TOM Books

Tom Clavin has done a fine job with a riveting narrative of the events before, during and after the accident with the Pelican. It must have been incredibly difficult to research this tragedy which took place in 1951, but the author brings it to life in a very readable and informative style.

When I was writing Ten Hours Until Dawn it was challenging enough because the sea rescue and tragedy I was writing about was 28 years old, so to think Tom Clavin made an event 54 years old read like it happened yesterday is really amazing.
Dark Noon is a must read for anyone who likes adventure, history, and maritime lore.

I liked the book, because the author was able to incorporate local color into an era that dates back over 50 years. Local and New York city news archives along with in depth interviews no doubt helps bring the reader into the 1950's time period. There were however some inaccurate historical facts included. This is why I rated it 4 stars. Anyone interested in maritime stories should pickup a copy.

Going up in the air, or out to sea (or building your city below sea level like New Orleans) means that once in a while nature takes offense and smites these people with something nasty. On Labor Day in 1951 the charter fishing boat Pelican faced a ferocious storm that blew in without warning. Overloaded with 62 passengers when half that would have been safe, the Pelican sank and most of them drowned.

Mr. Clavin has written a story that brings the story of the Pelican to life. He describes the atmosphere of New Yorkers catching the train out to the tip of Long Island and for $8 going fishing out on the Atlantic. He is able to make the book read like a good mystery, as if we didn't know what was going to happen.

He includes a discussion of the boat and its captain, the weather and how the sudden storm arose. He tells of the rescue of some of the passengers and what has happened to montauk since.

In this season of great storms, and with the first anniversary of the Asian tsunami approaching, we have repeatedly been reminded of both our mortality and vulnerability in the face of nature's sometimes unpredictable, and certainly uncontrollable, wrath. In that vein, noted journalist and author Tom Clavin has written a book that looks back over 50 years to what can only be described as a "small" storm, though it had devastating consequences for scores of people, their families and friends, and in particular, one community that relied on the benevolence and bounty of the sea for its livelihood, and future well being.

Dark Noon is about a freak storm, a squall really, that hardly registered beyond the confines of the far East End of Long Island on a Labor Day weekend in 1951, six years after the end of World War II, and one year into the now almost forgotten "police action" that would take thousands of lives in Korea. But as Clavin's book makes poignantly clear, even a footnote to history can have profound consequences to those involved, and in this case, provide riveting drama to a new generation of readers.

Clavin paints a vivid picture of the sometimes hard-luck fishing village of Montauk (about 100 miles east of New York city) at the mid-point of the past century. We are reminded of how different America, and this now "glamorous" outpost of the Hamptons, once was, while at the same time, we inevitably see the parallels with today. As already noted, one war had just ended, and one was commencing. Americans who had survived the Great Depression, and secured the major regions of their planet with blood and sacrifice were looking forward to a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow. But at the same time, the world around them had changed, and not necessarily for the better. With another war brewing far away, and the specter of the atomic bomb always present, they so much wanted to simply relax and have some fun on that fateful Labor Day weekend so long ago.

The particular diversion that Dark Noon examines is the once booming recreational fishing business in Montauk. Every weekend, thousands of (mostly blue-collar New York city) anglers would board a Long Island Railroad train called the "Fisherman's Special" in the early hours of the morning, then stream out of the station at the end of the line. There they would crowd onto a series of "open boats" that took them out into the Atlantic for some "deep-sea" fishing. One of those boats, the Pelican, is the primary subject of this book. Captained by a handsome and charismatic World War II veteran named Eddie Carroll-who in the now grainy newspaper prints of the time somewhat resembles a Cary Grant with his captain's hat cocked just so to the side-the Pelican became a magnet for the fishing crowd.

Carroll, who was carrying an engagement ring in his pocket that he hoped to slip on his lovely, Swedish girlfriend's finger, was the most popular of a host of captains who worked out of a dockyard once know (without a trace of irony) as "Fishangri-la." But perhaps the lovely weather that morning, the luck of past voyages where Carroll's customers were rewarded with big catches, or the knowledge that the season was coming to an end-and his new life about to start-lured Carroll into a false sense of security. The Pelican put out to sea with over 60 passengers, making it far too heavy to handle in the event of a sudden change in fortune. And, of course, that is precisely what happened to the Pelican, as the reader well knows before even starting the book.

