th ' s ▁original ▁ab ilities ▁in ▁the ▁genre . ▁ ▁While ▁Der le th ▁considered ▁his ▁work ▁in ▁this ▁genre ▁less ▁important ▁than ▁his ▁most ▁serious ▁literary ▁efforts , ▁the ▁comp ilers ▁of ▁these ▁four ▁anth ologies , ▁including ▁Ram sey ▁Campbell , ▁note ▁that ▁the ▁stories ▁still ▁reson ate ▁after ▁more ▁than ▁fifty ▁years . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 9 , ▁The ▁Library ▁of ▁America ▁selected ▁Der le th ' s ▁story ▁The ▁P anel led ▁Room ▁for ▁inclusion ▁in ▁its ▁two - century ▁ret ros pective ▁of ▁American ▁Fant astic ▁T ales . ▁ ▁Other ▁works ▁Der le th ▁also ▁wrote ▁many ▁historical ▁nov els , ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁both ▁the ▁Sac ▁Pra irie ▁S aga ▁and ▁the ▁Wisconsin ▁S aga . ▁ ▁He ▁also ▁wrote ▁history ; ▁arg u ably ▁most ▁notable ▁among ▁these ▁was ▁The ▁Wisconsin : ▁River ▁of ▁a ▁Th ous and ▁Is les , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 2 . ▁ ▁The ▁work ▁was ▁one ▁in ▁a ▁series ▁entitled ▁" The ▁R ivers ▁of ▁America ", ▁conce ived ▁by ▁writer ▁Const ance ▁L inds ay ▁Sk inner ▁in ▁the ▁Great ▁De pression ▁as ▁a ▁series ▁that ▁would ▁connect ▁Americans ▁to ▁their ▁her itage ▁through ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁great ▁rivers ▁of ▁the ▁nation . ▁Sk inner ▁wanted ▁the ▁series ▁to ▁be ▁written ▁by ▁artists , ▁not ▁academ icians . ▁Der le th , ▁while ▁not ▁a ▁trained ▁historian , ▁was , ▁according ▁to ▁former ▁Wisconsin ▁state ▁historian ▁William ▁F . ▁Thompson ,