South Carolina Books

In Fly-Fishing The South Atlantic Coast, seasoned angler Jimmy Jacobs shows the reader where to find game fish from North Carolina's Outer Banks down to through the Florida Keys. With an introductory chapter surveying the species of fish commonly sought during each season along the southeast Atlantic coastline, Jacobs provides advice on gear selection and saltwater flies, how to fish the different types of inshore waters from ocean inlets to tidal creeks to oystershell bars. Fly-Fishing The South Atlantic Coast also provides the aspiring fly-fisherman with information on weight records, regulations, and angling calendars for each state. With its detailed maps of each area to make trip planning easy, anyone considering a fishing trip anywhere along the southeast Atlantic coastline should begin with a careful reading of Jimmy Jacobs' Fly-Fishing The South Atlantic Coast!

I really loved reading Stringer-Robinson's book on Folly Beach. Having attended school in Charleston, I had been to Folly Beach numerous times with friends to enjoy the laid-back beach and people. Not knowing much more about Folly than its being a good place to get a tan with friends, I learned tons of interesting facts and stories about it's rich past, including some shady characters such as pirates... Very cute and informative work!

Barbara Weinstein's study of the Sao Paulo, Brazil working class covers much more than labor relations in that city. As US and European social scientists and labor historians seek to broaden their understanding of labor/management relations in other parts of the world, they will find this an invaluable source. Extremely well-documented, with evidence from oral histories, interviews, newspapers, government documents and secondary sources, Weinstein tells the story of a ruling elite that tried to tame its workers in novel ways. In everything from cooking classes for women to soccer and volleyball games for male and female workers, the Sao Paulo manufacturers tried to lure their workers away from the anarchist meeting hall, or even the local bar, and into increasing productivity (and profits) for the company. They succeeded in some ways, but mainly failed. Sao Paulo's workers are some of the most militant in the world today. This is a fascinating story that should be! told in every labor, urban or social history class.

College-level collections strong in foreign affairs history must have Foreign Affairs and the Constitution in the Age of Fighting Sail: it brings to life events of 1793 and the first test of President George Washington's efforts to establish a foreign policy and to enforce the Constitution's separation of powers statute. It outlines the underlying politics of a confrontation in which the French revolutionary republic sought to obtain support from the U.S. in its war with great Britain, forcing the founding fathers to test the Constitution's separation of powers sections. Understanding their dilemma is key to understanding an important piece of the Constitution - and is key to any college-level collection strong in American political history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

In the 40 years that have elapsed since General Douglas MacArthur's last campaigns in the Pacific during World War II, his victories have come to be viewed as quick, smooth and simple operations against an improverished foe. However, hindsight has obscured the tenacity of the Japanese and the immense difficulties MacArthur encountered in the Southwest Pacific. Not all his victories were quick and easy. In three major campaigns: Buna in December 1942, Biak in June 1944 and Manilla in 1945, MacArthur was forced to call in a fireman to rally American troops and to salvage desperate tactical situations. MacArthur always used the same field commander to handle his most diffcult missions - Lieutenant General Robert Lawrence Eichelberger. - from book's back cover

This is one of the best works of African-American film studies to come out in years. Many of us who have found the work of David Bogle (Toms, Mammies, Mulattoes, Bucks & Coons) wanting on several levels will have their prayers answered with Robinson's impeccable scholarship and far-reaching analysis of the changing perceptions and representations of African-Americans after the Civil War, Reconstruction and the release of Griffith's BIRTH OF A NATION (1915). What was important for me in reading this book was Robinson's astute ability to discern the origins of the specific caricatures of African-Americans in the traveling minstral shows that circulated throughout the country before the invention of cinema. He also reveals how early American Cinema was predicated upon these caricatures of African-Americans as a revenue generating source of "entertainment". He then reveals how these caricatures were employed by African-American actors as a means to gain employment within the movie industry. The chapters on early American Theatre, Oscar Micheaux, and The Birth of a Nation are the best written efforts I've read in years: fresh and full of new insights. Robinson discusses the duplicitous nature of minstrelsy for whites and African-Americans. This was a throughly engrossing read and a book that will be referenced by scholars, students and filmmakers for years to come.

Unique tales of the Old North State; not the same ones as every other NC story books

There really need to be more books like this one. Instead of focusing on one of the major leaders of the Revolution and early days of the republic such as Washington, Adams, Jefferson or Madison, this work focuses on a remarkable family that played a very important part in the revolution and the early days of the republic, the Pickneys.

The Pickneys were part of the merchant/planter/lawyer class that was important in South Carolina and in particular Charleston. The wealth of the family came from that particular mix of enterprises. As one of the most prominent families in South Carolina they were of course related to the other important families in Charleston such as the Middletons, the Draytons, and the Rutledges.

The main figures of the family during the period of 1760-1820 are Charles Pickney III, Thomas Pickney, and Charles Cotsworth Pickney. While Williams is good in terms of explaining how these remarkable individuals are related, there is unfortunately no family tree in the book and in order to keep everyone straight I had to make my own. This really is the one failing of the book.

Charles Cotesworth and Thomas Pickney were officers in the continental army during the American Revolution and as such later became important members of the Federalist Party. Charles was the head of the party after the death of Hamilton and the nominee for president as the Federalist Party declined. Both Charles Cotesworth and Thomas Pickney were also involved in the diplomatic efforts of the early Republic, Charles most notably with the French during the Adams presidency.

Charles III's contribution was limited to the political sphere and unlike his cousins tended toward the Jeffersonians or Democratic Republican Party. He also made noteworthy contributions to the constitutional convention, a feature examined by Williams. All of the cousins held leading offices both in the state of South Carolina and representing that state at the federal level.

I think this book is enlightening both on the revolutionary campaigns in the south and the role South Carolina and the Pickneys played in the early says of the republic. This book offers a fresh perspective on the dynamics of the early days of the United States and is worthwhile reading for anyone interested in this topic.

Thomas Wolfe's literary classic "The Four Lost Men: The Previously Unpublished Long Version" was published as a short story in 1934, with a length of only seven thousand words. Now republished with a literary critique from Arlyn & Matthew J. Bruccolli, the story sports a full length of well over twenty thousand words. A story set in the days of World War I with characters such as four 19th Century presidents, it's a tale sure to please readers of any era. "The Four Lost Men" is a recommended consideration for any community or college library collection of enduring literary works.

Cecil J. Williams is a familiar name to those with roots in SC. He is a photographer par excellence. His pictures are deep, moving, informative, relative and meaningful. This book documents important events and people in the south during the 50's and 60's thanks to his "everyready" camera. We see familiar faces and not so familiar faces. We see documentation of a people's determinedness to be treated civily and with dignity. We see the faces of children, the hope of the future. He shares document showing the signatures of the faculty members of what is now South Carolina State University, who put their professional careers on the line ( only 1 member of the faculty/staff did not sign)is especially important. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the civil rights struggle, but especially those who have roots in South Carolina.