“Our Southern Highlanders” by Horace Kephart is a narrative from a man who lived with the mountaineers of Appalachia, a region of the eastern United States, for several years in the early 20th century. It was first published in 1913 and then revised in 1921. Several chapters cover the cultural and economic factors concerning moonshine and illicit distillation in the backwoods, historically linking and drawing analogies to the Scotch-Irish ancestors and their battles against excise taxes. It’s an engaging read.
Kephart is often cited as the person most responsible for the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.