"These essays, arranged chronologically in the order they were first written, represent Donald Edward Davis's twenty-year career as a writer, environmental activist, and scholar of all things Appalachian. Join Davis in an exploration of a region consistently under attack by mining interests, developers, and the tourist industry, and consistently misunderstood by scholars. Approaching this unique region from both historical and environmental angles, Davis presents twenty essays to help illuminate the problems, peoples, and places of what may be the oldest mountain range in the world."--BOOK JACKET.