But knowing the ending does not distract from the steadily building drama, and terrible foreboding, as Clavin introduces us, one by one, to the passengers, the crew of the Pelican, the surrounding cast of captains and mates on other boats, and those who wait back onshore. Among those captains, by the way, is the legendary Frank Mundus, who later became the world's most famous shark hunter and the model for Quint in Jaws. He is also an important, and fascinating figure in this book.

To say more about how it all ends would rob the reader of the story's harrowing, and yes, heart-breaking climax, as the storm builds and events overtake the Pelican. But suffice it to say, you are likely to shed a few tears as the characters who inhabit this story begin to plunge into the sea, and then fight for survival. Of course, there is heroism and horror aplenty, plus stupidity and amazing resourcefulness. In that regard, this book reminds us of the last moments in that super-hit film of the Titanic disaster, but thankfully, spares us all the ludicrous melodrama. Truth is always far more compelling, and Clavin is masterful at delivering the real deal.

I'm Canadian (but not First Nations) and laughed so much during the first of these cassettes that I had to stop and buy all of them. The humour is consistent, the delivery is excellent, and the topics are hilarious - I keep listening just to find out how many different ways Jasper Friendly Bear can make Tom buy his coffee.

Absolutely hilarious, if your ego can withstand uppity Indians.
Audio File review is plainly and hopelessly clueless on this one.

I'm Canadian (but not First Nations) and laughed so much during the first of these cassettes that I had to stop and buy all of them. The humour is consistent, the delivery is excellent, and the topics are hilarious - I keep listening just to find out how many different ways Jasper Friendly Bear can make Tom buy his coffee.

This is possibly the funniest audio recording I own, but if you aren't Canadian, and/or Native American you probably shouldn't bother. They are able to make me laugh even while harpooning me for behaviours I have been guilty of, and while making incredibly cynical comments on European treatment of North America's first residents. Because of the humour, they can make comments that would otherwise be harsh beyond belief. The cast also has a fine sense of the plain slapstick, and absurd presented with great comic timing. I've had to pull the car over several times while listening to it because I was laughing too hard to drive safely.

Much of the debate about climate change (global warming) has focused on short-term details about the structure of any international treaty and the near-term rate of change in emissions. Athanasiou and Baer perform a great service by bringing the larger questions of the long-term severity of the climate problem and the potential massively unequal consequences of climate change for people of different wealth levels.

Grounding their argument in the well-accepted science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the authors describe in clear language the imperative to dramatically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions over the next 50 years. Importantly, they endorse the current ideas about international emissions trading as a low-cost way to achieve these cuts, but they then lay out an ethically grounded argument for ensuring that this trading is structured in a fair and equitable way--both for people in poorer countries and for people in future generations. Moreover, they are careful to defend the political viability of their proposed solutions.

Written in direct and comprehensible language, Dead Heat is a forceful call for more serious action to address the social and environmental consequences of climate change and climate change policy.

For individuals wanting to learn more about the extremely important and dire problem of global warming but intimidated by books with lots of difficult scientific language, this short, comprehensible book is the perfect introduction for the lay person. Not only does it detail the frightening consequences of climate chaos like hurricanes, drought, and outbreaks of diseases like malaria, it more importantly outlines individual and institutional strategies for stabilizing the planet's temperature. And it does so in a global justice context. If you care about polar bears, coral reefs, poor folks in Bangledesh, Central America, and the Gulf Coast, then read this book. If you care about your future, the future of your children, and the future of this planet, then read this book (and then ride your bike, plant a tree, join a collective household, go solar, and eat organic, locally grown slow cuisine).

...but for those who already know some of the details on global warming and the Kyoto Protocol. I picked up this book for a term paper, hoping this would have all the information I needed. I was thoroughly confused with all the specific terms that were used but not explained. After I read through other resources which started from the beginning, I was able to enjoy this book more.

It's really a great book to read, and I enjoyed it.

