The Great Smoky Mountains and their national park are both rich in lore, much of which has been collected and committed to print over the years. Your appreciation of a trip to these mountains can be greatly enhanced, both before and after, by reading accounts of the area’s history, natural history, and folklore. There are also field identification guides to nearly everything you see here, from rocks and flowers to spiders and mammals. And there are trail and hiking guidebooks full of good tips and advice on interesting trips, both day trips and overnights. Listed here are selected titles usually available for purchase at park visitor centers, or to be found in your public library. Many of these may also be purchased in bookstores in communities near the park. Several interesting and useful maps of the area are also available. For a more complete list of publications write to the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738. This nonprofit association maintains a sales list of technical and other books about the Smokies as part of its efforts to enhance the interpretation of the park’s values to the public.
Brooks, Maurice. The Appalachians, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1965.
Broome, Harvey. Out Under the Sky of the Great Smokies, The Greenbrier Press, 1975.
Campbell, Carlos. Birth of a National Park in the Great Smoky Mountains, The University of Tennessee Press, 1960.
Cantu, Rita. Great Smoky Mountains: The Story Behind the Scenery, KC Publications, 1979.
Dykeman, Wilma and Jim Stokely. At Home in the Smokies, National Park Service Handbook 125, 1978.
Frome, Michael. Strangers in High Places: The Story of the Great Smoky Mountains, The University of Tennessee Press, 1980.
Kephart, Horace. Our Southern Highlanders, The University of Tennessee Press, 1922.
Shields, Randolph. The Cades Cove Story, Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 1977.
Tilden, Freeman. The National Parks, Alfred A. Knopf, 1968.