MISSISSIPPI: A Guide to the Magnolia State, goes beyond the limits of a conventional guidebook, first, in its attempt to picture and explain contemporary Mississippi by presenting its people, culture, physiography, politics, folkways, economics, and industry in relation to the historical past; and, second, in its narrative detailed description of points of interest. The extensive research involved in preparing the present volume brought out the fact that Mississippi’s development holds incidents, hitherto untold, as dramatic and colorful as those of many an imaginative story. Though primarily a guidebook, it will serve also as a springboard from which those interested in research may plunge into the almost undisturbed waters of Mississippiana.
Main emphasis has been placed upon the typical and average people of the State, rather than the exceptional elements. Thus, the two essays on folkways deal almost wholly with the Mississippi farmer—the whites of the Central and Tennessee Hills, the Negroes of the Delta. It is this great agricultural majority, comprising more than four-fifths of the State’s population, that has had no place in portrayals of Mississippi life by William Faulkner at one extreme and by Stark Young at the other.
Difficulties encountered were many; first-hand information, often by word of mouth, required checking, and source material was not always reliable. Preparation of tours, at a time when the State is engaged in an extensive road-building program, necessitated frequent alterations. Occasional inaccuracies, it is hoped, will be reported and corrected in subsequent editions.
For valuable assistance in preparing the book, grateful acknowledgment is due a number of persons and organizations. Particularly helpful have been the officials of the State governmental departments, city chambers of commerce, the State University and State College, Mississippi State College for Women, and members of the American Institute of Architects. Among the individuals whose aid should receive appreciative mention are Miss Bessie Cary Lemly, Harris Dickson, Dr. William Clifford Morse, Moreau B. Chambers, and Beverly Martin. A special word of thanks is due Thomas Garner James, who gave valuable information and advice in connection with the section whose title is The State in the Making.
ERI DOUGLASS, State Director
GENE HOLCOMB, State Editor