This book explains both the science of global warming and the political reasons why governments have not acted to reverse it.

This is a complete departure from his other books. It is a clever approach to thought provoking subjects of our times. Makes you sit back and think about whether our current and future politicians will ever get it right and get the job done. A great read and one I highly recommend.

I have to admit that I'm a bit biased about Harris Baseman's latest book "The Dead Presidents Club" because I strongly encouraged him to go forward with it after reading an early draft of the first two chapters!

What grabbed me right off -- and even more so after reading the finished product, was that this book gave me an easy and entertaining way to get an in depth grasp of today's major political and social issues. And the big bonus is that I also received an entertaining history lesson along with many looks at the personality quirks of many of our U.S. Presidents now long gone -- until Harris brought them together for these historic interviews.

Great summer reading -- or for that matter year round reading!

PS: I'd give "The Dead Presidents Club" Five Stars even if I weren't biased! :-)

Interested in immigration reform and global warming? The author presents these and other issues in the interesting context of a lively discussion between the likes of Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. The book combines a somewhat whimsical review of the personalities of the famous and departed along with provocative thoughts about issues facing the United States today.

This book really resonated with me as I am sure it will many other Americans who are disillusioned with the current administration's complete and utter incompetence and total disregard for the middle class. The author (Harris Baseman - also published "Turncoats"), actually brings back to life some of America's most well-regarded presidents like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Jack Kennedy and other deceased Presidents who are interviewed by a local tv reporter to find out how they would solve 21st century issues like the energy crisis, the Iraq war, terrorism, our government's ineffectiveness, environmental issues, along with a host of other serious matters that affect millions of Americans every day. The dead presidents actually do come up with actual solutions which, if implemented properly, could probably help our nation recover and heal from all the damage that has been done in the last eight years. It's remarkable that a book author and several dead Presidents are more effective than our current government at solving today's issues. A must read!

This is a wonderfully crafted teen novel, but sometimes I felt a little uncomfortable with sixteen-year-old Lana having to deal with so many problems: her treatment by her jealous and unsympathetic foster mother, the inappropriate advances (ambivalently encouraged by Lana) by her foster father, the cruelty of the kids in town, and her eventually becoming the major caretaker for the four special-needs kids in the foster home. I loved the magical drawing kit and all its dramatic ramifications, but what I loved most about this novel were the relationships: especially Lana's developing relationships with the four special-needs kids and with Chet, the boy next door. The relationships were very real and depicted with great sensitivity.

Laura and Tom McNeal's THE DECODING OF LANA MORRIS tells of teen Lana, who lives with a frosty foster mother and has to deal with a close-knit clique by the only other teens around. When she enters an antique shop and trades for a set of blank paper, Lana finds mysterious events began to occur.

I have read some other books of the McNeal's and loved each of them. All their books are fast reads and have characters that anyone can connect to. The Decoding Of Lana Morris was no exception.


Lana Morris is just your average 16 year old girl who happens to live with a not so average family. Her foster mother is snoopy and self-centered who can't wait to get rid of Lana. On the other hand, her foster father shares a special, almost inappropriate relationship with Lana. She's stuck in a house with a bunch of kids who have special needs, referred to as the Snicks. You learn throughout the book along with Lana how to love all the "special" kids and realize very quickly that the kids are special way beyond their mental disabilities.

My favorite part of the book was how creative and imaginative it was. It almost reminded me of a fairy tale when Lana meets a strange old lady in a unique little shop. She buys a book from the old women and discovers that inside she can draw herself 13 wishes. Over time Lana learns what is really important to her and more importantly what is important to the people around her. I loved the sense of humor in the book mixed in with all the lessons you learn along with Lana. If your like me you'll be surprised how attached you get to all the Snicks and how much you root for Lana in the end. You'll be impressed how Laura and Tom McNeal are able to nail the exact feelings of any average teenage girl.

Anyone who has read any one of Tom and Laura McNeal's earlier young adult books does not need to be persuaded of their literary skill. The authors have a voice that speaks directly, clearly, and apparently efortlessly, to the hearts, minds, and souls of this age group. Their dilogue is bright and clever without being cute, and their stories move briskly.

