Foxfire 12 [Paperback]

Kaye Carver Collins (Editor), Angie Cheek (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Foxfire | Publication Date: September 14, 2004

For more than thirty years, Foxfire books have brought the philosophy of simple living to hundreds of thousands of readers, teaching creative-self-sufficiency, the art of natural remedies, home crafts, and preserving the stories and customs of Appalachia. Inspiring and practical, this classic series has become an American institution.

Foxfire 12 is the latest volume, the first in more than five years. Here are reminiscences about learning to square dance and tales about traditional craftsmen who created useful items in the old-time ways that have since disappeared in most of the country. Here are lessons on how to make rose beads and wooden coffins, and on how to find turtles in your local pond. We hear the voices of descendants of the Cherokees who lived in the region, and we learn about what summer camp was like for generations of youngsters. We meet a rich assortment of Appalachian characters and listen to veterans recount their war experiences. Illustrated with photographs and drawings, Foxfire 12 is a rich trove of information and stories from a fascinating American culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The first new volume in five years for this popular series has the familiar charm and, unfortunately, repetitiveness of the earlier 11. First published in 1966 as a quarterly magazine, Foxfire was a classroom project to pass on to future generations the Appalachian culture of northwest Georgia. Teachers Collins and Creek, with their students, have brought together a mixture of personal stories, folktales, rituals and observations that highlight a way of life that is quickly vanishing. Some of the memories recounted by elderly residents are quite engaging, while others are less so. Fred Huff, who taught school for 46 years and was Teacher of the Year several times, colorfully conveys the joy he took in his chosen profession and makes the modest claim that "I got more awards than I deserved." Eighty-one-year-old Fannie Ruth Martin stoically details a childhood full of poverty and hardship, yet then asserts, "[K]ids today have too much!" Devotees of Appalachian folkways will relish descriptive passages on square dancing, pottery and the way to construct a simple wooden casket. There is an informative chapter about Cherokee stories and some very interesting accounts by people who attended three different summer camps in the area. Photos.
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From the Inside Flap

For more than thirty years, Foxfire books have brought the philosophy of simple living to hundreds of thousands of readers, teaching creative-self-sufficiency, the art of natural remedies, home crafts, and preserving the stories and customs of Appalachia. Inspiring and practical, this classic series has become an American institution.

Foxfire 12 is the latest volume, the first in more than five years. Here are reminiscences about learning to square dance and tales about traditional craftsmen who created useful items in the old-time ways that have since disappeared in most of the country. Here are lessons on how to make rose beads and wooden coffins, and on how to find turtles in your local pond. We hear the voices of descendants of the Cherokees who lived in the region, and we learn about what summer camp was like for generations of youngsters. We meet a rich assortment of Appalachian characters and listen to veterans recount their war experiences. Illustrated with photographs and drawings, Foxfire 12 is a rich trove of information and stories from a fascinating American culture.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (September 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140003261X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400032617
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BETTER FOXFIRE OFFERINGS., June 5, 2007

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Foxfire 12 (Paperback)

To start, pay no attention to Publisher's Weekly when the whine about the repeativeness of the Foxfire books. The reviewer obviously has not read all the books. I own, read and use almost all of the Foxfire books. Actually, we owe both the Foxfire people and we certainly owe the characters of a gone generation. This work, Volume 12, is indeed like the others. That is a good thing! A wonderful history of how it was. In this day and age of having most needs meet and something for everyone on the Wal-mart shelf, we tend to forget just what it was like in our not too distant past. These books, the Foxfire books, brings to light skills, attitudes and a way of life that is all but forgotten. Do be warned though, as one reviewer has pointed out, these are not step by step "how to do it" books. But This is sort a good thing as the how to books out there are sort of a dime a dozen any more. When a people lose their history, they lose part of their soul. As the title of this work states, this addresses many of the old forgotten skills and there is so much more. The editors have done a wonderful job. They have made a very honest effort to replicate the dialect of those places and times and I feel that this is a big part of the charm of these books. I am old enough to have known many of the kinds of folks featured in these books, being only one generation past them, and have a great appreciation for what and how they did all the little things we take so for granted now. I might also suggest that you actually try some of the things mentioned in these volumes. It will give you even more of an appreciation for what they did, and hey, who knows, the skill you develope just might come in handy one of these days! This particular volume also includes some great interviews with the decendants of Cherokees who, after all, were the original owners of most of the land involved here. These interviews are priceless. Recommend this and the other Foxfire books highly.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Entire Foxfire Series, January 31, 2007

By 

Hubert L. Sloat (In Rural Maine) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Foxfire 12 (Paperback)

I have the entire series, plus the AUNT AIRE "special". I consider them all treasures. The way theu came about and still do, the subjects covered and in such detail too. There are 12 plus the special extra and they are all equel in value to me. To my knowledge, they are the most readily available to the public and a source of old Appalachian ways describing them in great detail.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful books, wonderful background, November 23, 2008

By 

Nancy Dickey (Murphy, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Foxfire 12 (Paperback)

I bought the set of 12 Foxfire books and I have not read them all yet, but what I have read is excellent. These high school kids have done an amazing job putting together histories, how-to's, and interviews. What a great project for them and all of us. This information could have been lost forever.