SUNY, An American Region: Studies in the Hudson Valley

Upstate New York's Anti-Rent Movement is considered the last struggle over feudalism in the United States. Tenant farmers in the Hudson-Mohawk region engaged in organized protest throughout the 1840s to contest monopoly ownership of the land they worked. Arguing their cause in newspapers, on broadsides, and at rallies, their aspirations also took shape in poetry and song. More than twenty sets of lyrics (and one instrumental composition) were written at various stages of the conflict. Some of their musical sources, such as "Old Dan Tucker" and "Bruce's Address," are still well known. Each fully contextualized song offers insight into the role vernacular music played in one of the nineteenth century's major social reform movements. This is the first book to gather the poetry and corresponding tunes into one publication. It provides detailed analysis of the repertory, followed by new musical scores of the songs, reconstructed from contemporary historical sources for study and performance. It also examines the movement's later dramatization in novels, film, and public commemorations as successive generations grapple with its meaning.

Places comics studies in lively dialogue with landscape art and regional studies to shed new light on the Hudson River Valley as an artistic, social, cultural, and natural environment. Drawn by the River engages readers in a lively exploration of the interplay between comics and regional culture. Connecting comics, cartoons, and animated films to Hudson River School landscapes and to the valley's industrial history, Drawn by the River demonstrates the varied and overlapping ecosystems that have generated creative work in the area. The book tells of the massive impact of the Western Printing facility, the stunning success of the valley-based creators of the fantasy series ElfQuest, the surprising connections between landscapes and comic art, and the experiences of comics writers, artists, and editors past and present who have called the Hudson River Valley home. Richly illustrated with over one hundred images, Drawn by the River provides new frameworks for understanding comics and the culture, history, and community of the Hudson River Valley.