The leading character of this latest book is a 16-year-old girl, Lana, who lives in a foster home along with four younger, disabled, special needs children, referred to as the Snicks. Lana's close association with them is enough to cause serious social problems for her, but sher has other more confusing concerns as well. Although she quickly shows herself to be strong-minded and determined, her life during this one Nebraska summer is challenging in many ways. Her travails, disappointments, discoveries, dreams and hopes make up the engaging plot. For me, however, the book's greatest appeal is in its treatment of the seldom-addressed subject of living with special needs children.

The authors describe the Snicks in a clear-eyed, realistic, matter-of-fact way that is invariably respectful. Each child's individual idiosyncracies are distinct; they're sometimes funny, sometimes aggravating, sometimes mystifying. But there is not the slightest hint of mockery in the descriptions of the comic moments, nor any sentimentality in the sad ones. Lana's, and the reader's, feelings toward these four characters grow from tolerance to affection to loving concern.

This book is a must have for all newbies to ActiveX Control Development. Tom Armstrong shows you how to develop a robust ActiveX Control using the most efficient routes.. He leads you past all of the troublespots and guides you with the best methods. I developed my first ActiveX Control within 4 days after walking through all of the great samples he had in his book.. If asked, I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a must have.

ActiveX is by no means an easy topic to understand. However, if you are determined to wade into ActiveX anyway this is about the best introduction to the subject that you will find. The author takes you through the material with clear and concise instruction and touches upon COM, Automation, ActiveX and ATL. If you are an advanced COM programmer info dont bother with this book, but if you are looking for a introduction to ActiveX that you might actually understand, this book is absolutely the best I've ever seen.

Tom Armstrong's development of a simple class that grows up to be an automation control is very straight forward. The clear logical progression is well supported by the accompanying source code that I compiled and worked with as I traversed through the book. I was able to apply the techniques directly in creating my own activeX control for use with our product. There are a few improvements that should be incorporated into the next edition: 1. A proof- reader needs to be hired...too many typeos...Figure 6.5 on p.256 is not even readable. 2. A small "snippet" of detailed usage intructions for certain utilities like the ActiveX Control Pad presented in Chap12. Otherwise a keeper!!!

For a great resource of how to develop activex controls with MFC...this is the book.

MFC makes getting started in ActiveX controls easy... but these's a world of details that can have you pulling your hair out...don't go that route...get this book. I bought this after a year of developing many MFC controls - and I still found this book usefull.

Check out the author's ATL book also!

This is a good read. Rick did a great job of making the story plausible and kept things moving throughout the story. It's certainly out of the box, using characters that people should be aware of in actual history and altering the concepts or perceptions one may have around their stories with the characters in and through this story. A pretty wild twist for the guy (Barrabas) that little is known about once he is set free in exchange for Jesus 2000 years ago. Probes into the power of the mind, between people, over people, and makes one wonder how much is possible, just undiscovered, some of which could be tormenting, some of which could used benefitially for mankind. If only we could harness the power of Jonathon, or even the Razorbaze!
Nicely done. Hope the sequel doesn't take another 20 + years to finish...

I couldn't put this book down. As a life-long New York Democrat, I thought I was leading-edge sensitive to women's issues. But couched in one of the most exciting pieces of technology fiction I've ever read is a disturbing spiritual gem: Women could well be the intended solution to all the world's problems."

A good friend gave me a copy of the book. I was skeptical but the first page hooked me. Rick is the master of the high-tech action novel like King is the master of the thriller.

I never have time to read, given the pull of family and work responsibilities. But the storyline intrigued me, so I picked it up and started reading. It's a cross between Robert Ludlam and Stephen King -- and the fun part is that I fought off sleep every night so I could keep reading. I haven't had that much fun in a long while. When the story was done, I could say "Whew!" because now I could get back to regular sleeping hours. A great story, thought provoking and well-written.

I picked up this book a couple days ago after reading such books as Bryan Peterson's, Understanding Exposure, and Scott Kelby's, The Digital Photography Book Vol 1 and 2. Even though I still think Understanding Exposure is the best photography book out there, I believe it caters more to intermediate users like myself. However, Tom Ang has managed to create a wonderful book that caters to photographers of all levels by introducing techniques, terms, and instruction in easy to understand and well written material.

