Appalachia in the Making

Appalachia first entered the American consciousness as a distinct region in the decades following the Civil War. The place and its people have long been seen as backwards and 'other' because of their perceived geographical social and economic isolation. These essays by fourteen eminent historians and social scientists illuminate important dimensions of early social life in diverse sections of the Appalachian mountains. The contributors seek to place the study of Appalachia within the context of comparative regional studies of the United States maintaining that processes and patterns thought to make the region exceptional were not necessarily unique to the mountain South.<br/><br/>The contributors are Mary K. Anglin Alan Banks Dwight B. Billings Kathleen M. Blee Wilma A. Dunaway John R. Finger John C. Inscoe Ronald L. Lewis Ralph Mann Gordon B. McKinney Mary Beth Pudup Paul Salstrom Altina L. Waller and John Alexander Williams