My first book, The Face of Appalachia: Portraits from the Mountain Farm was published by W.W. Norton Books (New York) in 2003. It was the culmination of over 25 years of work documenting people working in traditional farming methods in southern Appalachia. It combined over 100 images with oral history interviews with the subjects, where they share stories from their life, describe what they are doing in the image such as working crops, making crafts, or playing music, and relate what it is like to carve out a living in the remote mountains where they grew up. This was the first in my trilogy of Appalachian-themed books that also includes On Earth’s Furrowed Brow and Hands in Harmony.
A few years ago, after two printings, The Face of Appalachia went out of print. Since that time, I secured permission to publish a Second Edition through my own imprint, Numinous Editions. Taking advantage of newer technologies, I scanned my original 4x5 inch negatives and produced separations using digital, rather than traditional darkroom, methods. This resulted in images fine-tuned to a level not possible before and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I was able to consider different croppings, make changes in contrast and density, corrections to text, and resequenced some images.
To produce this new edition, I went back to the original printer in Italy for their superior duotone reproductions. The Second Edition is a limited run of 1,000 copies, and at $34.95 this hardcover, best-selling classic is a great value. I hope you enjoy the images here, and feel free to stop by the studio to look through the book. I can sign it for you in person, or you can order signed copies through my website.
While you are on the website, check out my other titles, including my latest, Tide Runners: Shrimping and Fishing on the Carolinas and Georgia Coast. I also just updated and reprinted my popular Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas and Great Smoky Mountains Vistas books and the new editions just arrived last week. All these books make great gifts for family and friends, or to display in your home or office, and your support allows me to continue to explore and document new subjects to share with you.
