Hayseeds, Moralizers, and Methodists: The Twentieth-Century Image of Kansas

"This book is an excellent, scholarly study about Kansas and Kansans, although the author expresses insightful comments, which may apply equally well to most of the other forty-nine states."--Midwest Quarterly"Virtually every author from Kansas, or still in Kansas, has struggled to deal with the state's poor media image. This volume is Bader's attempt, and it is the first book-length offering to embark on these troubled waters. Not only does the work provide an overview of Kansas's past and present heritage, it also provides the author's summary of popular culture and the conclusions he draws from it."--Journal of the West "This book is at once entertaining, informative, irritating, discouraging, embarrassing, and stimulating. More state and regional studies of this sort--and quality--ought to be forthcoming."--Locus "A major contribution for all students of the Kansas heritage, professional and amateur. The research is impressive, and many quotations are used effectively to communicate the images. Because Kansans have special concerns about the image of their state, this book should attract a wide audience."--Leo E. Oliva, author of Soldiers on the Santa Fe Trail