Includes bibliographical references (pages 361-386) and index.

He was an anthropologist, filmmaker, painter, folklorist, mystic, and walking encyclopedia-- and Szwed considers Harry Smith to be one of the twentieth century's most overlooked cultural figures. From his time recording the customs of Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Florida to his life in Greenwich Village in its heyday, Smith was consumed by an unceasing desire to create a unified theory of culture. An insatiable creator and collector, Smith was responsible for the influential Anthology of American Folk Music and several pioneering experimental films, but was also an insufferable and destructive eccentric who was unable to survive in regular society, or keep himself healthy or sober.,Adapted from jacket