Shelby Lee Adams' photographs are in more than 70 museum and private collections; he has exhibited in numerous national and international venues since 1974. In 1993 his first book, Appalachian Portraits was published; his second, Appalachian Legacy, in 1998; and Appalachian Lives, his third book with text by Vickie Goldberg, in 2003. All were published by The University Press of Mississippi. In 2011, salt & truth was published by Candela Books of Richmond, Virginia, with text by James Enyeart and Catherine Evans. Adams has received numerous awards and recognitions, including an NEA photo fellowship and a 2010 Guggenheim Photo Fellowship.