In his critically acclaimed book, In the Country of Country, Nicholas Dawidoff travels to the origins of country music and talks to the musicians who created this original American art form. Here, amongst others, are indelible portraits of Johnny Cash, behind whose black apparel lies a Faustian dilemma; Merle Haggard, a man as elusive as he is gifted; and Patsy Cline, a lonely figure striding out bravely in a male-dominated world. An exhilarating journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bakersfield, California, In the Country of Country conveys the spirit and passion that informs country music and confirms Dawidoff's reputation as one of the most gifted cultural commentators of his generation.