North Carolina Books

Does your love life need a pick-me-up? Are your fires burning low? This exciting book suggests plenty of fun activities - from authors who know where to find the most romantic spots. For couples of all ages and lifestyles, this guide has something to suit every taste and budget. Competing "romantic" guidebooks are little more than a listing of expensive restaurants and hotels, but Hunter's Romantic Weekends guidebooks are for everyone. Quaint inns & delightful restaurants are included for their high romantic appeal - not their high price tag. Includes Charleston & its barrier islands, the Outer Banks (Roanoke, Hatteras and Nags Head), and Savannah, perhaps the most romantic city in the US.

This book suggests plenty of fun activities - from authors who know where to find the most romantic spots. For couples of all ages and lifestyles, this guide has something to suit every taste and budget. Competing "romantic" guidebooks are little more than a listing of expensive restaurants and hotels, but Hunter's Romantic Weekends guidebooks are for everyone. Quaint inns & delightful restaurants are included for their high romantic appeal - not their high price tag. Includes Charleston & its barrier islands, the Outer Banks (Roanoke, Hatteras and Nags Head), and Savannah, perhaps the most romantic city in the US.

In this fascinating and succinct book "Charlestonians in War: The Charleston Battalion," W. Chris Phelps records the history of a Confederate unit that was central to the defense of Charleston: the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Battalion, usually known simply as the Charleston Battalion. Mr. Phelps ably describes the battalion's brave and pivotal role in several key battles in the Charleston area. He also lays out the unusual composition of the battalion and its constituent companies, including the Charleston Light Infantry, the Irish Volunteers, the Sumter Guards and the German Fusiliers. Mr. Phelps writes that more than a few of the battalion's privates were well-to-do lawyers and businessmen. That fact called for a firm and capable leader, which they had in the person of Lt. Col. Peter C. Gaillard, a Charlestonian West Pointer turned businessman, who was in command throughout the battalion's existence.

The Charleston Battalion played a key role in repelling a Union thrust against Charleston at nearby Secessionville, SC in June 1862 and it repeatedly defended Fort Sumter, the keystone of Charleston's defenses. The battalion bore the brunt of the famous July 18, 1863 attack on Battery Wagner, which was led by the black 54th Massachusetts. Inside the fortification, the Charleston Battalion withstood an 11-hour close-range bombardment by Union ironclads; during the infantry assault, its executive officer and the Irish Volunteers' company commander were among those killed in the intense combat. Mr. Phelps continues the narrative through the battalion's consolidation with another unit to form the 27th SC Infantry Regiment. The new regiment was assigned to Lee's Army where it fought several engagements in the Richmond-Petersburg area, again proving its valor and suffering heavy losses. At several points in its service, Mr. Phelps points out that the battalion's companies often mustered no more than platoon strength in modern terms. In the last chapter, Mr. Phelps follows representative members of the Charleston Battalion into the post-war era with thumbnail sketches of their later lives.

An appendix listing the battalion's members and casualty lists for several battles are among the products of the author's extensive and detailed research. My only quibble is that the format of the book made some of the maps difficult to read but reading the book in conjunction with any good Civil War atlas will solve that minor problem. That my great-grandfather enlisted in the battalion's Irish Volunteer company only added to my interest in the book but any student of the Civil War or, more generally, Charleston's role in Southern history will find the book an excellent account of a remarkable unit.

The Charleston Battalion was first organized in 1860 and began with six independent companies of militia volunteers. In February, 1862, these six companies, Company A ("The Charleston Riflemen"), Company B ("The Charleston Light Infantry"), Company C ("The Irish Volunteers"), Company D ("The Sumter Guards"), Company E ("The Calhoun Guards"), and Company F (composed of both "The Union Light Infantry" and "The German Fusiliers"), were organized into the Charleston Battalion for one year's service in the Charleston area.

The battalion took part in the Battle of Secessionville (June 1862) and played a vital role in the defense of Battery Wagner (July 1863). The battalion also helped to repulse the daring but suicidal Union night attack on Fort Sumter. After three companies of South Carolina Sharpshooters were added to their ranks in the fall of 1863, the battalion was designated as the 27th South Carolina Infantry Regiment. In April, 1864, the regiment was sent to Petersburg, Virginia, where it took part in several battles, including the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor.

