Acknowledgments
I greatly appreciate the assistance I received in bringing this book of essays on New South historiography to fruition. Editors at the Kent State University Press, Will Underwood and Joyce Harrison, offered much needed guidance and encouragement throughout the course of this project. Although they demonstrated an abundance of patience, they also urged me when necessary to work harder to see this book through to completion. My sincere thanks go to both of them. I am grateful for copyeditor Will Moore's painstaking efforts to enhance the quality of this book when it was in manuscript form. Will's expertise made the finished volume far better than it otherwise would have been. The eleven scholars who contributed chapters have my deepest admiration for the thoughtfulness and exertion they invested in their writing. They all taught me a great deal. Brian D. McKnight, coeditor of the Interpreting American History series, always supported this project and provided helpful insights into how to improve it. Working with such a gifted group of editors and historians was a pleasure and an honor. Finally, I thank my wife, Joy, for enduring along with me the challenges of writing and editing. Joy's love and support have made those challenges less daunting.