The University of North Carolina Press

320 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 26 illus., bibl., index

Cloth

ISBN  978-0-8078-3170-0

Published: November 2007

Paper

ISBN  978-0-8078-5856-1

Published: November 2007

The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture

Volume 8: Environment

Volume Edited by Martin Melosi

---

From semitropical coastal areas to high mountain terrain, from swampy lowlands to modern cities, the environment holds a fundamental importance in shaping the character of the American South. This volume of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture surveys the dynamic environmental forces that have shaped human culture in the region--and the ways humans have shaped their environment. Articles examine how the South's ecology, physiography, and climate have influenced southerners--not only as a daily fact of life but also as a metaphor for understanding culture and identity.

This volume includes ninety-eight essays that explore--both broadly and specifically--elements of the southern environment. Thematic overviews address subjects such as plants, animals, energy use and development, and natural disasters. Shorter topical entries feature familiar species such as the alligator, the ivory-billed woodpecker, kudzu, and the mockingbird. Also covered are important individuals in southern environmental history and prominent places in the landscape, such as the South's national parks and seashores. New articles cover contemporary issues in land use and conservation, environmental protection, and the current status of the flora and fauna widely associated with the South.

About the Author

Martin Melosi is Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Houston. He is author of several books, including the award-winning The Sanitary City: Urban Infrastructure in America from Colonial Times to the Present. Charles Reagan Wilson is director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and coeditor of the original Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

Reviews

"A fascinating read on the broad range of natural features that define our regions."
--Our State

"More of a good thing, well timed, and in a more accessible package."
--The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"Will appeal to a broad range of scholars, students, and those interested in the southern environment."
--Journal of Mississippi History

After years of neglect, Melosi and others have reestablished the southern environment as a central theme in the regions history. Like grits in the pantry, this volume will be a staple for those who hunger to comprehend basic concepts. And like grits with breakfast, the essays are smooth and satisfying.
--Craig E. Colten, Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography, Louisiana State University

From air-conditioning to magnolias to wetlands, this engrossing volume of The New Encyclopedia renders the American South both tactile and mythic, enchanting and worrisome.
--Jack Temple Kirby, author of Mockingbird Song: Ecological Landscapes of the South

Brilliantly conceived and executed, this intriguing volume is chock-full of insights into the complicated relationships between southerners and the natural world. From alligators, armadillos, and air-conditioning to water pollution, wetlands, and zebra mussels--it's all here. Anyone interested in the South should keep a copy on their bookshelf or, better yet, by their bedside or kitchen table where it can be easily accessed for ready reference or just a quick and entertaining read.
--Timothy Silver, Appalachian State University, author of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains: An Environmental History of the Highest Peaks in Eastern America