Johnny Appleseed has been the subject of many books, but he has never had the interpretation to match Mabel Leigh Hunt's in understanding of his character, and integrity of purpose, and in charm and warmth of writing.

While Johnny Appleseed's tradition is a part of our national heritage, it is particularly fitting that a Midwest author should write amply of him, since he spent his entire adult life planting throughout the Midwest, and found welcome in every pioneer cabin of that region. Mabel Leigh Hunt, through all her successful years of authorship, has cherished the purpose of writing the story of this famous figure of history and legend. Out of her search for facts, out of her respect for traditions, out of her deep feelings for Johnny himself, she wanted to answer, as truthfully as possible, that oft-asked query, "Was Johnny Appleseed a real man?"

This book, then, is the result of a conscientious student's long research and a creator's art. It contains the few biographical truths known of Johnny's life, and the legends which have truth in them because they flower from truth. And because the author wished to make legend and fact, characters, period and scene vivid and alive to readers, she employs a device of presenting the major parts of Johnny's life in nine stories, each named for a variety of apple which Johnny may have planted in the Midwest river valleys. Each story takes him westward through the years, from the Youghioheny to the Mississippi. The whole account creates a pageant, rich and memorable.

From the dust jacket