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The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier
In a time when the world has become a global village and America a global nation, there is one place where things are largely as they used to be. Protected by mountains, largely ignored by modern industry and developers, Appalachia is America’s first and last frontier. Encom-passing more than 195,000 square miles in thirteen states, it possesses the least understood and most underappreciated culture in the United States.
A beautifully produced companion volume to the PBS documentary narrated by Naomi Judd, The Appalachians fills the void in information about the region, offering a rich portrait of its history and its legacy in music, literature, and film.
The text includes essays by some of Appalachia’s most respected scholars and journalists; excerpts from never-before-published diaries and journals; firsthand recollections from native Appalachians including Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, and Ralph Stanley; indigenous song lyrics and poetry; and oral histories from common folk whose roots run strong and deep. The book also includes more than one hundred illustrations, both archival and newly created. Here is a wondrous book celebrating a unique and invaluable cultural heritage.
A beautifully produced companion volume to the PBS documentary narrated by Naomi Judd, The Appalachians fills the void in information about the region, offering a rich portrait of its history and its legacy in music, literature, and film.
The text includes essays by some of Appalachia’s most respected scholars and journalists; excerpts from never-before-published diaries and journals; firsthand recollections from native Appalachians including Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, and Ralph Stanley; indigenous song lyrics and poetry; and oral histories from common folk whose roots run strong and deep. The book also includes more than one hundred illustrations, both archival and newly created. Here is a wondrous book celebrating a unique and invaluable cultural heritage.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2004
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 12, 2022
A lovely book of essays about the people, history and land of Appalachia. The essays were categorized into four parts- The First Frontier, Feuds, Coal, White Lightning, and Good Ol' Mountain Music, Boom or Bust, and lastly Memories: Keeping the Spirit in the Modern World. You might recognize some names of those who write the essays for they include musicians, Senators, photographers, journalists, and doctors who were born and raised in this region. Black and white photographs, poems, diary excerpts and song lyrics also add to this collection, all of which celebrate Appalachian cultural heritage. Hopefully, this book might dispel some harmful stereotypes that still endure about the people who call these mountains home.
August 9, 2019
I have noticed something very striking recently in reading a lot of books about Appalachia, and that is the way that writers on Appalachia feel it necessary to signal that they come from Appalachia when writing about the area. Even those who are outsiders feel it necessary to demonstrate their fondness for the region and its people and its culture as a whole, which indicates a great deal of prickliness on the part of the intended audience, or at least the perception of such, by those who seek to write about the region. That is not to say that this sort of need to demonstrate one's bona fides as a friend of the region or a son or daughter of the region necessarily make for great writing. This is not a bad book, and many of the essays in it are quite good, but there are a few corrupt politicians who write here seeking to bolster their reputations by feigning a friendship with the region and its well being while mainly looking out for their own and naming everything in their states after them, as is the case with the late Senator Byrd of West Virginia. This is a book that reminds us that a great deal of Appalachia's suffering results from its supposed friends and not only its open enemies and exploiters.
This book is a bit more than 200 pages and is divided into four parts with numerous shorter essays. The book begins with a preface, introduction, and editor's note before looking at how Appalachia was America's first frontier (I), with essays about the land, landscape, forest, diverse ethnic mixture, Scot-Irish population, Civil War, and storytelling. After that there are several essays that look at feuds, coal, white lightning, and the region's founding role in country music (II), including a couple of essays that look specifically at the Carter family. There are then some essays that deal with the boom and bust economy of the region (III), with essays on hillbillies, a couple of corrupt West Virginia pols writing about their lives, and the way that the decline of the coal business led to an exodus out of the region to other cities, like Akron. Finally, the book ends with a series of essays that look at the memories of Appalachian people (IV), including stories, mountaintop removal, fighting for one's home, preaching to chickens, dealing with the region's religious diversity, the picture man, what makes one a bit quare in the region, as well as the isolation of the area, after which there is an afterword, a note on contributors, acknowledgements, index, and some information about the editors.
What does one get out of a book like this? For one, Appalachia and its people have been immensely important and are far more complex than the region is often given credit for. There is clearly also a chip on the shoulder that the book reveals about the region, whether one deals with the coal business or the music business. The tension between a desire for success and a feeling that certain endeavors were themselves unrighteous has tended to hinder some of the region's more creative people, even as the region itself has been hindered by the power of corrupt Democratic pols, some of whom felt bold enough to write about themselves as if they viewed themselves as one of the common people who (rather foolishly) continued to vote for them over and over again. The book does allude to politics, but has a notable Democrat bias, which is perhaps not the best idea for a book that is written as a companion to a series paid for by taxpayer money. There should be a law against using taxpayer money to fund partisan books like this one, if there isn't one already, and I would be fond of seeing that law rigorously enforced.
