North Carolina Books

If you travel to Tunisia, then this is the book for you. Tunisia has the best preserved Roman ruins in Africa, and a week's tour (and there are good tours to be had) will be enhanced by this text. Take it with you and preview the next day's travels.

I found Paul MacKendrick's book a fantastic comprehensive overview of Roman Africa and its monuments. He covers all the major and minor sites and descibes everything in an interesting manner. I love his style of writing engrossing and maintains the readers interests. I think his book would be interesting to professionals and laymen alike. The maps and photos were great and went well with the text. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.

As Governor Jim Hunt says in the forward, "North Carolina is at a crossroads in its history." This "atlas" provides not only a wealth of information, but an intelligent perspective on the future of the state as it enters the 21st century.

Subjects matter includes the natural environment, history, population, urbanization, economy, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, trade, politics, air quality, water resources, crime, health, education, arts, and recreation. I found these topics to be presented in an effective manner and certainly more enlightening than the statistical record one might imagine.

I also discovered, before I placed my order, that I was able to preview some of the book's illustrations at the UNC Charlotte Cartography Lab web site.

I would recommend this text not only to students, researchers and teachers, but anyone interested in a comprehensive and knowledgeable summary of the diverse state of North Carolina.

This is the most comprehensive and informative state atlas I have ever reviewed. Excellent maps, great charts and clearly written text makes "The North Carolina Atlas" a book that needs to be on the shelf of every public library and in the hands of all North Carolina devotes. Over the last century North Carolina has transformed itself from a struggling southern state to one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S. "The North Carolina Atlas" provides a definitive analysis of the changes that have created this wonderful state.

History, population, urbanization, and economy are transforming forces that molded North Carolina into what it is today. Each of these sections are clearly laid out so that the reader can make a critical analysis of the change and form an assessment of the coming changes that the future may bring.

Especially interesting are the sections that deal with quality of life in North Carolina. Crime, education, health care, water and air quality, cultural arts and outdoor recreation are profiled and supported by scores of maps, charts and diagrams. This is a book I would especially want in my possession if I was considering moving my family and business to this State. Highly Recommended.

You can never have too many indentification guides. Here's what the Appalachian Mountain Club says of this one:
"Help your children explore the seashores of the Atlantic Coast. Packed with scores of fascinating facts and new illustrations, this completely revised and updated edition tells children all about nature along the Atlantic coast. This hands-on guide includes: sections on common shells, shore birds, sea creatures, and a new section on insects; a greatly expanded territory, now reaching from Maine all the way to Florida, with dozens of species added; locator maps showing where each species may be found; tips on safety and protecting the shoreline; and a sturdy, waterproof cover for long-lasting use."
Here are the contents:
1. Exploring the Seashore
2. Sea Creatures
3. Shells to Collect
4. Seashore Plants
5. Insects
6. Shorebirds
7. Estuaries: Where Rivers Meet the Sea
Appendix A: Special Places along the Atlantic Coast
Appendix B: Sea-Searching on the Internet

I have two kids with active imaginations who love to explore and learn. This book encourages getting outside with hands-on examples of what you could find in your area, and in an age of computer games it's nice to find a fun and imformative book with such wonderfull illustrations. This is an inexpensive gift for kids with alot of energy like mine !

THIS BOOK IS A "MUST HAVE" FOR COLLECTORS OF NORTH CAROLINA POTTERY. THE TEXT IS FULL OF "MARKS OR SIGNATURES" OF THE POTTERS AND THEIR HISTORY. THE PICTURES SHOW THE GLAZES IN "TRUE COLOR" FOR EASY IDENTIFICATION.

If you have the slightest interest in North Carolina's unique pottery tradition, this book provides a lavishly illustrated catalog of the collection of the Mint Museums of Charlotte, NC. Each potter's biography, genealogy and work history is included with an example of the work of each. There are essays by pottery experts to explain the background on various types of pottery, techniques, locations, etc., as well as the history of pottery making in North Carolina. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for any North Carolinian.

Great history of NC State with tons of wonderful pictures capturing the lives of NC State students over the course of time. Nice condition, fast delivery, and no problems!

I dont know how he did it, but Burke Salsi Jr. somehow made the history of NC State interesting. He really just has a way with words. This book is a finely crafted work of art!

NC Wills by Mitchell is expertly done - listed alphabetically by name, gives county code which is in front of book, probate date, book & page number, if an original Will, whether in SS papers (which are now at the NC State Archives) or AR for Archives. Excellent source for entire state of NC.

NC Wills by Mitchell is expertly done - listed alphabetically by name, gives county code which is in front of book, probate date, book & page number, if an original Will, whether in SS papers (which are now at the NC State Archives) or AR for Archives. Excellent source for entire state of NC.

North Carolina is so often overlooked as the subject for a beautiful coffee table book. Yet it's a "natural," with so much variety (seashore, steamy lowlands, Piedmont, rugged mountains). So I was dubious that an affordable book like this could do the job. But congratulations to Carol Highsmith and Ted Landphair for pulling it off. The photography is absolutely magnificent. There's a compact introduction with delightful old photos that sort of sets up the "tour" of the state. And then a very logical trip across North Carolina. I especially loved the unexpected and quaint shots, like the old general store exterior in Catawba, two guys playing checkers inside another general store in Valle Crucis, and some nostalgic shots of tobacco farms and wildflowers and a Civil War re-enactment. The photographer and writer even managed to include a great shot of the Dismal Swamp. Next to taking a month and touring the Tar Heel state on your own, this surprising book is the best way to see North Carolina.

