Explores the ways in which Appalachia served as a laboratory for the exploration and practice of American conceptions of nature. With chapters dedicated to microhistories focused on particular commodities, Drew Swanson builds on recent Appalachian studies scholarship, emphasizing the diversity of a region long considered a homogenous backwater.

Explores the ways in which Appalachia served as a laboratory for the exploration and practice of American conceptions of nature. With chapters dedicated to microhistories focused on particular commodities, Drew Swanson builds on recent Appalachian studies scholarship, emphasizing the diversity of a region long considered a homogenous backwater.