- The French Broad. New York: Rinehart, 1955.
- Neither Black nor White. [With James Stokely.] New York: Rinehart, 1957.
- Seeds of Southern Change: The Life of Will Alexander. [With James Stokely.] Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962.
- The Tall Woman. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1962.
- The Far Family. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1966.
- Prophet of Plenty: The First Ninety Years of W.D. Weatherford. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1966.
- Look to This Day. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1968.
- The Border States: Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. [With James Stokely.] New York: Time-Life Books, 1968.
- Return the Innocent Earth. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1973.
- Too Many People, Too Little Love: Edna Rankin McKinnon: Pioneer for Birth Control. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1974.
- Tennessee, a Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1975.
- Tennessee Women, Past and Present. Memphis: Tennessee Committee for the Humanities, 1977.
- Highland Home: The People of the Great Smokies. [With Jim Stokely.] Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1978.
- Appalachian Mountains. [With Dykeman Stokely; photography by Clyde H. Smith.] Portland, Ore.: Graphic Arts Center, 1980.
- Explorations. Newport, Tenn.: Wakestone Books, 1984.
- Tennessee Woman: An Infinite Variety. Newport, Tenn.: Wakestone Books, 1993.