Weird Wisconsin: Your Travel Guide to Wisconsin's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets »

As all good Wisconsinites know, there's a lot more to the Badger State than, well, badgers. We have cows, cheese, the Packers, bratwurst, lakes, the Packers, polkas, cornfields, and the Packers. But Wisconsin is also filled to the brim with weirdness. And the best chroniclers of our state's odd folks, strange beasts, and local legends are Linda S. Godfrey and Richard D. Hendricks, both firm believers that Wisconsin is one of the most bizarre states in the whole nation.

For years, Linda and Richard have looked for the offbeat and found it just about everywhere. Whether it's traveling down Bray Road looking for its famed beast, researching the scalped lady of Prairie du Chien, or hanging out in Haunchyville, our fearless reporters, with cameras and notebooks in hand, have uncovered more weirdness than any one state has a right to have.

So grab a hunk of cheese and start browsing. Visit Burlington's Spinning Top Museum, hear about Washington County's Goatman, and recoil at the worm shower of Palmyra. Take a look at Highway 13's Reptile Man, see the World's Largest Six Pack, get spooked over the ghosts of Kenosha and the haunted bridges of Stevens Point. Meet Madison's Loony Lawyer, have a Bud with Elvis at his tavern in Phillips (honest!), and learn about the Wily Wizard of Waukesha. It's all wild, all weird, and all Wisconsin.

A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird Wisconsin proves without a doubt that Wisconsin is filled with a lot more than just milk and cheese. Join Linda and Richard on their grand adventure. It's a journey you'll never forget.

Linda S. Godfrey is an author and artist working in rural Elkhorn, Wisconsin. She has written and provided illustrations for two nonfiction books —The Poison Widow: A True Story of Sin, Strychnine, and Murder and The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf, both published in 2003. Another book on American werewolves, Beyond the Beast of Bray Road, is forthcoming. In addition, she is the creator and editor of a Web site about the strange and quirky.

Richard D. Hendricks has been fomenting weirdology at his Weird Wisconsin site since 1998. He's also the news editor at The Anomalist, investigates ghosts with the Wisconsin Paranormal Research Center, and hangs with the Creatures of the Outer Edge, an esoteric collective that convenes at the notorious Headhunters Hideaway in Sun Prairie. A Madison resident, Hendricks pays the bills as a legal researcher.

Library Journal

Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, who brought you Weird New Jersey and then Weird U.S., now as "Creative Directors" bring you weirdness in other states: Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin. They have picked each author for his or her quirky sensibility and familiarity with the state in question. Indeed, the authors have all previously published eccentric titles on their respective states: Carlson-Strange Florida; Godfrey-The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf; and Taylor-Haunted Illinois. Each volume presents the same table of contents: "Local Legends" (e.g., Devil Baby of Hull House, IL), "Ancient Mysteries" (Lake Okeechobee's Watery Graves, FL), "Fabled People and Places" (Jeane Dixon, WI), "Phenomena" (Malcomb the Fire Starter, IL), "Bizzare Beasts" (Skunk Ape, FL), "Personalized Properties" (Gold Pyramid House, IL), "Roadside Oddities" (Giant Mouse with Cheese, WI), "Roads Less Traveled" (Bloody Bucket Road, FL), "Ghosts" (Old Slave House, IL), "Cemetery Safari" (St. Peter Cemetery, WI), and "Abandoned and Forgotten" (Xanadu, FL). Similar to the "Oddball" series (e.g., Oddball Wisconsin), which also covers these three states plus six more, this series is distinguished by its focus on stories over places and its colorful photos (which take up about a third of each volume); "Weird," however, lacks "Oddball's" more practical directions and contact information ("Weird" offers no maps or specific directions). These titles may hold special appeal to the male middle-school student. Recommended for those public and school libraries located in the state covered by the title and an optional purchase for all others.-John McCormick, Plymouth State Univ., NH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.