This briskly written volume draws on the best current scholarship to provide a compact synthesis. A thoughtful, well-researched and even provocative in considertaing why the South has persisted as a distinctive region.
~Choice
A good place to begin to understand one of the most significant aspects of the American South.
~Journal of Southern History
Cobb paints a dark canvas, and well he might.... A thought-provoking study.
~Reviews in American History
Cobb argues persuasively that industrialization and progressivism or liberalism have never been synonymous below the Mason and Dixon line. This book, clearly and cogently written may be understood by both scholar and layperson.... After reading this account, one will have a broader perspective from which to view Southern society.
~Southern Historian
Stimulating scholarship.
~American Historical Review
Will serve as an excellent review source for students taking courses in twentieth-century American history.
~Journal of Economic History
Cobb's study reflects the complexity of the Southern heritage and its unique interaction with industrialization and provides a useful comparison to the 'traditional' Northern experiences.
~Science, Technology & Society
This sober summary is a useful corective to boosters and neo-agrarians alike.
~Virginia Quarterly Review
Meets the standards of 'best scholarship.' Readers wanting to understand today's South will find satisfaction in reading it.
~Wall Street Review of Books