The book throws you right in and after you are done reading the first chapter and get to the first "assignment" you will be craving to take pictures with your digital camera. He does this by showing you various photographs with written accompaniment that explains the design, influence, and technical aspects that went into the photograph. He usually breaks down the photos in 4 pieces by showing a different section of the photo and explaining how that piece relates to the material being covered in the current section. He also shows 9 photographs in a "lightbox" and explains what each photo shows as it pertains to the chapter or section.

Tom Ang gives you an assignment after each chapter which gives you a chance to "do it yourself." The assignment always has to do with some lesson from the chapter. For example, the first assignment is to go out at night and find an area outside with lots of lights and use slow shutter speeds to create an amazing photograph. He asks you to do this because in the chapter he talked about shutter speeds and how they pertained to sharpness and creativity. He then shows examples his students have taken when completing the assignment he just gave. It's a super easy way to see if you are on the right track; you feel like he is actually in front of you teaching.

His material is wonderfully written with easy to understand material. He takes the complex jargon out of it and even if you do get confused by a word, there is a great glossary in the back! He points out myths and fallacies that are often misunderstood by even the most experienced photographers. Each page offers something new and makes you want to turn the page.

Out of all the photography books I have read, which is about 10, this is the 2nd best. This is second only to Bryan Peterson's, Understanding Exposure. If you are a beginner to intermediate photographer, read this first, and then go get Understanding Exposure. This book was great and I was not expecting such a great book when I first picked it up. I will definitely be checking out some of Tom Ang's other books after reading this one.

Very helpful with excellent suggestions for improving my hobby of digital photography. Would highly recomment book for all interested in digital imaging. Have other text by Tom Ang that I really found helpful.

This is a great photography book, with tons of shooting ideas, and techniques, both capture and processing. Masterclass breaks down what might seem difficult, and makes it pretty easy. I find myself referencing it before some shoots to get ideas, and after to get post processing ideas. There are a lot of books about photography, but none as easy to follow as this one. No matter what your skill level, there is something in the book for you. A definate purchase.

From taking the photo, to the finished processed output, this book covers it all - but not in a way that makes it stretch itself too thin. The clear emphasis is on taking great shots, and the way the book is laid out, he breaks it up into sections, each regarding one aspect of photography, and he talks about ways to use it to get improved photos. Then, for each subject, he breaks down a specific picture, and goes over the use of the subject of that chapter in that photo itself, so you can really see how it is used. That is one of my favorite parts of the book. Another part is where other photogs (I assume they are amateurs, but it doesn't discuss) are given an assignment, and then Tom critiques the results, this part is also very helpful. In fact, it becomes even MORE helpful if you take on the assignments yourself, with the goal of incorporating the information in that chapter into your photo taking process.

The next large section is on post processing - the emphasis here is how to optimize the photo, although he does briefly go over more creative things, he just does not get in to too much detail on them, things like superimposing one image on top of another for different effects.

In the last section, he has Q&A sessions with some professional photographersof different genres, and discusses how they went pro, what they enjoy, how they do what they do, and discusses some of their photos with them. This section continues with the Assignments, which I really liked.

Overall I really enjoyed the book, the use of photos in this book was different from any other book I have read so far, it was so much more based on analysis of the image, and why he did what with the photo to improve it, as opposed to a photographer who wrote a book mainly to publish his own photos, or talk about how many awards he has won.

Finally, I would consider myself a very advanced amateur photographer, I am quite well versed in f stops and shutter speeds, and I pulled a great deal of information from this book; and at the same time, I would give this book to a beginner photographer without hesitation, as I think it can help a wide range of skill levels. No book can make someone a great photographer, but this book most definitely (if you actually apply its information) make someone a BETTER photographer.

Eloquent descriptions by a lover of nature, birds, butterflies and all living things. Honest relating of his recurring depression.

Author Tom Parker and his wife left a big city and big jobs (that also were moving away) and moved to a town in Kansas with 1100 people.

