South Carolina Books

In this thorough and readable study, Daniel C. Littlefield examines the African heritage of rice cultivation in colonial South Carolina. Littlefield discusses the choices rice planters made in securing workers from certain African regions; he also discusses the knowledge these Africans brought to the plantation economy. Littlefield argues that expertise in rice cultivation mostly came to South Carolina from Africa. Rice was grown by the Malagasy, the people of Madagascar, and by many peoples of Upper Guinea (a region encompassing the modern nations of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia). South Carolina planters, in fact, paid the highest prices for workers from Senegambia (the environs of the Senegal and Gambia rivers), a major center of rice cultivation in Africa. Littlefield argues that, throughout the era of the slave trade, South Carolina merchants and planters showed an increasingly sophisticated knowledge of African regions and ethnic groups. He also asserts that not only African labor, but African expertise helped generate the wealth of the opulent Carolina Lowcountry. This work should prove interesting to those interested in African-American history, Southern history, and colonial American demography. Particularly intriguing is Littlefield's research based on the newspaper advertisements for runaway slaves in South Carolina. That portion of the work includes a list of different African ethnic groups present in South Carolina.

Pinckney is a master of character development, making his anacdotes of local residents more humorous than just the incident alone. He delves into the mindset and lifestyle of the island residents; rednecks, slave decendants, half-breeds, and transplanted outsiders; their Gullah roots, religion and superstitions (voodoo), politics, social structure, and lifestyle. There is a lot of lowcountry history to be learned in a series of funny and amusing stories. I liked this book so much I purchased a second copy for a friend's birthday and two more of Pinckney's titles for myself.

I've ridden several rides following the book, and I found the milage accurate, the rides interesting, and the cue sheets very easy to use. The maps are separate from the cue sheets in the book, but flipping back and forth was not a problem. I personally found the cue sheets adaquate without the maps, but the maps provide a useful overview. If you're familliar with Jim Parham's other books, his mapping technique, while always good, has gotten better. These maps are really clear. However, on some of the rides, some intersections were too complicated for me to figure out from the map alone. The cue sheets were perfectly clear in these instances. Overall, this book is a model of ride information.

I live in the area this book covers, and was curious to see if the book was a good overview of this area's riding. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to quickly discover some of the road ride gems in the NC High Country. A great, and more efficient, alternative to asking at bikes shops or lurking on local internet biking forums.

Robert Cole's World is a great book. Covering the history of Robert Cole and his family from England to their immigration to Lord Baltimore's Colony of Maryland, the book is a must for anyone interested in early American history. Background on the Cole family, 17th century tobacco cultivation, and daily life in 17th century Maryland are all incorporated into this interesting and nicely written book. Included are copies of the Cole family's inventory, as well as Robert Cole's will. For anyone interested in colonial American history and what life was like before American slavery took hold, Robert Cole's world is for you.

If you type in Robert Gwathmey on Google ,you will find the first chapter of Kammen's book.You will also find a review by Robert Beardsley of Harvard.Gwathmey led an exemplary life dedicated to social justice.He was one of the few whites to paint blacks. Kathleen Blackshear had painted blacks in the 30's & 40's also,but thereafter painted in abstract styles. Gwathmey was dedicated to his subject and was lauded for it.Rosalie contributed to Bob's career in many ways: 1. she got money from her parents so that they could get married and Bob could concentrate on fine art. 2. she joined Gwathmey in his interest in racial and economic justice, her photos of the the depression era were recognized.3. she worked as a textile designer to help support the family (some of these patterns can be seen on costumes of some of the street scenes he did)Kammen talks mostly about Gwathmey's life and loves.The work is well illustrated but, is not analyzed and evaluated in any depth.But, then there are more readers for the era that Gwathmey is noted for rather than the group of painters he was allied with.I admire social realism,socially conscious work for the artist's conviction . His steadfast adherence to a debunct area of figurative art.He avoided the fashions so prevelant in New York City.He stuck to his guns.His alliances with Jacob Lawrence and Philip Evergood are worthy of further study. He kept on painting into old age and died of Parkinson's disease. Rosalie was to contact Lymes disease in the 80's and would survive Bob by a few years.For artists you will learn the advantage of a partner who shares your politics and interests. The importance allies in art in following a direction that is not paramount in the art world.

The author wrote a breakthrough and humorous expose that showed all the contradictions and hyprocrisy which surrounded a big time college b-ball program.It featured insights into Frank McGuire,recruiting, racism and numerous All-Americans ranging from John Roche to Brian Winters to Alex English. The book was published in 1980. It got the author thrown out of the state of South Carolina

Tells the story of how a culture survived and adapted to new surroundings. The story of its basketry is the central vehicle. Of interest to those who like basketweaving and those who like stories of different peoples cultures.

On the subject of guidebooks, here's one that's tough to beat. Bob Newman has divided North America's Southeast Coast into a series of discrete areas, like images on a strip of film, and then tells what you need to know to fish each area. Excellent maps will help you find your way. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then these maps must be worth 10,000 words each. Newman also provides lists of accommodations, restaurants, fly and tackle shops, marinas, guides and other services. After dissecting North Carolina, he does the same for South Carolina and Georgia, describing the fishing in similar detail for each state. Then comes Offshore Action, a chapter on "green-water" and "blue-water" species, including tackle requirements and tactics, and another chapter on trip planning, with tips on how to arrange hotel, air or rental car reservations and how to choose a guide. Newman writes in a straightforward, breezy style and tosses in just enough anecdotes to keep things lively. As the subtitle indicates, this guide covers "light-tackle" as well as fly fishing, but the emphasis seems more on the latter. A good index helps make the book user-friendly. Kudos to Newman for a thoroughly written and professional job. With this book in hand you'll run like a train, jump like a tarpon, charge for your boat, swear to catch fish, and pull out your fly rod-Yowza! Steve Raymond

Finally, a cd-rom that offers useful information for travelers and others interested in Savannah. As a satisfied owner of the Charleston Armchair tour, I was thrilled to find that other historic cities are also available in this quality product. With the included maps, you can choose any building in the historic district and get several pictures with information about architecture, history, and stories of the building. I especially enjoyed the 'front door' and 'gardens, squares, and parks' tours. The photography is beautiful and includes a number of panoramic 360 degree pictures. I can't wait to revisit Savannah again now that I know what to look for.