A neighbor wants to "go home" to North Carolina. I bought the book for him for Christmas so he can "dream" before he gets there!! The book has beautiful pictures and good information about the state.

This is a good guide to some of the best rides on the east coast. The trail information is detailed and is very helpful in locating obscure trails. Many of the trails can be found on singletracks.com as well (although at a much lower level of detail).

Great format. Complete ride description and map can be copied onto a regular size sheet of paper for use while riding.

Good selection of rides.

Trail ratings and topos helpful in planning.

Most of us have stood in some little spot - maybe just a crossroads or a church - and studied a marker commemorating that place. We think about it for a bit and move on. Over time, we accumulate memories of a dot here, a dot there, each worthy in its own right, but forming at best only a vague shape, at worst no shape at all.

Jim Wise connects the dots to reveal for us the full picture of William Tecumseh Sherman's trail through North Carolina. I suspect that even Civil War buffs will whisper "Well, I'll be doggoned" to themselves. The rest of us can say it out loud.

The only problem I have with the book is where to keep it: on the bookshelf or in the glove compartment. I suggest the latter. Mr. Wise has skillfully blended history in with a travelogue. He takes us from interstates through back roads and even along dirt roads when necessary, giving precise driving instructions. At each stop he tells us what we are looking at, and how that place, whether humble or significant, fits into the grand scheme of things. As the outline forms, he oftimes puts shading inside the spaces by using anecdotes and letters and other correspondence (plus lots of pictures) to take us back in time.

The author's droll wit keeps him mindful of situations that a portentous historian might be inclined to let slide: go with Mr. Wise along a dirt road to the small hexagonal brick meeting place of the Richmond Temperance and Literary society. There, on the ceiling, a gold star was painted for each member. The star was painted silver for those deceased. If a member fell off the wagon, his star was painted black. Some stars have been repainted... several times.

What you might want to do is start out lazy, like me, and kick back with an easy, pleasant read as you ride along Sherman's Trail without leaving your chair. Then put the book in the glove compartment. You never know.

Civil War addicts have always had one big gap in knowledge. That's expecially true for those of us from the South.

What happened to Sherman after he burned Columbia? He shows up a few weeks later with his men marching up Pennsylvania Avenue as the Grand Army of the Republic celebrates the victory of the Union, but what happened to him and his men after they left South Carolina's capitol?

Finally, the mystery is solved. Jim Wise, historian and newspaperman from North Carolina's Triangle Area is the sleuth who has ferretted out the truth. ON SHERMAN'S TRAIL is the answer. He opens up this hidden period of our history with a clear, direct, description of the weeks as the big war wound down. Skirmishes, pitched battles, marches through swamps and fields of North Carolina are laid out as the desperate troops of the South tried to block the massive army that had conquered Tennessee and Georgia, sweeping all before it up to the center of South Carolina. Grim fighting. Deadly. Incessant. Some brilliant efforts. Some hopeless stands. Jim tells the whole story down to the last gasps in the outskirts of Durham, N.C., where he lives.

Jim Wise tells the story, but there's an extra I can't wait to test -- he connects all the places and events to the geography of today. The book can be used as a traveller's guide to the back roads of North Carolina -- roads, villages, and cities that Jim knows like the back of his hand. One can take this book and follow what Sherman's men did. See where he forded the creeks or got stuck in the swamps. Visit the cross-roads and farms he marched by and fought over.

The BIG story is just beyond this one. The story about Lee's effort, ended at Appomatox, to break through and join Johnson for a renewed struggle. We KNOW THAT story -- but this is the critical piece that's been missing.

Thanks to Jim Wise for giving us this lost chapter of the story.

Loren B. Mead

Full disclosure: Stephen Ausband is my cousin. Having said that, I give you my objective assurance that this book is a small masterpiece.

Outdoors Year Round is in the literary tradition of Izaak Walton and Thoreau, and in spite of its brevity and its stated quotidian purpose, compares favorably to the modern masters of writing about the outdoors - Stegner, McPhee, Peter Matthiessen, Norman Maclean. According to the Introduction, Outdoors Year Round is "for people who need to get outside during every month." That's true: Outdoors Year Round is a practical guidebook of the kind that hunters and anglers along coastal Virginia and North Carolina might carry in the glove compartment or the tackle box. But it's a great deal more, too. Ausband is an altogether accomplished writer, and his setting - the maritime forests and wetlands of the mid-Atlantic U.S. - remains one of the most beautiful and diverse expanses of temperate coastline in the world. The book covers the year in twelve chapters, "January" through "December." Into the local, topical month-by-month where-when-and-how, he has woven closely observed vignettes about hunting and fishing, and a series of moving and humane reflections on the relationship between the natural world and nature-loving hunters and anglers.

In particular, I want to recommend Outdoors Year Round to people who dislike or disapprove of hunting and fishing. The purpose of the book is not at all to address such concerns, and I don't necessarily think that reading this book will change anyone's mind; but I do think people who blanch at the idea of hunting or fishing will find it instructive to consider the love of nature that informs Ausband's text, and the active stewardship of wildlife and habitat practiced by the men and women who populate the pages of his book - the hunting and fishing guides, the proprietors of the bait shops and hunting lodges, and the hunters and anglers themselves.

Dr. Stephen Ausband, a professor at Averett University, is an avid outdoors man who has written a book on
fishing and hunting in costal Virginia and North Carolina. I found the book to informative, entertaining and easy
to read.