Francis Butler Simkins

by James Scott Humphreys

"A staunch activist for the study of southern history as a significant part of American history, Francis Butler Simkins (1897-1966) is today recognized as one of the twentieth century's great thinkers writing on southern history. This detailed biography examines the factors in Simkins's life that contributed to his being a radical liberal in his youth and maturing into what some termed a "reactionary conservative." Through it all, there can be little question that Simkins was a complex and eccentric man whose writing is often compared to the works of his more famous contemporaries C. Vann Woodward and Stanley Elkins." "This biography of one of the South's leading scholars illuminates the inner workings of an eccentric and even inscrutable man. As he orders Simkins's powerful intellect and personal demons, James Humphreys strives to determine the impact of Simkins's work on southern historiography and the larger public issues - especially those associated with race - that dominated his