South Carolina Books

The book is informative and fun. The authors divide the chapters by types of activities (i.e. arts, active, spectator sports) which is helpful. Additionally, each activity is specified by geographic location (mountains, piedmont, coastal plain). I think this book would be especially nice for a wedding or anniversary gift for a couple living in North Carolina.

I bought this book as a gift for someone who asked for it, but I looked through it first. I expected cupids and overly cute things, but the authors have a real sense of humor and appreciate the potential romantic qualities of a wide range of otherwise cool things to do. I think it's just a great guidebook of fun things to do in North Carolina, romantic or not ... in the eyes of the beholder, I guess. But, if you're going to NC, or live there, take a look at it.

Romantic North Carolina is good fun for lovers and others seeking adventures off the beaten path in such a beautiful state. The authors are savvy about their topic and include vivid site descriptions and a vast amount of resources on North Carolina. The book is exceptionally well-designed and will be a handsome and helpful addition to travel collections.

This book is a must for anyone who wants to know who fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War in South Carolina. It includes a brief history of each person's involvement in the war. For Revolutionary War researchers, it is invaluable. Mr. Bobby Moss has put untold hours into this book, making it a monumental feat of documenting the people in South Carolina that fought for our freedom.

I especially enjoyed this book because it lists the rank and file soldiers of the American Revolution as well as the generals and other officers. It is a good resource for the at home genealogist. I recommend it to anyone searching for their revolutionary ancestors.

This book condenses lots of information relating to the Patriots from South Carolina who fought in the American Revolution. I have 3 ancestors who are documented. I am very interested in my ancestry and do lots of geneaology research. The price for the book was approximately 60% of the published price. Great job!

Salvador Allende, Chile's martyred leader and the first elected socialist President in history, is even more important to read today than ever with the growing shift towards socialism we are seeing in Latin America, especially Venezuela. The fascist goons lead by Augusto Pinochet, who killed Allende in a bloody coup that took place on September 11, 1973, believed that with Allende dead and gone he would be forgotten. Indeed, historical references to Allende and his Popular Unity government were repressed even from school textbooks during the Pinochet regime, and Chile is even today, with a socialist president, still hesistant to really discuss the man and his ideas. But Allende continues to have many supporters and admirers around the globe and in his country and "The Salvador Allende Reader" is the best collection of his speeches. Here we have a portrait of a highly intellectual leader, a deep thinker who wished to reform his country, fight racism and poverty, and stop the looting of Chile's natural resources by foreign corporations. This is not a book about the infamous coup, for that go to "Chile: The Other September 11" and "Paula," the powerful memoir by Allende's niece, the author Isabel Allende. The "Salvador Allende Reader" chronicles Allende's speeches from his stunning election in 1970 up to the heroic, final speech he gave as La Moneda Presidential Palace was being bombed. Allende's speeches here are also a testimony to what was happening in Chile during the three revolutionary years he was in power. We read Allende assuring his people that the fascist plots hatched by Chile's rich, upper classes in conjunction with the CIA would fail, in other powerful passages he stresses the need for education to advance a society and how racism is a plague. In 1971 Fidel Castro made a famous visit to Chile where he stayed for a record 27 days, here we get an interview between Allende and Castro where they both express solidarity and yet admit that Chile's revolution is it's own and not a copycat of Cuba. Allende's farewell speech to Castro is also a great call for unity between those in the Americas who wish to change things. One of the most impressive speeches is Allende's address to the United Nations where he declares that Chile is an independent nation that has the right to determine it's own future. The beauty of the work we find here is that it is not confined just to Chile, Allende's views and ideas about socialism and it's aims should be studied by all political students and socialists around the world. In fact, one can safely say that Venezuela is the direct the result of not just the movement begun by Cuba, but also by the striking example Chile showed the world as it peacefully, democratically elected a socialist to office. Salvador Allende has joined the mythical status of other revolutionary heroes such as Che Guevara, but his words still carry meaning and a potency scarcely found in the writings of long-dead Presidents.

