This work represents an attempt to present a body of folklore collected among one small group of Black Americans in a neighborhood in South Philadelphia. The author's approach toward collection and presentation has been intensive. He has tried to collect "in depth," and to recreate in his presentation the social background in which the lore was found, and to relate the lore with the life and the values of the group.

One: The Tellers; I: The Neighborhood; II: The Element of Verbal Contest; III: The Heroes; Two: The Texts; Introduction: Style and Performance; IV: The Toast; V: The Jokes