"The folk culture of the Ozarks is important to historians, folklorists and sociologists. It should be put on the record in a systematic way. That is my purpose in compiling this Ozark Folk Encyclopedia. It covers a wide range of subjects, from A to Z, but all closely knitted with folk interest.

The Ozark region of this work comprises an area of about 80,000 square miles in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. It includes the Ozarks proper, the Ouachitas, the Kiamichi, and bordering hills and flatlands. With this backdrop I feature the people with their history, folklore, folkways, legends, customs, nomenclature, traditions, logic, philosophy, natural environment, personalities, and modern accomplishments. Many of the items in this work have autobiographical slant because of my close association with the Ozarks for a period of almost forty years. Emphasis is placed upon human interest. I have given special attention to documentation and have included a bibliography which will be helpful to students. Reference is made to books and articles in my Ozark Library (ROL), the library of the University of Arkansas (UA), and the library of the Arkansas Historical Commission (AHC). Each volume is properly indexed. These volumes will be enlarged and others added as needed. I began this work October 17, 1955, and now have 226 volumes.

This Ozark Folk Encyclopedia is a "labor of love" and not compiled for financial gain. It is my major service to the Ozarks, the land I have chosen as "my workshop, my exercising ground, my opportunity."

September 10, 1957. Otto Ernest Rayburn