This is a very telling, informative and stimulating collection about not only the life of El Compañero Presidente, but Chilean history in general, especially during the years 1970-1973. One comes to understand Allende not as a Napolean of an Orwellian novel but as the embodiment of democracy, human rights and compassion. You will read about and come to understand how Allende came to power (the world's first freely elected socialist president), as well as the true socialist, not communist, nature of the programs he tried to introduce into Chile. You will read about his friendship and re-establishment of relations with revolutoinary Cuba. Included also are some great discourses given before world bodies such as the U.N., decrying, well ahead of the time it has become accepted to do so, what he viewed as the budding New World Order. More than anything, you will get a feel for President Allende's commitment to democracy, human rights and progress for Chile, as evidenced by his last words via radio to the Chilean nation before his assassination: "I have faith in Chile and its destiny."

His words and ideas resonate still in our day. Anyone who believes that Allende was a victim of U.S. policy of containment, of U.S. fears, "justified," during the Cold War of Red communism getting another foothold in Latin America, which is now inapplicable, need merely consider the recent coup attempt in Venezuela of Hugo Chavez, a president similar to Allende in his election, political inclinations and friendship with such world malcontents as Fidel. The fact that the U.S., besides El Salvador, was the only nation in the hemisphere to quickly endorse the new government of a rightist who, like Pinochet, suspended all legislative and judicial bodies speakd volumes. Essentially nothing has changed, which provides for the words of Allende to still be applicable and important 30 years later.

One need merely visit Chile to get a feel for and understand El Compañero Presidente. He lives on in the memories and hearts of many. The tension is still enough that it is a topic better left alone. Allende was a man of the people. He strove to give back to the people. He worked to include the Mapuche, the marginalized of Chile. There was complete freedom of the press in Allende's Chile, as well as not one political prisoner. The situation was entirely the opposite under Pinochet. You will read this and more in this good collection.

Perhaps the highlight of the Salvador Allende Reader is a word from Fidel Castro, meant as a possible warning to Allende, become the defining and stirring memorial to El Compañero Presidente. Castro told Allende he thought "he trusted in democracy probably a little too much."

The words of Allende are not only important and inspiring, but are also urgently needed in our current de-evolutionary perspective of gross-consumerism. The intro. gives us a nicely detailed view of Chile and its potentials w/ Allende as its first democratically elected Marxist president. This was not a regime which ignored human rights. It seemed headed toward a true form of Communism, which may have only become possible by A) A defensive posture unified by the workers and the poor in Chile (i.e. Castroist Cuba during the Bay Of Pigs) and B) A willingness to further the great advancements Allende enacted, to their glorious ends. It reveals the true reality of Socialism and its real possibility and potential. The true failures of Allende were directed more-so by the counter-revolutionary tactics of Chile's Capitalists & those in the US government, who would rather see a military takeover by Pinochet & the deaths of 10,000 Allende sympathizers, including Allende himself, rather than a hint of true justice in the world.

I've recently returned to South Carolina after living the last 20 years in various parts of the country. I was not familiar with the upcountry of South Carolina and this book has been a great help to me - not only in seeing some beautiful areas of the state, but helping me decide where I want to settle down and buy my next home.

This is a delightful guide to South Carolina's beautiful scenic back roads and natural resources attractions. Like Clark's earlier book, "Hiking South Carolina," a hallmark of this current work is its excellent, detailed maps, along with interesting illustrative photos, precise directions, and fascinating historic and cultural background information.

Featured prominently throughout the book are state parks, national wildlife refuges, national monuments, state Heritage Preserves, national and state forests, and state wildlife management areas. The appendix includes listings of nature-based services and tours, as well as bed and breakfast accommodations, eclectic restaurants, and places to shop for antiques, crafts and other unique goods.

If you want a guide to the state's coastal resorts and entertainment centers, or to its cities and suburbs, this book is not for you. But if you want to experience South Carolina's mountains, hills, lakes, streams, and wetlands, its history, and its unique rural and small town ambiance, then get a copy of "Scenic Driving South Carolina" and go for a ride.

The love of Clark and Pierce for their home state shines through in their exceptionally well-written work. When you read and use their publication, you will find that their affection is contagious.

