ALMOST A DECADE HAS ELAPSED SINCE A SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE AMERICAN Quarterly surveyed the teaching, research, and writing of scholars who use artifacts as important evidence in the documentation and interpretation of the American experience.' In the interim, much work has been done, prompting Edith Mayo to note recently that "the use of objects as source materials for scholarship has been increasingly legitimized by the growth of American Studies programs which are now in the forefront in their work with objects."2 In light of both the passage of time and new scholarly developments, it seemed appropriate to reassess the progress, problems, and potential of material culture studies in America. In order to accomplish this ambitious task, I solicited essays from a number of individuals whom I felt knew the scope and significance of the material culture evidence within each of their respective disciplines. These areas included: cultural geography, vernacular architecture, the history of technology, the decorative arts, and folklife studies. Initially an essay on social history was also planned, but that has since been published in another journal.3 From the start I recognized that even a bibliographic issue of this breadth could be but a partial overview of the domain of material culture research. Hence I candidly acknowledge two of the obvious limitations of this survey at the outset. Inasmuch as they have been treated elsewhere, I decided not to devote essays to disciplines such as art and architectural history, cultural anthropology, and historical archaeology-areas of study that have