In December, 1864, it was sent to Wilmington, North Carolina, which at that time was one of the last ports still open to Confederate Blockade Runners. It took part in the Battle of Bentonville and was soon after surrendered and paroled with the rest of Gen. Joseph Johnston's army, which had been overwhelmed by Gen. Sherman's huge army. In this book there are several rosters which will be very helpful to researchers, including casualty lists for the battalion's/regiment's battles and skirmishes as well as the complete roster of the regiment. The author has written a superb history of this neglected Confederate unit and this book is an absolute must for any Civil War buff!

This is one of the best Christmas books ever written. Granted, I'm a little biased--Mutt was my cousin, but I love this book regardless. I read it every Christmas--and am a bonafide member of the Worldwide Twelve Nights Society (read the book and you'll get it!) Buy this book--it's great!! :)

This book gives a wonderful account of an old fashioned Christmas. Though it is told from Mr. Burton's own experiences, the stories give room to remember your own times of joy. It gives you inspiration to give those memories to the new generations that have joined your family.

This book was well researched, nicely written and contains wonderful facts and stories about Yadkin County, N.C. before, during, and after the Civil War. It presents actual letters from the people of that era giving their personal accounts of the horror of the Civil War and how Yadkin County residents coped with the changes that the Confederacy and War brought to them. If you are studying the family history of someone in or around Yadkin County, this book will really help you understand what your relatives went through in the early days of this section of our country.

A small western Piedmont county in North Carolina is the subject of this very unusual Civil War history. Written by a local historian with a rich knowledge of the county and its people, the book weaves the colorful threads of local characters and events into the big picture of the greatest war in our history. Battlefield stories and army life are recounted, partly in letters writen home by Yadkin soldiers in the field, but the most intriguing events are those that occurred on the home front. In a region of sharply divided loyalties, the woods of Yadkin County soon filled with "bushwhackers", men hiding out to escape concription into the Confederate army. The book tell of the locally famous shoot-out between some of these men and the Militia, of their arrest and the jail breaks that set them free, of executions by the Home Guard, and of the treks to Tennessee to join the Union army. In the last days of the war a Yankee Cavalry division led by George Stoneman rode through the county and Cassstevens treats us to previously unpublished stories of his famous raid.

More than a history, the book is also a genealogy. Appended lists name people who applied for pensions, men who served in the Militia, and men exempted from military service and why. A final appendix gives Yadkin men who served in the army with a summary of their service and, not infrequently, the names of their parents and other relatives. This book is for everyone with Yadkin County roots and for anyone interested in learning about the secret little wars within the Civil War.

This is an excellent book that tells a little known side of the Civil War.

I personally knew Fred Mallison all my life and have a personally signed copy of this book. Fred died a while back so there will be no more signed copies from him. The only thing Fred did not like was the title, as he had a different one, but the publisher made him use this one. A fair amount of the information in the book came from the memoirs of my GG Grandfather, William Henry von Eberstein. The book is well written and Fred used many good sources, including books, memoirs, etc. Many little known facts of the War on the Outer Banks are included which make for very interesting reading. Fred also included a number of very good pictures in the book. I have just completed transcribing William H. von Eberstein's memoirs (the War Years)and hope to have them published soon as they give a wonderful accounting of his service to the Confederacy. I would recommend this book as a must for all personal War for Southern Independence libraries.

During the 20th century, textiles because the number one industry in the Carolinas, with most of the mills being established along river banks for cheap power and close to the raw product supplies--cotton. To get workers, the mills built company owned housing. Cliffside is typical of hundreds of such communities. Reno Baily's passion for his home town comes through as he chronicles the life of Cliffside.

Cotton is no longer king. The textile industry has mostly moved to other countries. Cliffside held on much longer than many company towns. It is an important document for new generations who rarely will see an existing 'mill town'. Although the names mean little except to relatives and neighbors, it is important that this era in a community's life be kept alive. Reno has done that for Cliffside.

A glimpse of the past, present, and future of a town through images and words
Clear, sharp, bright photographs of people, places, and things allow the reader to catch the flavor of a mill town from the turn of the Twentieth Century until now. The captions are descriptive and at times even humorous. The real point of interest, however, is the people. The reader is encouraged to view the past but not to hold it too tightly. I recommend the book to other communities that have/had a textile industry, to those who want to look in the eyes of the people of past, and to those who want to find out more about life in a mill town. Experience a time gone by through this quality experience: CLIFFSIDE: Portrait of a Carolina Mill Town.