A valuable guide for driving South Carolina, "Scenic Driving South Carolina" gives my Texas-based family with deep South Carolina roots information we need to explore the homelands of our parents and grandparents. For several years, family members have planned to discover the South Carolina so embodied in our lives and in the spirit of our family. Our first journey embarks through information gleaned from the pages of "Scenic Driving South Carolina."

We value especially the 21 detailed maps packed with essential features, one for each of the scenic drives. The background information included in the "Introduction," the "Attractions," the "Neat Places to Stay," the "Restaurant and Shops," the "Tours and Nature-based Services" sections of the book also demonstrates the vitality of the state.

More than 40 appealing photographs add merit to "Scenic Driving South Carolina."

Our journeys continue: We native Texans will explore for several years the present day 21 "scenic drives" of our grandparents' and mothers' indigenous to South Carolina. This book is invaluable.

Since few people in respectable circles today would admit to having supported segregation, it is rare to read honest accounts from White southerners who admittely accepted the system and went along with it, as most did at the time.

This book is an interesting read for that reason. He speaks matter of factly about his own acceptance of the prejudices of his era and area, as he punches a black boy who uses his mouth on the same needle that he does to blow up a basketball without realizing why at the moment, although he is usually pleasant in hiis relations with the black customers who frequent his grandfather's general store in Wade, NC in the 1950s.

However, he comes across people who challenge everything he is led to believe about Blacks. There is the African-American schoolteacher who forces him to refer to her as "Miss" and most of all, his unlikely friend Street. Street is a self-educated free spirited intellectual who is amazingly accurate on biblical, astronomical, and constitutional facts who lives in a cave by himself. The local Whites dismiss him as crazy and eccentric, but Melton comes to see that Street is not only accurate in his facts, but represents the tragedy of racism through the inability of Street to make a living from his knowledge. One of the most interesting characters in all of Southern biography, one could easily picture Louis Gosset Jr. or James Earl Jones portraying Street in a film version of this book.

I would strongly recommend this for exposing young people in particular to a seldom-heard side in writings about the segregation era.

McLaurin has written a valuable and beautiful book. It deserves a place on the shelf with "Coming of Age in Mississippi" as a document of life in the segregated South and of the moral challenges that segregation presented to those who lived in the system.

McLaurin's book is a touching recollection of growing up in the South during the 1950s. His rich narative describes not only the difficulties all teenagers face, but explores how these difficulties are made even more difficult in a changing environment. While so many imagine the white teenagers of the Little Rock school integration as pictures of young whites during the 1950s, McLaurin paints a picture of a young man sensitive to the plight of blacks in the Jim Crow South. A very good book, highly recommended to those who wish to get a detailed portrait of the 1950s South

This is a great book! I teach 4th grade and the students love the pictures and the descriptions of all the snakes. I was surprised to find this book listed on Amazon. I bought it at the South Carolina State Museum for a MUCH cheaper price.

Don't let the small size fool you. This book is packed with detailed identification information for the Georgia and South Carolina region. I had no idea that a species could look so different based on a small geographic area. Also, it focuses on the most commonly sighted snakes not just the poisonous ones. My husband looked for weeks for a better field guide and this was clearly the best.

This guide is one of the best I have ever seen! The photo's are crystal clear and the information is very descriptive. Great job! I love it! Living in GA and visiting SC makes this book very valuable to my family.

Mark M. Smith has given us a splendid account of the 1739 Slave Revolt in the Charleston, South Carolina area. Rather than simply giving us his interpretation of this important, yet not widely studied event, Smith gives us the opportunity to look at some of the key documents relating to the uprising and then provides the reader with four separate essays to show different interpretations of the documents.

The essays Smith presents are written by well recognized historians, including one by Smith himself, and vary in analysis - we see such concepts forwarded as the idea that the rebelling slaves were mainly ex-military, that these male slaves revolted because they were pushed into agricultural work that they saw as "women's work", and that the slaves revolved on September 9, 1739 because of the religious significance of the date.

