John Fox, Jr., born near Paris, Kentucky, became captivated by the Cumberland Mountains during a brief visit in 1882 and settled in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, six years later. Fascinated by mountain life, he spent considerable time in the east Kentucky counties of Letcher, Harlan, Leslie, and Perry, and his knowledge of mountain people, folk life, and locales, along with his affection for and empathy with his subjects, is evident in his many books, short stories, and essays. His first short story, “A Mountain Europa,” appeared in Century magazine in 1892 and was an instant success. Already a successful author, he wrote The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, published in 1903, perhaps the first novel in the United States to sell a million copies, and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, a tale of fortunes made and lost, feuds, passion, and romance in the Cumberland Mountains, remained on the best-seller list for two years after its publication in 1908. A number of his characters appear to be based, at least in part, on individuals he knew, and Jack Hale, the hero of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, draws on Fox's own experiences.