Long Steel Rail

Impeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American railroad folksong.Norm Cohen provides a sweeping discussion of the human aspects of railroad history, railroad folklore, and the evolution of the American folksong.The heart of the book is a detailed analysis of eighty-five songs, from "John Henry" and "The Wabash Cannonball" to "Hell-Bound Train" and "Casey Jones," with their music, sources, history, variations, and discographies.A substantial new introduction updates this edition.