There Park becomes a local newspaper columnist, albeit a very low paid one--along with a few other part-time jobs to help pay the bills.

Dispatches from Kansas is a collection of these stories--many of them about the difference between large cities and small towns, the people who inhabit them, and the unwritten rules you must learn to survive. This could be a small town in most any state.

As a farm girl who moved to the big city (home of the Mall of America) many years ago, we now have a lakeplace near a small town. So we know from what he speaks about small towns.

I liked this guy right away when early on he said that he read the comics/funnies first in the newspaper. His stories are well written, full of minute details, and are about the bread and butter people and issues of small towns.

He asks: What constitutes important news in rural areas? Their local weekly newspapers publish as he calls it, "who was naughty or nice"--the police reports. The newspaper publishes every little incidence: vehicle stops for illegal left turns; dogs on the loose; accidents; runaways, etc.

If you still live in a small town, you will love knowing your town isn't unique. If you are from one, you will love to reminisce with his help. If you have almost been envious of small-town life, read Dispatches from Kansas to live vicariously.

His descriptions of sights and sounds in the daytime were special, but his nighttime details were powerful. "We were the least of the creatures of the dark," he wrote, "in nature's night, I was inconsequential."

Each chapter is one newspaper column, which makes this a book to have with you when you have to wait for someone.

Armchair Interviews says: Well-written stories bring emotions to the surface because of his high-level observations of every day simple but awesome things. Parker takes you into the day and night of small town living of the people and of nature.

I bought this book for my dad for his birthday. He grew up on a farm in Kansas and I thought he might enjoy these stories on small town life. I think in all my years of buying gifts for my dad this might be his favorite. He keeps reading the stories to anyone that will listen. In fact over the Christmas holiday the family made a rule that he was only allowed to read them three stories, otherwise he was interrupting constanly with a new anecdote. I live overseas and when my family called me on Christmas, my dad spent his time on the phone with me (despite the high rate per minute) reading me a story from the book about squirrels. He loves it! He is planning to buy a copy for his brother as well. If you know someone who grew up in small-town Kansas, this is a great gift!

Tom Parker is not a native but believes Kansas is one of America's best-kept secrets. He and his wife moved to Kansas when they had wearied of sprawling cities and corporate ladders going nowhere. He's been waxing eloquent about tall grass prairies, Kansas towns and people in his newspaper columns
ever since. One excerpt from one column states Parker's sentiments clearly:
"What's wrong with Kansas? I leave work as the sun becomes airborne. Mist chokes the valleys, shadowed yet by dense woods. The road slips into a slight depression and then rises and the Blue River Valley spreads before me as far as the
eye can see, a verdant channel winding southward between grassy bluffs. The road descends and leaps the river and curves into town.
I stand on my front porch, the song of dickcissels calling the sun up. A cuckoo cries behind me. Warily eyeing me, a cottontail sucks down a long dandelion stem."

Life in the prairies has been peaceful and Parker shares through beautiful prose the divine he sees in everything around him. Birdsong is surreal and ghostly in early morning
fogs along the rivers and streams. Thunderstorms are awesome, electric, transforming. Winter winds roar from the north to rattle windows, freshen air, and freeze nose hairs. Amidst nature's bounty, the Parkers discovered mysteries of daily life in rural Kansas: the art of waving at everyone you meet; the odd case of the clairvoyant cashier; the joy and adventure to be found in following grain elevators home; anti-terrorist plans, rural Kansas style.

Parker shares his Kansas experiences with subtle exaggeration, gentle irony, and incredible poignance. In his world, Nature is a blessing and a balm. And because he shares his vision generously with an honest spirit, readers will enjoy his
stories whether they live in Kansas or not.

Dixie Dictionary I found the book very useful to refresh my vocabulary for Southern speech. Being born in the south I should understand most of what is being said, however, I've worked in California for over twenty-five years and just returned home to find that I haven't a clue as to what people are telling me. I'm a shamed face southern boy who has to learn to talk Southern all over again. Now it's easy thanks to The Dixie Dictionary. It really is a funny informative book also a great tool for writers who need Southern speech in their stories.

