First published in 1946, Harry Kroll's portrayal of the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feud (1878-90) is seen through the eyes of six women of the two families. Their Ancient Grudge stands as the last major treatment of this iconic sliver of American culture completed before the story struggle was examined and reinterpreted by of a later generation of historians. Although the brutal cycle of the conflict often takes center stage, the novel is replete with sensitive observations of Appalachian nature and landscape, and most strikingly, the cultural positions occupied by women.
In crafting this compelling tale, Kroll drew both on historical studies and on interviews with descendants of the Hatfield and McCoy families as well as with other residents of the Tug Valley area of Kentucky and West Virginia. For this edition, Richard Saunders has written an introduction discussing Kroll's background, his influence on Appalachian literature, and his colorful ability to convey the nature of mountain culture and society throughout his works.

Harry Harrison Kroll (1888-1967) was the author of nearly twenty novels and over a thousand pieces of published short fiction. As a teacher at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, he influenced a generation of Appalachian writers, including James Still, Jesse Stuart, and Don West.

Richard Saunders is Special Collections librarian and archivist at the University of Tennessee, Martin. He is the editor of A Yellowstone Reader and A Lady's Ranch Life in Montana and is presently completing a biography of Kroll.