The American Folkways is a 28-volume series of books, initiated and principally edited by Erskine Caldwell, and published by Duell, Sloan and Pearce from 1941 to 1955.[1] Each book focused on a different region, or "folkway", of the United States, including documentary essays and folklore from that region.[2] The books were written by local experts, describing "their" region.[3] Many of the individual volumes have become regarded as classics in folklore, local history, and American writing, and a number of them have been issued in multiple editions or are still in print.
Cover of Blue Ridge Country
Caldwell initiated the series after returning to the United States from reporting on the German invasion of Russia.[4] He had conceived of the series while in Europe, imagining an Americana regional series in which regionalists would "describe and interpret the indigenous quality of life".[5] His proposal was rejected by editors Marshall Best and Harold Guinzburg at Viking, but accepted by Charles Duell and Samuel Sloan as a foundational series of their new press, and as an opportunity for their press to acquire Caldwell's future works.[6]
In 1939, he began traversing the country, soliciting authors for the series, and by the end of the year had elicited commitments from five writers.[7] Caldwell ultimately edited 25 volumes of the series (three additional volumes were published), and twenty separate regions were covered by the series.[8] The volumes were intended to focus on cultural regions, not political boundaries.[8] He rejected the term "folklore", choosing instead to use the term "folkways" to reflect "the study of contemporary life in terms of its social and economic implications."[9] Caldwell was a detailed and focused editor, urging writers to hew to his vision – documenting and commenting on particular cultural regions, not sanitizing their subject, but reflective of the author's distinctive voice and regionalist character.[9]
american, folkways, series, american, folkways, volume, series, books, initiated, principally, edited, erskine, caldwell, published, duell, sloan, pearce, from, 1941, 1955, each, book, focused, different, region, folkway, united, states, including, documentary. The American Folkways is a 28 volume series of books initiated and principally edited by Erskine Caldwell and published by Duell Sloan and Pearce from 1941 to 1955 1 Each book focused on a different region or folkway of the United States including documentary essays and folklore from that region 2 The books were written by local experts describing their region 3 Many of the individual volumes have become regarded as classics in folklore local history and American writing and a number of them have been issued in multiple editions or are still in print Cover of Blue Ridge Country Caldwell initiated the series after returning to the United States from reporting on the German invasion of Russia 4 He had conceived of the series while in Europe imagining an Americana regional series in which regionalists would describe and interpret the indigenous quality of life 5 His proposal was rejected by editors Marshall Best and Harold Guinzburg at Viking but accepted by Charles Duell and Samuel Sloan as a foundational series of their new press and as an opportunity for their press to acquire Caldwell s future works 6 In 1939 he began traversing the country soliciting authors for the series and by the end of the year had elicited commitments from five writers 7 Caldwell ultimately edited 25 volumes of the series three additional volumes were published and twenty separate regions were covered by the series 8 The volumes were intended to focus on cultural regions not political boundaries 8 He rejected the term folklore choosing instead to use the term folkways to reflect the study of contemporary life in terms of its social and economic implications 9 Caldwell was a detailed and focused editor urging writers to hew to his vision documenting and commenting on particular cultural regions not sanitizing their subject but reflective of the author s distinctive voice and regionalist character 9 Works in the series edit 1 Desert Country by Edwin Corle 1941 3 Short Grass Country by Stanley Vestal 1941 4 Big Country Texas by Donald Day 1947 8 Palmetto Country by Stetson Kennedy 1942 9 Far North Country by Thames Williamson 1944 13 North Star Country by Meridel Le Sueur 1945 15 or 16 Lower Piedmont Country The Uplands of the Deep South by H C Nixon and Sarah N Shouse photographer 1946 20 Rocky Mountain Country by Albert Nathaniel Williams 1950 Pinon Country by Haniel Long 1941 Ozark Country by Otto Ernest Rayburn 1941 Blue Ridge Country by Jean Thomas 1942 Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner 1942 High Border Country by Eric Thane 1942 Deep Delta Country by Harnett Thomas Kane 1944 Golden Gate Country by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton 1945 Town Meeting Country by Clarence Mertoun Webster 1945 Southern California An Island on the Land by Carey McWilliams 1946 Southern California Country Corn Country by Homer Croy 1947 Niagara Country by Lloyd Graham 1949 Redwood Country The Lava Region and the Redwoods by Alfred Powers 1949 Wheat Country by William B Bracke 1950 Pittsylvania Country by George Swetnam 1951 Gulf Coast Country by Hodding Carter and Anthony Ragusin 1951 Smoky Mountain Country by North Callahan 1952 Adirondack Country by William Chapman White 1954 High Sierra Country by Oscar Lewis 1955 Old Kentucky Country by Clark McMeekin 1957 The Other Illinois by Baker Brownell 1958 Notes edit Firsts Magazine v 8 n 5 May 1998 Sylvia J Cook Modernism from the Bottom Up pp 56 76 in Reading Erskine Caldwell New Essays ed by Robert L McDonald 2006 William Stott Documentary Expression and Thirties America University of Chicago Press 1973 p 232 James Korges Erskine Caldwell University of Minnesota Press 1969 pp 8 9 Caldwell quoted in Harvey L Klevar Erskine Caldwell A Biography p 219 Klevar pp 219 220 Mixon p 121 Mixon pp 121 122 a b Mixon p 122 a b Mixon pp 122 123 References edit American Folkways Series Firsts Magazine v 8 n 5 May 1998 Harvey L Klevar Erskine Caldwell A Biography University of Tennessee Press 1993 Wayne Mixon The People s Writer Erskine Caldwell and the South University of Virginia Press 1995 American Folkways Series American Regional Folklore A Sourcebook and Resource Guide ed by Terry Ann Mood pp 19 20 nbsp This article about a non fiction book on literature or literary criticism is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title American Folkways series amp oldid 1126530247, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