All told, this book will make an exceptionally useful case study of this revolt, and the presentation of the material makes it a most valuable addition to the field of historiography and training of future historians in how documents may be interpreted differently to come up with the "real" picture of what happened in the past.

This little book is a must read for anyone interested in colonial American, Southern, or African American history. Mark Smith has assembled an incredible collection of original documents [some never before published] that describe the largest slave revolt in 18th century Amercia. There are also several essays by modern historians discussing the significance of the Stono Rebellian and its aftermath. And, believe it or not, they are just as interesting as the primary documents. Smith's, in particular, is very thought-provoking.

The author has taken his time to present all sides of this important event in South Carolina history. By taking a dispassionate look at the contemporary accounts as well as later oral histories he allows one to make up his or her own mind as the the true events. I found no evidence of any political slant.
Not a novel for light reading, but easy to read. Makes a case as a good text, not only in the realm of black history, but in how one event can be looked at from numerous eyes. Gives one a perspective on how the history we come to accept can be changed and minipulated depending on ones desires and point of view.
Highly recommend this in any student of South Carolina or black histories library.

I'm not a kid and I loved this book. Its engaging and yet true to the history and the times of the American Civil War. I would think the folks in South Carolina that worked so hard to bring the Hunley back to life would find this book a real gem. The Hunley Museum Store should be able to sell lots of them. I recommend it for folks of ALL ages.

This book is an amazing introduction to the history of the Civil War era submarine Hunley. Focused on the most intriguing legend surrounding its captain, Fran Hawk wonderfully recounts the history of the submarine and its tragic end. She deftly steers the story into the modern day, aided by wonderful illustrations. Give this book to every kid on your Christmas list - get them out from behind the video games and into history.

Finally, a true adventure story for children that is both historically accurate and wonderfully told. This account of the Hunley is much more than a history lesson. It brings to life the young Lieutenant George Dixon and the fiesty Southern belle whose gift of love once saved him. Fran Hawk takes young readers on a great Civil War adventure from Mobile, Alabama, across the battlefield at Shiloh, through the blocade at Charleston and down inside the first submarine ever to sink a war ship. Her story plants the feet of young readers firmly on the moonlit deck of the ill-fated Union Housatonic moments before she went down, and then leads them onto the sandy, dark beach at Sullivan's Island where a signal fire burned.
Fast-forward more than two centuries. Hawk takes readers offshore with adventurer Clive Cussler to the discovery of a lifetime. She presents the recovered sub in its research laboratory and reveals its many intriguing secrets, one by one.
The book is beautifully - and accurately - illustrated on every page.
Here's a terrific and absolutely true children's adventure book that parents will also enjoy.
Steve Mullins
Metro Editor
The Post and Courier
Charleston, S.C.
Reviewer's note: Hawk writes a weekly column about children's books in the Family Life section of The Post and Courier newspaper.

Sunrise on the Santee is a 224 page autobiographical account of a South Carolina duck hunter, Julius M. Reynolds, Jr. The prose is well written and enjoyable. This book really captures what life is like in South Carolina's lowcountry where, even today, almost everyone hunts and fishes.

Duck hunters should really enjoy this book, but I also believe that a non-hunter or even an anti-hunter will have a better appreciation for the lives of hunters after reading the these accounts.

Sunrise On The Santee: A Memoir Of Waterfowling In South Carolina by Carolinian duck hunter Julius Reynolds is a picturesque, vivid, emotion inspiring testimony of experiencing what nature has to offer. Set in the splendor of South Carolina, and with an especial reverence for the glory of a brand new dawn, Sunrise on the Santee is a hunter's testament about treasuring life, including one's own life, the life of the natural world around one, and the life of the waterfowl hunted and consumed for sustenance. Of special interest are Reynolds commentaries on the future of waterfowling and the challenges future generations of hunters must deal with to save a rapidly vanishing wetlands environment upon which waterfowl migration depends if they are to return to the Santee. Sunrise On The Santee is highly recommended reading for anyone who has ever sought a true communion with nature.

