New Appalachian Books

Abstract

New Appalachian Books by George Brosi* Appalachian Images in Folk and Popular Culture. W.K. McNeil, editor. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1989. 336 pages. Hardback in dust jacket. $44.95. This is an important book, an interesting book, indeed, an intriguing book. It simply reprints articles from different sources which give overviews of how people were perceived to be living in the Southern Appalachian Region. The articles were written throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. An author's introduction precedes each article. The author is a native of Canton, North Carolina, now living in the Ozarks. Even though I am enthusiastic about this book, I am dismayed by its outrageous price. Arnow, Harriette. The Dollmaker. New York: Avon Books, a 1989 reprint of a 1954 release. 508 pages. Mass market paperback. $4.95. For their 21st printing, Avon has reverted to a cover graphic similar to the one they had before they integrated this book into the "Southern Authors Series" and changed the cover the last time. The contents are still the same. The novel is one of the very best ever written about the Appalachian experience. Noboby has come close to it in dealing with the particular topic of the migration of mountain people into northern cities. Harriette Arnow (1908-1986) was born into a respected Wayne County, Kentucky, family-the descent of Bonnie Kate Sherrill, the wife of Tennessee's first governor. Like the subjects in this book, Harriette Arnow and her husband, Harold, were unable to make a living on a small farm and were forced to move to Detroit during the Second World War when that was the only place Harold could find a job. *George Brosi is the proprietor of Appalachian Mountain Books and publishes a periodical by that same name twelve times a year. He sells books, both new and out-of-print, through the mail and brings a display of books for sale to regional events. His address is Appalachian Mountain Books, Route 2, Box 238, Whittier, North Carolina, 28789. His phone number is 704-586-5319. 72 Berry, Wendell. A Place On Earth: Revision. San Francisco: North Point Press, a 1989 reprint of the revised 1983 edition of a 1967 release. 317 pages. Trade paperback. $12.95. Believe it or not, this third printing of a revised edition of A Place on Earth carries a lower price than the first two printings! The explanation is that this edition lacks a dust jacket. It is the second book in the "Port William" series of fictional works which portray a Kentucky farming community reminiscent of the community where the author has lived most of his life. The strongest aspect of Berry's fiction is the unifying point of view he brings to it-a respect for the power of communities where people are tied to the land. Other strengths include excellent writing skills and an outstanding ability to provoke thought. ___ . Traveling At Home. San Francisco: North Point Press, a 1989 reprint of a 1988 release. 56 pages. Hardback, issued without a dust jacket. $13.95. The articles and poetry in this little book are all reprinted from earlier booksCollected Poems, Sabbaths, and Recollected Essays. Published last year in a very limited edition of 150 copies by the Press of Appletree Alley with exquisite wood engravings by John De Pol, North Point Press has done a great job of reproducing this book. The unifying theme of the writing here is an important one-the idea that a person can learn as much or more by experiencing the immediate area around home in greater depth than by traveling away from home in a more shallow way. Carr, Jess. Intruder in the Wind. New York: Pocket Books, a 1990 reprint of a 1987 release. 223 pages. Mass market paperback. $3.95 Jess Carr has made an important contribution to regional literature, perhaps most importantly as the creator of the Commonwealth Press in Radford, Virginia. A prolific writer for years, Carr has found success with New York publishers only recently. His Murder on the Appalachian Trail, based on a true case not far from Radford, was his first Pocket Books paperback. This novel is set...