When H. L. Mencken wrote about "the miasmatic jungles of Arkansas" he was referring to the relative obscurity and uncertain image that Arkansas has enjoyed--or suffered from--throughout its history. In these entertaining and sometimes quirky essays Lancaster sheds light on that image by analyzing the stereotypes that have characterized the state since its very beginning. ". . . revelations of the state"s unique wonders that only a born writer with a practiced eye can bring to life on the printed page." -Dee Brown