South Carolina Books

When one thinks of the Civil War one does not immediately think of the hospitals and the myriad of problems associated with them. This extremely well researched and documented book goes into fascinating detail of the people, the problems and how they worked to overcome problems of shortages, constantly moving with the tide of battle campaigns and organization in times of limited communication. This is an extremely important look at a subject that gets far less attention than it deserves.
Hugh T. Harrington
author of: "Civil War Milledgeville, Tales From the Confederate Capital of Georgia," "Remembering Milledgeville, Historic Tales From Georgia's Antebellum Capital" and "More Milledgeville Memories."

Conquering the Appalachians is an important piece of American railroad history. This book documents railway construction in the Appalachian Mountains in the early years of the twentieth century. The construction of tunnels and trestles is described in detail and enhanced by crystal clear black and white photos from the collection of William Cary Hattan, the civil engineer who actually built large portions of the Clinchfield and Western Maryland Railways. Well written and researched by Hattan's daughter, Mary Hattan Bogart, this book would be an important addition to any library of railroad books. It belongs in the reference departments of every public library within the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Future generations need access to what Hattan and his men accomplished in those states with dynamite, carts, mules, pick axes, shovels and sheer muscle. Many of their trestles and tunnels still exist, unused for their original purpose, but monuments to determination and grit. I've seen two of the trestles, one in Pennington Gap, Virginia and another nearby. They are awe inspiring for anyone who has read this book.

The insite in this book is one that every American should read. It could give everyone a new and better take on the way the system could work. Read it see !

The fine art of tail gating is familiar to everyone who has spent time in the parking lots around the stadium in Columbia. This fun take on what to have is just the right choice for the fan who wishes to eat as well as drink beer.

This book not only includes recipes submitted by Lou Holtz, Bob Fulton, Joe Pinner, Gov. Mark Sanford, and USC football greats (among them Jeff Grantz, George Rogers, Tommy Suggs, and Fred Zeigler), but also lots of actual USC tailgating photos. What separates THIS book from any other Carolina recipe collections are the generous helpings of Alex Hawkins' sarcasm and his irreverent humor. Appetizers, desserts, main dishes--they're all in here. The recipes were supplied not only by various luminaries and Alex' wife, Charlie, but also by the not-so-famous who make football tailgating at the University of South Carolina a time-honored tradition every fall, regardless (thankfully) of how well the team is performing on the field. Undoubtedly one of the best Gamecock books ever.

Celebrity Chef Sallie Ann Robinson, a native of the famous Sea Island known as Daufuskie Island located just down the Savannah River between the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, has made guest appearances on numerous cooking shows and been profiled in such publications as the 2005 Old Farmer's Almanac, Southern Living, and National Geographic. In COOKING THE GULLAH WAY, MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, her book of highly appealing regional recipes and personal memoir, Robinson goes beyond writing about her native Gullah culture to honoring, sharing, and preserving its customs and dialect with the kind of affectionate familiarity, and certainty of knowledge, that only a fifth-generation daughter of the island could possess.

There are many levels on which to appreciate Cooking the Gullah Way. Lovers of exceptionally good food might justifiably desire to simply roam through its pages, pick out favorite recipes, and feast on their findings. Yet the recipes themselves often provide more than satisfying pleasures for the palate simply by virtue of names that reflect Robinson's coastal heritage sensibilities. Imagine, for example, a filling breakfast of the author's "Gullah Bacon Corn Muffin" with a side dish of "Sassy Strawberry Preserves"; a lunch featuring "Sallie's Seafood Spaghetti" with "Yondah Black-Eyed Pea Soup"; or a dinner of "Grilled Fresh Vegetables," "Local Sea Island Country Boil," and "Country Candied Yams with Raisins" all washed gently down by your choice of "Soothing Sassafras Tea," "Ol' Country Lemonade with Orange," or a homemade wine such as "`Fuskie Backyard Pear Wine." Such mouth-watering teasers defeat all attempts at resistance.

However: a major special feature in Cooking the Gullah Way is Robinson's chapter on "Gullah Folk Beliefs and Home Remedies." As the author writes, "Those times living on Daufuskie without a television or radio to inform us about the weather made us wiser as we learned nature's ways."

Chapter sections on "Living with Nature" and "Sea Island Folk Beliefs" offer notes of real interest for students of southern culture and history. Moreover, in these days of economically challenged households, the section on "'Fuskie Old-Fashioned Home Remedies" offers possible alternatives and/or supplements to medicines for the treatments of a variety of ills. Everything from asthma and earaches to high blood pressure and toothaches is covered with a note of caution to first, "learn about any remedy and be aware of the good and bad sides of it."

If the winning recipes and folk remedies make Cooking the Gullah Way a homemaker's dream companion book, the down-to-earth wisdom and observations shared through the interwoven stories make it a delectable choice for the general reader as well. We smile with appreciation as Robinson's "Pop" explains that in the morning when he calls out, "Off and on it!" to his still sleeping family, the phrase means for every able body to "Get off ya backside and on ya feet." And we nod with humored enlightenment when he points out that, "A heap may see, but only a few knows"--meaning that seeing is not necessarily synonymous with understanding. With that in mind, what we need most to understand about Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night, is that this book delivers as much delicious nurturing for the soul as it does nourishment for the body.


by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

Students of Civil War history well know Sarah Morgan who wrote a diary that remains an unparalleled portrait of her time. The daughter of privilege, Sarah was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and began her diary in her late teens. By the time Union soldiers had taken over Baton Rouge she had lost both her father and brother. Sarah, along with her sister, Miriam, and her mother eventually fled to the outskirts and later to New Orleans where they remained until the war's closing days.

At one time she wrote, "Oh, how I hate to be like other women." She most certainly was not. She wrote in clear precise prose with an unflinching eye for the reasons behind battle and the horrors of war. Sarah would become the first woman to have a byline when she wrote for the Charleston News and Courier, covering such subjects as race relations, funerals, Spanish and French politics. These editorials by, of all people, a woman caused considerable comment in Charleston.

Her original diary was first published in 1913, almost immediately becoming a source for historians and students alike.

Now, with this volume from The University of Georgia Press we are fortunate to find not only the letters exchanged between Sarah and her husband, Francis Warrington Dawson but these missives are accompanied by articles Sarah wrote. Thus, we now have a complete picture of Sarah the woman as found in her original diary tracing the years of the War and then tin his volume encompassing her years following the war.

When the couple first met Dawson was a widower and owner of the Charleston News and Courier. Sarah was reluctant to marry, and the notes exchanged reveal much about each of them as their courtship continued. Of special interest are Sarah's views on the state of women at that time.

This well conceived and executed volume sheds much light on an important part of our country's history.

- Gail Cooke

This book tells the story of Dalton, Georgia, and how the textile mill led to its development. It is a very detailed look at the townspeople and their struggles throughout a century. It provides a unique and perceptive view of the South's economic and social transformation beginning during the aftermath of the Civil War and continuing with the rise of technology into the Reagan years.

Although my interest was personal because it is part of my genealogy, I still think someone unrelated would find this book very interesting, insightful and interesting. It answered many questions I had.
A must-have for anyone connected with the Crofts or related families, or anyone interested in the early settlers of SC. Very well written.

This book reminded me very much of Maeve Binchy's simialr stories. This author has the same wonderful celtic tone and can capture a very strong sense of place and character. The descriptions are wonderful. I highly recomend this book!