LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky newspaper has begun a yearlong series on the effects of a landmark book that put the spotlight on Appalachian poverty.

The Lexington Herald-Leader is examining the issues raised by "Night Comes to the Cumberlands: A Biography of a Depressed Area," by Harry Caudill.

The 1963 book exposed the plundering of the mountains of eastern Kentucky. After it was published, news outlets and many others traveled to Caudill's home in Whitesburg to take what he called his "poverty tour."

Among other things, the book led to the establishment of the Appalachian Regional Commission, in which federal funds are used specifically for counties designated as "Appalachia." Thirteen states contain areas officially designated as Appalachia.

Caudill died in 1990.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com

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