Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture is a reference book on the U.S. state
of Tennessee
that was published in book form in 1998 and has also been available online since 2002. Contents include history
, geography
, culture, and biography
.
The original print edition was developed as a Tennessee Historical Society educational project for the Tennessee state bicentennial
in 1996. The idea of the encyclopedia was proposed in 1993 and work began the following year. The Tennessee General Assembly
provided project funding in fiscal years 1995 through 1998. Additional funding came from several foundations; Middle Tennessee State University
provided some in-kind support.
When the book was completed in 1998, it became the third state encyclopedia
to be published in the United States. The print edition (ISBN 1558535993 and ISBN 9781558535992) has 1193 pages containing 1,534 entries contributed by 514 authors. It was a co-winner of a Tennessee History Book Award and was recognized with a 1999 American Association for State and Local History
(AASLH) Award of Merit.
An online edition of the encyclopedia has been on the Internet
since 2002. It includes the contents of the book plus some new entries and some multimedia
content. The online edition is jointly produced and maintained by the Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press
. Access to the full contents is free. The online interface was revised and updated in February 2011.
Editor for both the print and online versions is Carroll Van West, a Middle Tennessee State University history professor who is director of that university's Center for Historic Preservation. Copyright
to the contents of both the print and online versions is held by the Tennessee Historical Society.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
that was published in book form in 1998 and has also been available online since 2002. Contents include history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, culture, and biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
.
The original print edition was developed as a Tennessee Historical Society educational project for the Tennessee state bicentennial
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
in 1996. The idea of the encyclopedia was proposed in 1993 and work began the following year. The Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
provided project funding in fiscal years 1995 through 1998. Additional funding came from several foundations; Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
provided some in-kind support.
When the book was completed in 1998, it became the third state encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
to be published in the United States. The print edition (ISBN 1558535993 and ISBN 9781558535992) has 1193 pages containing 1,534 entries contributed by 514 authors. It was a co-winner of a Tennessee History Book Award and was recognized with a 1999 American Association for State and Local History
American Association for State and Local History
The American Association for State and Local History is a non-profit association for state and local history, with a primary focus on museums and historical societies. It is headquartered in Nashville, TN, and has over 6,300 members...
(AASLH) Award of Merit.
An online edition of the encyclopedia has been on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
since 2002. It includes the contents of the book plus some new entries and some multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
content. The online edition is jointly produced and maintained by the Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press
University of Tennessee Press
The University of Tennessee Press is a university press associated with the University of Tennessee.UT Press was established in 1940 by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.The University of Tennessee Press issues about 35 books each year...
. Access to the full contents is free. The online interface was revised and updated in February 2011.
Editor for both the print and online versions is Carroll Van West, a Middle Tennessee State University history professor who is director of that university's Center for Historic Preservation. Copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
to the contents of both the print and online versions is held by the Tennessee Historical Society.
External links
- The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture (online edition)