Dr Smith’s primary field of research and teaching expertise is nineteenth century literature and culture. At present, his research takes New Orleans and the Mississippi River as its focus. His first book, River of Dreams: Imagining the Mississippi Before Mark Twain (Louisiana State University Press, 2007) was an interdisciplinary exploration of the role of the Mississippi in antebellum American culture. At present, he is at work on a cultural history of New Orleans, an exploration of the relationship between Mark Twain and the Mississippi, and an examination of the history and culture of New Orleans. More generally, he has a wide range of interests in American culture – to name a few: the south and early west, crime and punishment, outlaws (particularly John A. Murrell and his putative slave rebellion), bestsellers, travel and transportation, the history of American music, the nineteenth century stage, the Civil War, and popular religious movements. Dr Smith welcomes research students who are interested in any of these aspects of nineteenth century literature and culture, particularly those with an interdisciplinary focus.