The Mountain State's irregular borders and rugged geography are home to a fascinating mix of cultures, landscapes and foods. West Virginia's culinary history is rooted among the native fauna and flora that early residents hunted and foraged, and the taste of pawpaws and ramps is familiar across the state. Immigrants brought international flavors to Appalachian cuisine, resulting in local traditions like moonshine and the iconic pepperoni roll. Historian, author and West Virginia native Shannon Colaianni Tinnell explores a history that is still being written by a new generation hungry for tradition and authenticity.

John Prendergast's account of the Cromwellian settlement of Ireland contains the following specific genealogical information: (1) certificates or letters of dispensation naming a number of the Irish exiles and their families; (2) various account books, arranged by barony, identifying several hundred Adventurers and showing the location and value of the Irish land they were awarded; and (3) a list of more than 1,350 Adventurers (or their widows), giving their occupations and subscriptions.

The West Virginia State Constitution provides a review of the history and development of West Virginia's Constitution and an updated section-by-section analysis of its meaning. The State has had two constitutions, the original that was ratified in 1863 and the current one that was initially adopted in 1872. Both were rooted in the several Virginia Constitutions that preceded them but also included major reforms that emerged out of ongoing disputes between the western and eastern regions of antebellum Virginia. Amendments in the thirties and between 1968 and 1982 modernized the Constitution. This history is recounted in Part I of the book. This second edition provides section-by-section analysis that describes the origins and evolutions of the provisions and, more importantly, summarizes the interpretations given to them by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals over more than 150 years of the State's existence. The text reduces the case law to readily grasped concepts and cites the leading cases. A useful and convenient table of cases is provided, and a bibliography to facilitate more extensive or specific research is included. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor. The beautiful landscape as well as the significant role of the coal mining industry are both detailed in the WPA Guide to West Virginia. The essay “Country Folk and Country Ways” gives the reader an idea of how rural life was in the Mountain State in the early 20th century and the descriptions of Charleston, Clarksburg, and other cities are complete with stunning photographs of classic Southern architecture.

West Virginia is the only state formed by seceding from a Confederate state. And its connections to the Civil War run deep. One day at a time, award-winning historian Michael Graham presents intriguing, event-driven anecdotes and history related to the state. On July 11, 1861, a Union force attacked 1,300 Confederate troops camped at Rich Mountain in a renowned battle. Confederate guerrillas raided Hacker's Creek on June 12, 1864. Find little-known facts about the Battles of Droop Mountain, Carnifex Ferry, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown and a whole host of others. Read a story one day or month at a time. Celebrate an entire year of Civil War history in the Mountain State.

Absentee landowning has long been tied to economic distress in Appalachia. In this important revisionist study, Barbara Rasmussen examines the nature of landownership in five counties of West Virginia and its effects upon the counties' economic and social development. Rasmussen untangles a web of outside domination of the region that commenced before the American Revolution, creating a legacy of hardship that continues to plague Appalachia today. The owners and exploiters of the region have included Lord Fairfax, George Washington, and, most recently, the U.S. Forest Service. The overarching concern of these absentee landowners has been to control the land, the politics, the government, and the resources of the fabulously rich Appalachian Mountains. Their early and relentless domination of politics assured a land tax system that still favors absentee landholders and simultaneously impoverishes the state. Class differences, a capitalistic outlook, and an ethic of growth and development pervaded western Virginia from earliest settlement. Residents, however, were quickly outspent by wealthier, more powerful outsiders. Insecurity in landownership, Rasmussen demonstrates, is the most significant difference between early mountain farmers and early American farmers everywhere.

"Combining new empirical information about political behavior with a close examination of the capacity of the state's government, this third edition of West Virginia Politics and Government offers a comprehensive and pointed study of the ability of the state's government to respond to the needs of a largely rural and relatively low-income population"--