West Virginia traditions have always been recognized as unique. However, this individuality has not always been celebrated by those outside mountain culture. One of the earliest pioneers to break the stigmas surrounding Appalachian traditions was native son and celebrated folklorist, Patrick Gainer.

A former West Virginia University professor born and raised in central West Virginia , Patrick Ward Gainer, sought to redress misconceptions of mountain people. During his tenure from 1946 to 1972, Dr. Gainer was a popular professor at WVU , known for employing modern audiovisual techniques and even singing to the students to bring the folklore alive. His publications reflect his life’s ambition to preserve and portray Appalachian folklore.

The West Virginia University Press, in concert with The West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University, seeks to keep this tradition alive by re-releasing three of Dr. Gainer’s most notable works:Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians;Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills; andFolk Songs of the Alleghenies(a sound recording). In these publications, Dr. Gainer opens and expands on the rich oral tradition of Appalachian residents.

The result of over 50 years of research and hundreds of miles traveled, these books and sound recordings carefully document theSpeech of the Mountaineersas well as traditional sayings and folk cures, nature lore, and superstitions. Dr. Gainer also demonstrates a particular interest in Appalachian storytelling as evidenced by large sections devoted to tales of ghosts, witches, and other mountain phenomena.

Dr. Judy Byers, founder and director of The West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University and a former student of Dr. Gainer’s, will create forewords and appendices to Professor Gainer’s works to explain the broader context of the material.

Dr. Gainer was a pioneer in the newborn discipline of folklore research, and the documentation and collection of folklore was enhanced by his work in the field. His publications represent an early chapter, not just in Appalachian history, but in the recording and cataloging of oral traditions.

Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachianswill be issued first in the series later this year.

For further information about the West Virginia University Press, visitwww.wvupress.com.