to new settlers. He would acquire lands in various ways, plant orchards that he would seed, and return periodically to harvest the plenty. Not always successful financially, it seems his primary goal was to spread his gospel of simplicity.
Highly recommended for people who enjoy history of our country. Johnny Appleseed was certainly an icon and an important forge of western expansion.
March 9, 2014
Howard Means does a fabulous job unraveling the myth of Johnny Appleseed (aka John Chapman). His research into the life and legacy of Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed), despite fragmented documentation and erroneous information, is to be commended. Even during Chapman's life, the myth of Johnny Appleseed was already being propagated, including myths brought forth by Chapman himself. Like peeling an onion, Means excels at eliminating the layers of myth and replaces that with the truth through his careful research. Yes, he does speculate on a bunch of things, but then examines those speculations in light of the evidence. What emerges is a more accurate picture of Chapman/Appleseed and an understanding of how those myths came to be so popular in the first place.
If you want to hold onto the mythical ideologies surrounding Chapman/Appleseed, brought forth in popular media, then this is definitely not the book for you. If you want to understand Chapman/Appleseed for the man he was in the context of his time and space, then this should be in the forefront of your reading list.
If you want to hold onto the mythical ideologies surrounding Chapman/Appleseed, brought forth in popular media, then this is definitely not the book for you. If you want to understand Chapman/Appleseed for the man he was in the context of his time and space, then this should be in the forefront of your reading list.
April 16, 2012
So little is know of John Chapman's (the real Johnny Appleseed) that it's impossible to write a book just about the man's life. In order to turn a ten page sketch into an actual book, Means is forced to write about other things that help to provide a glimpse into the life and beliefs of the man we call Johnny Appleseed. Some of those things are boring, the book opens up with some rather confusing genealogies of Appleseed's parents and ancestors. Some are more fascinating, like pioneer life in 1809, or a discussion about Appleseed's "New Church/Swedenborgian" beliefs.
Perhaps the best part of the book takes place at the end, when Means traces the transformation of John Chapman into Johnny Appleseed American Myth. For those curious about the story of Johnny Appleseed this might be the most important part. This book tends to bog down in places, but it's well researched, and a good place to start for anyone seeking to know all there is about Johnny Appleseed.
May 15, 2021
Overall great book written in accessible and entertaining language. It is a thorough job considering there is little information to go on. He does a good job of providing context of events and persons surrounding John Chapman’s life. He also answers the question of Johnny Appleseed’s choice of hat. Did he really wear a pot on his head or is that just silly myth? Not gonna spoil the answer here. Johnny was certainly an intriguing fella.
My big complaint is how he handles Native Americans. While no historian can be purely unbiased, Means frequently uses outdated terms and descriptions when referring to Native Americans such as Savage. This Eurocentric view is unnecessary and distracting from the main point of the book. But overall a good biography of an interesting and enigmatic figure!
My big complaint is how he handles Native Americans. While no historian can be purely unbiased, Means frequently uses outdated terms and descriptions when referring to Native Americans such as Savage. This Eurocentric view is unnecessary and distracting from the main point of the book. But overall a good biography of an interesting and enigmatic figure!
December 15, 2019
Mr. Means has done extensive research in piecing together the information about Johnny Appleseed and that alone is impressive. But how many times and how many ways can it be said that the information swerves from fact to myth to legend and back again? The two things that kept me turning the pages were the hope that his extensive research was going to reveal at least one amazing concrete fact we could take to the bank and the hope that people would stop making up stories about Johnny Appleseed rather than pursuing a means to make a buck from his life. Mr. Means, at least, has done a good job of being objective in his presentation...but the progress of this story did get tedious.
August 13, 2023
Maybe there just isn't enough about Johnny Chapman/Appleseed to write a book about. While well researched, very little of this book is actually about him. More a look at the political, cultural, and religious context surrounding him, I'm not sure I really came away with any interesting insights about Chapman.
October 14, 2020
Four-star book.
Author Howard Means has put a great deal of research into this up-to-date if sentimental book. I for one still struggle to be enthusiastic about the permaculture movement* and I have never had the experience of grafting my own bonsai trees like some other hipster millennials. No, my point of contact with the real Johnny Appleseed (Chapman) came in the form of land prospector, what with this surveying and portioning out of land for himself and others. I like that stuff.
Anyone who is familiar with my Goodreads account might be aware of my obsession with Christian sectarianism, so how delectable to read that Johnny and his "recycled" bible tracts by Swedish mystic Swedenborg was all that there was. Author Means also points out that, in contrast with the various popular Appleseed novels of the early 20th century, Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath offered the bruised and battered American people what they needed. (Not in the least a fire-and-brimstone preacher with holes in his shoes. Shoeless John Chapman of the late 19th-century was no fiction, though. You do the math.)
Speaking of 20th-century writers, Means' stirring final conclusion is that each of us who is touched by the Appleseed mythology comes to fictionalize his own John Chapman. W. D. Haley did it in Harper's Weekly, Vachel Lindsey did it in an eponymous poem and, despite his good non-fictitious intentions, Howard Means has done it here.
