For many years I have been on the mailing lists of top New York publishing houses to receive books that deal with Southern life or its people. Each sealed envelope offers a moment of excitement before I open it. In those first seconds when I read the return label that has the name of the publishing house and the location of New York City, I anticipate that I am about to discover a new, wonderful work of Southern literature or nonfiction, a tale that I will fall into and savor to sweet satisfaction.