Books:
* The Romance of the American West in the Works of Mark Twain (1961)
* The Old South: A History of the Southern People (1972)
* The Fiction of Frank Yerby (1973)
* The Literary Tradition in the American South (1978)
* The Hundred Greatest Books of the American South (1981)
* The Southern Literary Renaissance, 1920-1960 (1984)
* The American South: A Cultural History (1989)
* The Legacy of the Old South (1996)
* The Literature of the American South: A Critical History (1997)
Selected Articles:
* "The Image of the West in American Literature"
* "The Southern Renaissance"
* "The Literature of the Civil War"
* "The New South Literature"
* "The African American Tradition in Southern Literature"
Watkins was known for his insightful and nuanced analysis of Southern literature, particularly his work on authors such as William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and Flannery O'Connor. He also made significant contributions to the study of the American West, particularly in relation to the work of Mark Twain. His scholarship helped to solidify the study of Southern literature as a significant field within American literary studies.
This is just a selection of Watkins' many works. You can find more information about his life and writings online or by consulting a library catalog.