Appleseed biographer Howard Means to speak at Asheboro library

The real man behind the Johnny Appleseed myth will be revealed when historian and author Howard Means talks about the tree-planting frontiersman at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at the Asheboro library.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library and Trees NC in recognition of North Carolina’s March 16 Arbor Day, the program is free and the public is invited.

Means is author of the acclaimed Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster. The book traces the story of John Chapman, who moved west from his Massachusetts farm in the 1790s, planting apple trees across the country and earning the “Appleseed” moniker.

Means was senior writer for Washingtonian magazine from 1977-1982, and editor from 1989-2000. He was critic-at-large and an editorial board member at the Orlando Sentinel, and a columnist for King Features Syndicate.

His previous works include the Money and Power: The History of Business, a companion book to a CNBC documentary series; Colin Powell: Soldier/Statesmen—Statesman/Soldier, first biography of Powell; and The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days that Changed America. A Lancaster, PA, native, he now lives in Millwood, Virginia.