Jim Casada, who has provided an informative introduction to this edition, is professor of history at Winthrop College. He has written numerous articles on sporting figures and outdoor literature and is editor-at-large for Sporting Classics and contributing editor for Fly Fishing Heritage.
Before coming the mountains, Horace Kephart (1862-1931) served as librarian of the prestigious Mercantile Library in St. Loius. His significant work, however, was done after he came to live in the Southern Appalachians in 1904. He played important roles in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.