Our Southern Highlanders: Introduction By George Ellison

"A wonderful book. I like it especially for its color and anecdotes. It is a classic, not only for its accuracy and breadth of insights into the people of the region, but because these people themselves are so interesting and strong." —Annie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

No other book on the Southern Appalachians is more widely known or cited. First published in 1913, revised in 1922, Our Southern Highlanders was inspired by the author's experience in Hazel Creek, Great Smoky Mountains. Rich with allusions and filled with details of mountain life, this book was one of the first to attempt to dispel negative stereotypes of mountain people and remains a classic. In this edition from the University of Tennessee Press, renowned author and naturalist George Ellison pens a vital introduction that deepens our understanding of Kephart, a complicated man in many ways, and the wonderment of the Great Smoky Mountains as the land and its people were on the cusp of the creation of what would become the most popular national park in America.

Before coming to the mountains, Horace Kephart (1862–1931) served as librarian of the prestigious Mercantile Library in St. Louis. His significant work, however, was done after he came to live in the Southern Appalachians in 1904. He played important roles in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.

George Ellison is a writer, naturalist, and historian living near Bryson City, North Carolina, adjacent to the Smokies and the Eastern Band of Cherokee. Ellison was named one of the one hundred most influential people in the history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.