And so, for those of us who were not raised watching Melody Time but were raised singing "The Lord's Been Good to Me" at grace like I did, how about this Irish tenor? Five-star song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Ird...
*Just ask my wife.
Author Howard Means has put a great deal of research into this up-to-date if sentimental book. I for one still struggle to be enthusiastic about the permaculture movement* and I have never had the experience of grafting my own bonsai trees like some other hipster millennials. No, my point of contact with the real Johnny Appleseed (Chapman) came in the form of land prospector, what with this surveying and portioning out of land for himself and others. I like that stuff.
Anyone who is familiar with my Goodreads account might be aware of my obsession with Christian sectarianism, so how delectable to read that Johnny and his "recycled" bible tracts by Swedish mystic Swedenborg was all that there was. Author Means also points out that, in contrast with the various popular Appleseed novels of the early 20th century, Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath offered the bruised and battered American people what they needed. (Not in the least a fire-and-brimstone preacher with holes in his shoes. Shoeless John Chapman of the late 19th-century was no fiction, though. You do the math.)
Speaking of 20th-century writers, Means' stirring final conclusion is that each of us who is touched by the Appleseed mythology comes to fictionalize his own John Chapman. W. D. Haley did it in Harper's Weekly, Vachel Lindsey did it in an eponymous poem and, despite his good non-fictitious intentions, Howard Means has done it here.
And so, for those of us who were not raised watching Melody Time but were raised singing "The Lord's Been Good to Me" at grace like I did, how about this Irish tenor? Five-star song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Ird...
*Just ask my wife.
January 1, 2025
What a character! Means does a great job of finding and relating the real John Chapman/Johnny Appleseed. Yes, John Chapman was a barefoot ascetic, but he did not sprinkle apple seeds around, thereby planting the plains with edible fruit. He was a successful nurseryman hailed as the Patron Saint of Nurserymen in the Johnny Appleseed Museum in Urbana, Ohio.
He used his apple tree seedlings as currency, even having bank note-like "checks." He planted nurseries in many different locales, mostly throughout the newly settled area, Ohio. He managed to always be a few years ahead of the westward migration, thereby having sturdy saplings or at least seedlings to sell or give away to the newcomers. He was a pioneer.
Johnny was deeply religious, adopting Swedenborgianism early in life. He was a voice in the wilderness, a mad missionary, a convert who lived this spiritual life to the fullest. He even wore out his welcome with the home church of this new religion.
Although born in Massachusetts, Johnny was an Ohioan most of his life, going to Indiana late in life. He never made it to Nebraska, where Chapman was named after him, my mother told me. He never sprouted a single tree there.
I watched the Disney cartoon about him the other day and found that it was not so far off the reality of him. The Johnny Appleseed Museum was a fascinating eye opener for me, prompting me to buy and read this book. This book is highly readable, informative and absorbing. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5, with a place in my personal library.
He used his apple tree seedlings as currency, even having bank note-like "checks." He planted nurseries in many different locales, mostly throughout the newly settled area, Ohio. He managed to always be a few years ahead of the westward migration, thereby having sturdy saplings or at least seedlings to sell or give away to the newcomers. He was a pioneer.
Johnny was deeply religious, adopting Swedenborgianism early in life. He was a voice in the wilderness, a mad missionary, a convert who lived this spiritual life to the fullest. He even wore out his welcome with the home church of this new religion.
Although born in Massachusetts, Johnny was an Ohioan most of his life, going to Indiana late in life. He never made it to Nebraska, where Chapman was named after him, my mother told me. He never sprouted a single tree there.
I watched the Disney cartoon about him the other day and found that it was not so far off the reality of him. The Johnny Appleseed Museum was a fascinating eye opener for me, prompting me to buy and read this book. This book is highly readable, informative and absorbing. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5, with a place in my personal library.
July 23, 2020
I received this book as a gift, it would never occur to me to seek out a biography of this obscure legendary figure of American history. I did not know what to expect while I was reading this book and found myself struggling stay engaged towards the beginning of this fairly short read. The author really goes off on every tangent possible and hardly gives you a real understanding of Johnny Appleseed. Instead what he does is gives you all the facts, lets you in on all the knowledge, relentlessly debunks all the misnomers.
After a while I started seeing this book as clarifying a mystery. John Chapman was probably a schizophrenic but legend made him into a custom legend, custom to whatever you wanted a legend that was anti-materialistic and lived off the land. By the end of the book I really appreciated what Howard Means wrote in this book by giving us more than just a biography on Johnny Appleseed or John Chapman. What I ended up gaining from this book is a great amount of information on life in the frontier in the 1800's and a meditation on how a legend was formed.
After a while I started seeing this book as clarifying a mystery. John Chapman was probably a schizophrenic but legend made him into a custom legend, custom to whatever you wanted a legend that was anti-materialistic and lived off the land. By the end of the book I really appreciated what Howard Means wrote in this book by giving us more than just a biography on Johnny Appleseed or John Chapman. What I ended up gaining from this book is a great amount of information on life in the frontier in the 1800's and a meditation on how a legend was formed.
