Wonderful! Even if you never grew up in Eastern Kentucky as I did, you'll feel as if you had. Great poetry. Also, the artwork of Tom Whitaker is great also. A must have for every bookshelf.

This book is very accessible. Tablature is clearly marked in pretty calligraphy, and the cassette is a good quality recording.

This is the most inspiring book I have found about making baskets. John Rice Irwin covers the subject of producing hand made baskets from scratch with a minimum of tools, and materials found in nature. The author features a great variety of black and white pictures of high quality baskets and makers at work. The book is as much a historical perspective of the Southern Appalachian basket culture, as it is a guide for making your own baskets. The remote areas of the region and the abundance of white oak and other native plants dictate the evolution of making baskets. There are references that indicate the initial designs were adopted by the Cherokee people of the region for harvesting, storing, and marketing their crops. The author has taken great care to include many details about the basket makers, their methods, and reasons for weaving. I was most inspired by the personal stories behind each basket, and the fact that many of the baskets outlive their makers. It is not uncommon for a single basket to last through several generations, carrying the love and thoughtfulness of the maker to those that follow. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in hand made baskets, as well as those who are looking for ways to use materials found in the back yard to create a lasting, usefull, even market worthy product. I have adopted many of the methods, meterials, and designes in the baskets I now make.

This book is positively the best source for pictures, specs, and discussion of the widest array of pre-revival dulcimers. From fret spacing, to body style, to distribution, this book covers it all. By all means, when you find a copy, buy it.

This collection of essays is a revelation. From the fractured loyalties of mountain people to speculation about and examination of the mountains' manpower's effect on the war's outcome to the manufactured identity of Appalchia that grew out of the war's aftermath, this book begins to shed light on a long-dark aspect of Civil War history and a long-neglected part of the country.

Conquering the Appalachians is an important piece of American railroad history. This book documents railway construction in the Appalachian Mountains in the early years of the twentieth century. The construction of tunnels and trestles is described in detail and enhanced by crystal clear black and white photos from the collection of William Cary Hattan, the civil engineer who actually built large portions of the Clinchfield and Western Maryland Railways. Well written and researched by Hattan's daughter, Mary Hattan Bogart, this book would be an important addition to any library of railroad books. It belongs in the reference departments of every public library within the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Future generations need access to what Hattan and his men accomplished in those states with dynamite, carts, mules, pick axes, shovels and sheer muscle. Many of their trestles and tunnels still exist, unused for their original purpose, but monuments to determination and grit. I've seen two of the trestles, one in Pennington Gap, Virginia and another nearby. They are awe inspiring for anyone who has read this book.

This book provides a delightful insight into the Appalachian way of life. A truley crafted collection of short stories.

My father got this book as a gift from my grandmother for his birthday. She usually gets religious-type books, so I didn't bother to even pick it up for a long time. One day, dad brought it to me and said "here son, read this real quick." Then I realized that I'd been ignoring one of the funniest books with some of the catchiest stories and anecdotes I've ever seen. I recommend this book to anyone, especially as bedside material, or as bathroom reading material. The quips are short enough as not to hinder your daily activities, but are funny enough to justify taking a few extra seconds to read. My opinion, in two words- BUY IT!

This book kept my interest all the way through to the very end. I highly reccommend it.

After I built my first dulcimer, it took me three years to understand how to play it. Neil's book was the key that unlocked the mystery. And, it fits right in my case!