Faulkner's County

“Remarkable. . . . A highly readable history of Lafayette County. . . . An important interpretation of one of the greatest American novelists and a major contribution to the history of the South.” — Journal of Southern History

“Doyle has served up something . . . unusual and badly needed — A first-rate community study set in the Deep South. . . . A superb history of southern society in microcosm. . . . An important, pathfinding work. . . . Those interested in the social history of the South, or of the United States generally, should not miss this book.” — Journal of American History

“A significant contribution to Faulkner studies. . . . An engaging and informative historical narrative, a long overdue history of Faulkner’s native county that will certainly prove an indispensable resource to Faulkner scholarship in the years to come.” — Civil War Book Review

“Doyle’s excellent study will be of interest to historians of Mississippi and the South, as well as [to] students of Faulkner.” — History

“This is a splendid book about William Faulkner and his home of Lafayette County, Mississippi. Doyle draws deeply on history and literature to produce a highly readable and well-documented study of this county. . . . Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“[This book is] quite compelling, and it will surely be a resource for Faulkner scholars.” — Mississippi Quarterly

“[This] is the work of a mature scholar and a major achievement. Doyle’s book is a sophisticated study, the product of a historian skilled in solid research and well aware of major historiographical themes. It is also one of the most truly accomplished interdisciplinary studies available. . . . Scholars in literature have long known of the real Lafayette County historical background to Faulkner’s mythical legend of Yoknapatawpha County, but no one has documented the connection with the care, depth, and rigor that Doyle brings to his work. His handling of Faulkner is superb.” — The Southern Register

“A splendid book. . . . Readers will come away from this wonderful book with a much deeper understanding of Faulkner and the South. . . . Highly recommended for all levels, Southern and Faulkner collections.” — CHOICE

“No one has done a better job of tracing the history of this otherwise obscure quarter of north Mississippi from the 16th century-when DeSoto came upon the Chickasaws-to the early 20th.” — Raleigh News & Observer

“This is microhistory at its best. Smart, graceful, provocative, well-grounded in the written and oral sources, it is a book that can be enjoyed by lay readers and mined by specialists from many disciplines.” — Florida Historical Quarterly