November 3, 2025
Howard Means has wrote more than a biography, he’s given us a living portrait of John Chapman, the man behind the legend of Johnny Appleseed. Through vivid storytelling and graceful prose, he unravels the myth and restores the man, placing him within the larger tapestry of America’s evolving spirit.
What touched me most was how seamlessly the book weaves Chapman’s story into the currents of westward expansion, faith, folklore, and national identity. It’s both scholarly and deeply human, a rare balance that few authors achieve.
Every page feels like a journey, not only through history, but through the soul of a nation learning what it means to dream, to believe, and to remember.
A remarkable and unforgettable work.
What touched me most was how seamlessly the book weaves Chapman’s story into the currents of westward expansion, faith, folklore, and national identity. It’s both scholarly and deeply human, a rare balance that few authors achieve.
Every page feels like a journey, not only through history, but through the soul of a nation learning what it means to dream, to believe, and to remember.
A remarkable and unforgettable work.
April 7, 2023
Johnny Appleseed was a deeply religious nurseryman who speculated on American empire growth as to where he should plant nurseries. The religion he was part of is definitely fringe, I had never heard of it before reading this. Author is well researched. The problem is there isn’t really a full novel’s worth of content on John Chapman. Author often goes on tangents, Ted Kaczynski being mentioned is a great example, or is sheerly theoretical in other parts writing three-four different scenarios when ultimately the first one was the most likely. I get he had to fill pages but this could have been cut by 100 pages easy.
June 6, 2019
The author has a good sense of humor which adds valuable perspective to this topic; still, the book is as much about Northwest Territory history circa 1800 than it is about Appleseed, and in almost every instance, what the author tells the reader about Appleseed is quickly contradicted as he goes on to explains that those things might not be true in the very next sentence ... in truth the Appleseed story is so thin that it really does not warrant a "book," but the basic concept of an apple-obsessed nomad makes me smile
December 26, 2019
I liked the book, however, throughout the book, Means swerves off into tangents. In part, to provide some context around Johnny Appleseed I believe, as it just doesn’t seem there is enough reliable information on him to fill 275 pages. With that being said, I did enjoy the book. It took my imagination to the Northwest territory 200 years earlier. Having traveled over much of the geography the book describes, I found it fascinating to imagine it to be as Means described. Kudos to the author for having the ability to stoke my imagination. After all, that’s what a good book does.
September 16, 2024
Felt like there was a lot of history on a guy we don’t know much about. I’m thankful for what I learned, for a lot of it involved Ohio history and history well told. Yet I found the most interesting parts were the ones that veered from the subject.
Could have used more religious history. Johnny was a Swedenborgian. I have a vague sense of what that means but no theological system only it was different and rare in the US at the time but no idea of what they stood for or how they viewed the divine. Wiki was more insightful.
Could have used more religious history. Johnny was a Swedenborgian. I have a vague sense of what that means but no theological system only it was different and rare in the US at the time but no idea of what they stood for or how they viewed the divine. Wiki was more insightful.
April 16, 2022
Howard Means so thoroughly researched the myth and life of John Chapman that the book reads like a text book. This is to say that it is not entirely a pleasurable read. Read it I did and I am not sure that I am happy I did. I do know quite a lot about the Western expansion of the American Frontier. I learned of the source of John’s religious fervor and if his unhappy childhood. Upon reflection, I am much wiser now but the myth of Johnny Appleseed remains a mystery to me.
December 22, 2020
Wonderfully researched and presented by Howard Means. I think we all knew that the Johnny Appleseed story had been 'Disneyfied' over the years, but I didn't realize how much. Means tells the real story of John Chapman, a man who was a wild character in real life. The book could be condensed a bit but overall an interesting and engaging read.
October 26, 2021
DNF, stopped at the fourth chapter. The book is written in a formal, educational tone with numerous timelines and genealogical trees. At times it was difficult to keep up due to waves of information and it is for this, why the book did not keep my attention. I was genuinely excited about finding the book and hate that it didn’t work out.
December 19, 2017
It was interesting to learn about his life and a lot about the exploration of early Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. Not really a story about Johnny Appleseed as much as it was a travelogue of early American history.
May 20, 2019
An interesting read, but should have been titled The World of Johnny Appleseed. As Means writes over and over again, little is known about John Chapman’s life. Thus most of it is devoted to thorough research about the places Appleseed lived and the people he befriended.
February 11, 2020
The book was a little hard to follow at times but so was the paper trail on this man/myth. Fun to read and make up your mind on what kind of person he actually was. It was fairly easy to skim over some of the stuff about the religion he was involved in.
March 7, 2023
Not surprisingly, there isn't much information out there for a guy who lived in the wilderness two centuries ago. This helped make Johnny less mythical, but it also contained lots of filler. I would have liked the book more if it had been shorter and more focused.
December 15, 2017
great reading!
March 29, 2019
Interesting and insightful look into the life of John Chapman.
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