West Virginia University Press is pleased to bring back into print Witches, Ghosts, and Signs, the 1975 classic by the late Patrick W. Gainer, renowned West Virginia folklorist and West Virginia University English professor from 1946 through 1972. Based on material Gainer collected from over fifty years of field research in West Virginia and the region, Witches, Ghosts, and Signs presents the rich heritage of the southern Appalachians in a way that has never been equaled. Passed down from generation to generation from as far back as the earliest settlers in the region come tales of the strange and supernatural--ghosts, witches, hauntings, disappearances, and unexplained murders--stories that raise goose bumps and send chills down spines. Included in the collection are such Appalachian classics as "The Black Cat Murders," "The Witchery of Mary Leadum," "The Bewitched Pigs," "The Headless Rider of Spruce Lick," and "The Poltergeist of Petersburg." According to Gainer, he himself heard ghostly music coming from an abandoned house at midnight, an incident which is described in "Jim Barton's Fiddle." In addition to the many accounts of strange happenings, Gainer presents fascinating material about Appalachian superstitions, planting by moon signs, weather forecasting, and mountaineer doctoring. From his own experience and from the reminiscences of old-timers, the author offers historical background on mountaineers. His key to the pronunciation and vocabulary of indigenous populations makes audible the unique speech patterns of mountain people and provides a linguistic key to today's regional dialects. Gainer also relates social events of years gone by, such as molasses boiling, serenades fornewlyweds, and the busybody's favorite: telephone party lines. This carefully collected and preserved collection of folklore is a delight for readers of all ages and a wonderful teaching text for secondary and higher education classes in West Virginia and Appalachian folklore, and in the study of oral traditions. This new edition of Witches, Ghosts, and Signs includes an introduction and a folk motif index, by Dt. Judy Byers, founder and director of the West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University and a former student of Dr. Gainer.