The first edition of this book was considered the definitive work on this subject, so it is a cause for celebration that Ralph Lee Smith has updated it to incorporate contemporary scholarship. What a fitting tribute to the late pioneer in the academic study of country music, Charles K. Wolfe, that this book is part of a series named in his honor. This book not only answers many questions about the dulcimer, especially its origins, but it also illuminates migration patterns, material culture, and the history of Appalachia. Ralph Lee Smith is the author of seven collections of folk songs related to the dulcimer as well as a memoir.
Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 2016. 102 pages with a Foreword by Ted Olson and photos, appendices and notes. Oversized trade paperback.