Excellent account and history of one of the greatest bodies of waters in the Carolinas. JM Reynolds takes the reader from the early days of his childhood in the midlands of South Carolina when the great Santee was born up to present day with all the politics and troubles the lakes faces with growth, human encrouchment, and lack of habitat for the Anadidae. It is a down to earth story of one man's life memories upon one of the greatest places to learn the art of waterfowling. Of course, I'm a bit biased as I have also hunted Pine Island Creek "Big Ducks" or the "Bombers" of recent years on Russelville Flats of the "Lower Lake"!

If you've hunted the Santee, this book is a MUST for you but is great reading for any waterfowler or outdoorsman!

What a delight to find this amazing classic back in print, in a reprint
edition with new comments by the authors. This will spare thousands
of food enthusiasts the perennial burden of scouring the used-book
market for copies of it. (I ordered several copies of the reprint at once
for gifts and to have on hand.) People who were following food
writing at the time will recall the stir created by the Hesses' book when
it first appeared in the late 1970s. The book is iconoclastic, even

subversive, in the same sense as Prometheus's gift of fire to mankind.

In this case the gift is not fire but perspective, or a sense of history.
Co-author John Hess was himself a senior and very experienced
food writer and editor, but he has a scholar's dislike of pretentious
misinformation being quoted around until it becomes conventional
wisdom. Karen Hess is a food historian noted elsewhere for her
work on the mysterious "Martha Washington" cookbook.
Their book addresses questions like: How did things like iceberg
lettuce and phony "gourmet" products displace centuries of fine
immigrant and indigenous cooking wisdom in the US? Who helped
to "sell" such changes, only to be celebrated later (Orwellian-style)
for contributions to US cooking? Moreover, it is remarkable to see
how many "innovations" in US cooking since about the time this book
was written consist actually of rediscovery of principles widely known
100 or 200 years ago, as the book documents in detail.

The casual reader should be forgiven for not having heard of all
of this in the general media. Journalism in the US about food (and not
only about food) is lately graced with legions of people blissfully
and confidently unconscious of anything that preceded their own words.
Such people will gush uncritically about food pundits like Craig
Claiborne (distinguished on the basis that the gushing writers
have heard of them) without any real research or perspective.

These writers would not do so if they read the Hesses' book.

From the Hesses', and other, evidence it seems that around the
1950s, "gourmet" became a convenience-food-industry euphemism for
"sucker" in the US. "That flabby midget called Cornish game hen was,
next to chocolate-covered ants, the gourmet racket's funniest joke on a
gullible public. It has no more taste of game than a wad of cotton," say
the Hesses. Such game hens are one of several gimmicks Craig
Claiborne is quoted pushing; canned beef gravy and instant whipped
potatoes are others. Claiborne receives especial attention here,
though James Beard, the Rombauers, Fannie Farmer, even JC Herself,
are not spared. Yet this criticism is constructive, at least for the reader,
with positive counterexamples.

It is an angry, or perhaps indignant, book but an informed one,
meticulous in its documentation of sources. The bibliography by itself is
valuable, sort of an annotated miniature of Katherine Bitting's epic 1939
"Gastronomic Bibliography" (also cited; that book is very expensive
on the used market; I know because I own one; even its 1980s reprint is
expensive and I am told, unlike the original, is printed on acid paper).

After reading this book for the first time in the early 1980s, it changed the way I thought about both choosing what to feast upon and how to prepare it. I always wondered why I hated vegetables as a child. Having read the book, I realized that my mother--loving though she may have been--had cooked vegetables to death by boiling everything until it was soft, tasteless and unappetizing. When I began learning to cook for myself, the beauty of this text came through for me. Now I appreciate vegetables because I prepare them simply and let the flavor come through. I recommend this book to anyone who is a "picky" eater (and even to those who are not). Once you know why you don't like a variety of foods, you may discover that it's not the food you learned detest, but the way Mama cooked it for you!

An impassioned, lively, fascinating look at the American table. The Hess' are knowledgeable, erudite and highly opinionated. Many disagree with their negative view of American eating habits, but it is hard to argue with them on the facts. Read it and think!