Kenneth Clarke – författare

According to the scant historical records available, Uncle Bud Long, his daughter Janey, and her son Frankie lived near Clark's Landing, Kentucky, for about twenty years early in this century. Mr. Clarke has collected the tales of the Longs' strange ways from old-time residents of the community, both those who knew the Longs and those who inherited the stories by word of mouth. Here he skillfully weaves them into a loose narrative and, in addition, analyzes the ways in which the anecdotes have been transmuted in the process of retelling.This analysis of the stories of Uncle Bud reveals much about the delicate process by which the oral folk tradition grows and thrives. Though at first glance these fragmentary anecdotes hardly seem to constitute a legend, Mr. Clarke convincingly argues that from such humble roots ultimately grows much of what we think of as "literature."

The oral tradition of Kentucky is one of the most rich and interesting in the nation and has attracted a number of outstanding men and women -- scholars and writers, teachers and singers -- who have devoted their energies to Kentucky's folk and their ways. Some have collected examples of the state's unique speech patterns and word usages. Others have recorded local place names and the legends that surround them, or the yarns and tall tales transmitted from one generation to the next. Musicians have sought the authentic mountain folk songs, both old and new, and gifted writers have woven details of their Kentucky upbringing into poems, novels, and stories. The Harvest and the Reapers illuminates the work of those who labor tirelessly to preserve Kentucky's oral history and traditions.

The old tools and wooden objects illustrated in this book are homely reminders of a time when the majestic forests of the frontier were the source not only of the pioneer's house, barn, and fences, but of his children's toys, his wife's egg basket, and a hundred other necessities and pleasures. More than fifty delicate line drawings by Ira Kohn and the clear, nontechnical discussion by Kenneth Clarke of the making and uses of these humble objects -- many of them unfamiliar to the eyes of the current generation of Kentuckians -- give the reader new insight into the life of the pioneer.