Designed as a concise introduction to a complex subject matter, The History of Cotton surveys centuries of heritage linked to one of the American South"s most storied and important agricultural products and one of humankind"s oldest crops. Beginning in ancient Asia and Africa, the story of cotton spans continents and cultures to arrive in the New World. Accessible to students and general readers alike, this study quickly narrows its focus to the important role of cotton in the South, looking specifically at the cotton industry; methods for growing, harvesting, and ginning cotton; cotton classification; uses of cottonseed; and the dreaded infestation of the boll weevil. The concluding chapter chronicles the development of the South Carolina Cotton Museum, the sponsoring agency of this volume. The History of Cotton includes sixty-one black-and-white and ten color photographs, many from the Cliff Smith Postcard Collection, to provide a visual record of cotton"s role across America--particularly in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, California, and Massachusetts.