Land contested over by settlers in the early South was named "the devil's lane" with violence often befalling those who ventured there. These essays on sexuality, race and gender in the South from the 17th to 19th century, explore legal history through race, crime, punishment and slander. The editors have undertaken an important and ambitious project in seeking to publicize such new and significant departures in American history ... the bulk of the collection is fascinating and valuable and adds considerably to our understanding of the early South and to the social and cultural complexities of life at that time.