Unique in both content and approach, this anthology of Southern literature gives voice to numerous southern writers and places them in historical, cultural, and geographical contexts, and demonstrates the on-going richness, diversity, and distinctiveness of Southern literature. Focusing on six historically significant chronological periods—ranging from 1585 to the present—it makes a distinction between the literature of the Upper and Lower South, offers a special section on the literature of Appalachia, and features selections from a broad diversity of genres and writers, including many works anthologized here for the first time, especially literature from early periods. Comprehensive section introductions and headnotes place the selections in historical and cultural context.