In this collection of articles describing the people, places, and folkways of southern Illinois, John W. Allen provides entertaining and informative glimpses in

"Reliance, Illinois has it all—mystery, politics, war; love, death, and art. Every page is a pleasure." —Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely B

"As the circus of the Blagojevich saga unfolded, Natasha Korecki was right at the center.... It was a seriocomedy suited to her enterprise and imagination, and

A young person's guide to the story of the State of Illinois from its birth to the present day.

In The State of Southern Illinois: An Illustrated History, Herbert K. Russell offers fresh interpretations of a number of important aspects of Southern Illinois