The Good Life Almanac

Being Choicest Morsels of Wisdom for Reader Interested in Living, Rather than Existing

Edited by Ruth Smalley

Written by Some Country Folk with Ties to nature, Man, and God's Own World

The Good Life Almanac

72 pp., 6 x 9, 95 drawings, 5 halftones

  • Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-3840-9
    Published: January 1975

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Distributed for Appalachian State University

An almanac of stories on the microcosm of the Appalachian region during a period of transition, this book was published in 1975. Written to showcase the stories and folklore passed on in the mountains, the tales chosen are typical of the nineteenth century. Stories talk about the dependence on water transportation, the excitement of the coming railroad, the self-contained nature of community recreation, and the interdependence and independence of small community’s daily life. In addition to stories, traditional regional recipes are included in order to demonstrate further what it was like to live in the mountains.

About the Author

Ruth Smalley was born in Columbia County, Washington, on September 13, 1920. She received a B.A. degree in English and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Washington State University. Some of Smalley’s major accomplishments include writing a weekly column in the Knoxville News Sentinel for nine years, publishing articles for travel magazines, and writing a series of books on Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk. Smalley also edited The Good Life Almanac, a project of the Solway community club, and contributed to memoirs by Samuel Sapirie and John Rice Irwin. Ruth Smalley passed away on January 19, 2009, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For more information about Ruth Smalley, visit the Author Page.