From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History (Indiana)

Rating:
Summary: Fine Reference on Place Names
Review: The folklorist, Ronald Baker, has written an excellent study of place names in Indiana. Thoroughly documented, this book is a fine guide for finding out how various towns and cities in Indiana got their names. What is especially interesting is Baker's introduction to this volume. He shows how there are common patterns to the development of place names in the state. Baker then provides ways for readers to draw conclusions about the history of the state by finding out how various names came to be. This book is very useful for understanding the folklore of Indiana, and it is a model for studies of place names in other states.