If this book of short stories does not make a former Tar Heel homesick, then I have not a clue as to what would... it made me want to go home immediately. The stories are funny, sad, and range in levels from wonderful to great. A librarian friend gave me this book and it is one of the best gifts I have ever received. I plan to purchase several to give as gifts. My home is now in California, but my heart will always be down home in North Carolina.

I'm ordering what must be my fourth or fifth copy of this terrific little book. It's a comforting, warm, fuzzy, and sometimes funny set of recollections sure to regenerate the reader's own rememberances of home. I try to keep a copy beside the bed in my guest room, but alas, my guests are always so taken with what they've read before turning out the light that I always have to say "Just take my copy along with you. I'll get another." I've also given it to friends in the process of fighting terrible illnesses. They find peace in the authors' accounts, conjuring up their own memories of home.

I bought this book for my grandfather in January of 2000. He immigrated to America with my grandmother and father from Lago, Calabria, Italy and worked as a miner and mine rescue worker in Pennsylvania during the days of H.C. Frick.

He turned 91 in December of 1999, but he vividly remembered his days in those mines until his death in April of 2000, when black lung finally weakened his heart, causing him to pass. Reading this book was one of the final acts of his long, admirable and often difficult life, and he assured me that this book portrays conditions inside the mines and in the company towns very accurately. The book tells the tales of the coal barons, but it is much more. It recalls the coal mining region's contribution to the building of the United States and is a testament to the immigrant spirit of those who made it possible.

This is an historically correct accounting of the beehive coke industry of Fayette and Westmoreland Counties of Pennsylvania (Connellsville Coke Region), which dominated the region from the end of the Civil War until the end of World War Two and was largely responsible for the growth of the Pittsburgh steel industry. Ms. Sheppard tells the story of the Coal Barons and their miners, mostly European immigrants, without taking sides in an issue which continues to this day. Financial manipulations and the growth of the unions are described in great detail. Her account of the rise and fall of Uniontown, Pa. coal baron J.V. Thompson is particularly intriguing, as is the story of Henry Clay Frick, one of America's premier industrialists. A must-read for any student of Pennsylvania mining or industrial history.

"Coastal Plants from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral" is a wonderful addition to the botanical literature! For both novices and confirmed botanists, this book provides a great look at the plants of the Atlantic Coast. As someone who knows little about plants, this book provided me with clear and informative descriptions that I could easily use to identify the plants in my area. Obviously meticulously researched, this book is the first to provide such comprehensive coverage of the topic. The photographs are beautiful, helping to illustrate both the plants and their associated habitats. I highly recommend this book both to own and to give as a gift!

Coastal Plants From Cape Cod To Cape Canaveral showcases 125 commonly encountered wildflowers and plants native to coastal habitats ranging from Massachusetts to central Florida. Each entry includes the plant's scientific and common names, notes about its range and habitat, and a color photograph. Detailed species descriptions cover growth habits and life history, flowers and fruits, human uses, and importance to wildlife. A very highly recommended addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library plant and horticultural reference collection, Coastal Plants is enhanced with a section on planning field trips to coastal areas, a glossary, and a list of selected natural areas to visit.

As a former North Carolina resident, our secret's out. "Coasting the
Mountains" depicts Western North Carolina as a magical place full of the
finest arts and crafts, antiques and an abundance of natural beauty and
outdoor activities. And it is! This guidebook covers a 200 mile
stretch from Murphy to Boone and uncovers lots of hidden treasures along
the way. It's a fun read too, with unusual facts and recipes. My
personal favorite: Kudzu Jelly!

Editorial Review

Call dibs on the shotgun seat as four enthusiastic travelers take you on a lively ride through western North Carolina in "Coasting the Mountains". The authors are friends...whose love of discovery shines through.

Their personal insights validate our enthusiasm for places we've visited and whet our appetites for those we haven't. Scattered throughout the book are recipes gathered during their rambles as well as boxes with notes of interest, little-known facts and insider tips. Plus they steer travelers to the best shopping and antiquing.

"Coasting the Moutains" is thorough and a lot more fun than most guidebooks.
Excerpted from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
September 16, 2001