Cotton

A written and photographic history of cotton’s role in American society, from the author of Memphis Blues . In the barbeque joints and plate lunch cafes off Memphis’s Front Street, one is easily reminded of the days when cotton was king. It was a society of characters and cads; the big time and the small time; the rich and the richer; the hangers-on, anointed, powerful, and busted. Cotton created empires in agriculture, transportation, banking, and warehousing. It also shackled the dreams and li