A documentary history of Arkansas / edited by C. Fred Williams [and three others].

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A Documentary History of Arkansas provides a comprehensive look at Arkansas history from the state's earliest events to the present. Here are newspaper articles, government bulletins, legislative acts, broadsides, letters, and speeches that, taken collectively, give a firsthand glimpse at how the twenty-fifth state's history was made. Enhanced by additional documents and brought up to date since its original publication in 1984, this new edition is the standard source for essential primary documents illustrating the state's political, social, economic, educational, and environmental history.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In this era of online resources, justifying a new print reference work, especially an anthology of primary and secondary documents, can be a challenge. However, the second edition of A Documentary History of Arkansas (1st ed., 1984) more than rises to the challenge, based on the breadth and scope of its coverage of Arkansas--from the Hernando de Soto expedition to present concerns over fracking in the Fayetteville Shale. Here are collected a variety of sources, including official government reports, newspaper articles by and about Arkansans, letters documenting social life on the frontier, slave narratives, statutes, diary selections, and even a proposed list of mail routes and a table illustrating the state's prison population. Very few of these can be found online. The editors perform admirably in updating this book from the earlier edition, and in giving good representation to women, labor unions, African Americans, and Native Americans; unfortunately, Arkansas's "new" immigrants, especially Latinos, are not represented. Documents are arranged chronologically, with each chapter introduced by an essay outlining the highlights of the period in question. Each document is prefaced by a blurb briefly explaining its significance. Even seasoned historians will learn something new by sifting through this remarkable volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. G. A. Lancaster independent scholar