This book is a bit more than 200 pages and is divided into four parts with numerous shorter essays. The book begins with a preface, introduction, and editor's note before looking at how Appalachia was America's first frontier (I), with essays about the land, landscape, forest, diverse ethnic mixture, Scot-Irish population, Civil War, and storytelling. After that there are several essays that look at feuds, coal, white lightning, and the region's founding role in country music (II), including a couple of essays that look specifically at the Carter family. There are then some essays that deal with the boom and bust economy of the region (III), with essays on hillbillies, a couple of corrupt West Virginia pols writing about their lives, and the way that the decline of the coal business led to an exodus out of the region to other cities, like Akron. Finally, the book ends with a series of essays that look at the memories of Appalachian people (IV), including stories, mountaintop removal, fighting for one's home, preaching to chickens, dealing with the region's religious diversity, the picture man, what makes one a bit quare in the region, as well as the isolation of the area, after which there is an afterword, a note on contributors, acknowledgements, index, and some information about the editors.
What does one get out of a book like this? For one, Appalachia and its people have been immensely important and are far more complex than the region is often given credit for. There is clearly also a chip on the shoulder that the book reveals about the region, whether one deals with the coal business or the music business. The tension between a desire for success and a feeling that certain endeavors were themselves unrighteous has tended to hinder some of the region's more creative people, even as the region itself has been hindered by the power of corrupt Democratic pols, some of whom felt bold enough to write about themselves as if they viewed themselves as one of the common people who (rather foolishly) continued to vote for them over and over again. The book does allude to politics, but has a notable Democrat bias, which is perhaps not the best idea for a book that is written as a companion to a series paid for by taxpayer money. There should be a law against using taxpayer money to fund partisan books like this one, if there isn't one already, and I would be fond of seeing that law rigorously enforced.
January 16, 2016
An excellent history book stuffed full of almost forgotten old black and photograph-portraits of unknown ancestors, present day landscape photography in full color, journal entries, letters, scholarly analysis, interviews, lexicons, and overall a deep respect for an area of the United Sates that has often been overlooked and mistreated.
May 2, 2018
This is a great companion to the PBS that was shown on PBS, the DVD of which, I hope to track down at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later. This book provides a wonderful, if brief history of the region, complete with stunning and powerful images and photos. It is well worth the read, especially for those who are interested in the history of the area. And there are some wonderful sidebars throughout, chock-full of information, folklore, and other stories.
July 5, 2021
A collaboration of stories made for a PBS documentary...all based on life in the Appalachians. It interested me as I was born and lived there until I was 18 years old. My siblings all are still there or somewhere close by. Well worth the read if you are interested in learning more about the area, plan to visit the area or have relatives there that you have never seen.
I watched some short versions of the documentary on youtube and found them very interesting before reading the book.
I watched some short versions of the documentary on youtube and found them very interesting before reading the book.
October 17, 2025
I'm submitting a review simply because I hate it when people give one or two stars w/o saying why. As a PA native now living in FL, I have driven through the Appalachians countless times, and although the natural beauty of every season but winter is awesome, what man has done to this region is not. Praising fierce independence is one thing, but romanticizing poverty & ignorance is quite another.
April 8, 2018
Excellent compilation of essays covering Appalachian culture. Primarily history of the 1930's to the 2004 publication date, but reflects on prior history as well. Religion, migration, music, issues relating to land development, and other topics are included. The illustrated book is a companion to the four-hour PBS documentary of the same name.
April 27, 2018
Beautiful images and written imagery about the struggles and stigma of the Appalachian people. I highly enjoyed reading the stories and more so appreciated the changes I experienced within myself.
October 12, 2018
Interesting look at the Appalachian people...
August 2, 2008
very interesting essays, i'm sure the film series is much better, so i hope to find it soon. esp i liked the article on Joyce Kilmer forest in NC, which is one of, if not the last, stand of virgin timber in Appalachia. it is a magical place to visit.
October 26, 2012
I know the author well and this is a great companion piece to her PBS documentary.
December 22, 2014
Very informative and well written.
February 7, 2016
This book filled in a lot of gaps for me as far as the history of this region of the country. Very enjoyable read with lots of photos, graphics, song lyrics, etc. that give a feel of the area.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews