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Regional Studies |
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See also our books on Arkansas music and Arkansas history. |
Traveling evangelist John Brown believed that conventional colleges had become elitist and morally suspect, so he founded a small utopian college in 1919 to better combine evangelical Christianity and higher education. (more …) 2003, 256 pages |
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This is a history in microcosm of the American small college. It is a story of the power of persistence of the educational ideal, of the communal will to survive, and of the idea of the promise of a better day to come. (more …) "Blevins writes with force, clarity, color and irony. . . . Because of its engaging presentation, this book will appeal not only to the Lyon College family, but also to students and general readers of Arkansas history, southern history, and the history of education." —Elizabeth Jacoway, historian, Lyon College trustee April 2003, 456 pages |
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The Capital Hotel is uniquely beautiful, with its cast-iron façade and marble lobby, its high-ceilinged rooms, and its rich history. Since its opening in 1876, it has been the stage for the struggles, schemes, and dreams of generations of politicians, debutantes, prostitutes, carpenters, and businessmen. (more …) 2002, 224 pages, 94 photographs |
| More books on nature |
A love letter to the Natural State What does it mean to have a sense of place? Through history, memoir, poetry, and fiction, the writers of these essays answer this question in a variety of ways, giving us their collective history of natural Arkansas. (more …) "A cornucopia of wonderful thoughts about what it's like to live in the natural world of Arkansas, A Rough Sort of Beauty is a keepsake collection of tributes, memories, dreams, reflections, histories and warnings, indispensable to an understanding of just why we choose to call this home." —Donald Harington, author of Thirteen Albatrosses (Henry Holt, 2002) and eleven other novels set in the natural world of Arkansas
2002, 296 pages |
| More books on history |
Over 120 black and white photographs, sketches, and maps illustrate the history of steamboating on the White River from the early 1800s through the Civil War and 1900s. This keenly researched study pays lasting tribute to the golden age of steam travel. 1998, 200 pages, 125 illustrations |
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From the late 1800s to the early 1950s, painted wall signs brought our communities notice of products like Coca-Cola, Grapette Soda, Kis-Me-Gum, and Uneeda Biscuit. Photographer Jeff Holder and author Cynthia Haas have preserved and recaptured these rapidly fading images of the past. 1997, 144 pages, 100 illustrations |
| Art and folk art of Arkansas |
The 431 examples of picture postcards offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Arkansans during the early part of the twentieth century. 1997, 448 pages
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Of related interest: |
Complemented by bibliographies of reference works and of audio and video recordings of the state's folk materials, this is the first complete guide to the study of one state's "unofficial culture." 1992, 288 pages, 79 illustrations |
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By the same author |
As part of President Johnson's War on Poverty, VISTA volunteers in the 1960s began fanning out across the United States to try to break the cycle of poverty in which many Americans were caught. This work takes a close look at the effect these volunteers had on Arkansas communities and, in turn, the effect the communities had on the volunteers. $29.95 paper, 1-55728-006-1 |
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When H. L. Mencken wrote about "the miasmatic jungles of Arkansas," he was referring to the relative obscurity and uncertain image that Arkansas has enjoyed—or suffered from—throughout its history. In these entertaining and sometimes quirky essays, Lancaster sheds light on that image by analyzing the stereotypes that have characterized the state since its very beginning. ". . . revelations of the state's unique wonders that only a born writer with a practiced eye can bring to life on the printed page." —Dee Brown $19.95 paper, 1-55728-109-2 |
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