The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Vol. 15

The myth and the reality of the South in literature, environmental, and geographic landscape reflect the American story. In 1989, the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture (ESC) was released to widespread acclaim. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, sponsored by the Center for Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, builds on the 24 subjects of the original ESC with stand-alone volumes. The volume editors are respected figures with expertise and a network of scholars, and series editor Charles Reagan Wilson (director, Ctr. for the Study of Southern Culture) coedited, with William Ferris, the original ESC. Volume 15, Urbanization, is an authoritative reference to the rapid pace of change in the American South from the 18th century to the present. In 48 thematic essays, the urban South, immigration, white flight, and the global rise of CNN and FedEx show growth and population changes. Important issues such as gentrification and urban sprawl are addressed, as are 31 topical entries on individual cities, Mardi Gras, Dollywood, and more. This New South includes Hispanic workers, Asian and Middle Eastern religions, and dirty South hip-hop, far removed from the cotton field Southern plantation life. A fisherman holding a largemouth bass graces the cover of Volume 16, Sports & Recreation, which has 74 alphabetically organized thematic essays on the essential sports (college football, NASCAR, baseball) and recreations (Civil War reenactments, debutantes, golf, juke joints). Professional sports were slower to come to the South but led to modern mass-culture teams like the Atlanta Braves and Dallas Cowboys. Seventy-eight topical entries enhance the breadth of the volume. BOTTOM LINE The inexpensive paperback versions of these volumes fit most reference budgets. Recommended for all reference collections in the Southern region and for colleges with strong sports communication programs.—Laverne Mann, Piscataway P.L., NJ