It's smaller in trim size than I thought it would be but handy and useful none the less. It's formatted like a dicitonary but it doesn't give background origins of the words/sayings. Almost as if you are a foreigner heading to the South and need a quick translation guide. For deeper meanings of the words you would need to go the internet.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this dictionary. This is probably the richest collection of Southern words in print. It is true that there are few etymologies provided and the entries are all concise. However, I would much rather have the work as it stands as opposed to having only half the number of entries with a detailed analysis. In fact many of the most interesting entries (i.e. those petaining to untranslateable concepts) do have a longer explanation. There are many entries contained here which cannot be found in Robert Hendrickson's "Whistlin' Dixie". On the other hand, there are a few entries Hendrickson uses that cannot be found here. Hendrickson also provides a more detailed descritpion of each entry and perhaps has slightly more toponymous expressions. If you are in doubt as to which dictionary to buy then, if you really love this dialect of American English, I strongly recommend that you buy BOTH. The two important works on Southern speech complement the other and are both reasonably priced.
First of all, I would like to say that "The Dixie Dictionary" is extremely rich in folklore entries. For instance, there are fascinating terms like 'belling' (a wedding custom), 'dumb cake' (a cake made in silence and used for fortune telling) and 'infare' (a feast the day after the wedding). There are literally dozens of unique words pertaining to various kinds of legendary monsters such as the 'Bingbuffer', the 'clew bird' and the 'galoopus' etc. There are also words connected with folk healing like 'chamber lye', 'nanny tea' and 'fasting spittle' as well as call words used to command animals (e.g. 'coo-sheep/coon-nan' and 'sukee' , etc.). Folk expressions concerning the weather and seasons are also represented in entries like 'blackberry winter' and 'dogwood winter' etc.
There are also many terms taken from the Civil War like 'copperhead' (a Northerner/Yankee who sympathised with the South. There are many nicknames e.g. 'Rackensack' (someone from Arkansaw) and a 'Cracker' (someone either from Georgia or Florida) etc. in addition to toponymous phrases like the 'Carolina robin' (smoked herring), 'Charsleston eagle' (buzzard) and 'Arkansas toothpick' (bowie knife) etc.
Another category of terms which reflects the devout history of the people is the religious terminology like 'amen corner', 'pound' (party for a new preacher), 'toadstool churches' (which grow up as a result of revivals) and 'pokeweed religion' etc. There are also countless terms associated with tobacco, moonshine/whiskey and games like marbles. Several entries do not constitute distinct words as such but rather dialect variants/different pronunciation e.g. 'ovair' (over there), 'leben' (eleven) and 'zactly' (exactly). Talking of the last word 'zactly', dialectologists, will be interested to encounter certain similarities with some West Country British dialects (which often use 'z' in place of 's'). For instance, in the Cornish dialect (many terms of which are derived from an ancient language akin to Welsh not English) I recognised the following entries : 'ashcat', 'cap'n', 'kilt', 'emmet' (meaning ant - in West Cornwall it is 'muryan' yet 'emmet is used in E.Cornwall and in Devon), 'furmety' and 'rassle' etc. This leads me to postulate that Cornish miners may well have settled in some places in the South.If any fellow-readers would like to purchase a Cornish dialect dictionary then search on this site (there are good dictionaries available by Jago, Phillipps and Ivey). If they are not available in Amazon.com then try the Amazon.uk branch. As you can probably detect from my review, I found this work most interesting. It is an important contribution to the culture of the South and to dialectology.

Compiled and edited by southern journalist Thomas W. Howard, The Dixie Dictionary: An Introduction To The Southern Language is a fun, enjoyable, and useful glossary of terms unique to American Southern English dialects. From "all vine and no 'taters" (a phrase to describe someone who is all talk and no action) to "whistle-pig" (groundhog), The Dixie Dictionary is packed from cover to cover with wry, flavorful phrases that most northerners have likely never heard of. Highly recommended for writers looking to pen southern-style dialogue, as well as anyone planning to visit or move to the South, or who just wants to have a good time paging through some truly unique and eyebrow-raising expressions, The Dixie Dictionary is a welcome contribution to personal and academic Language Studies reference collections.