South Carolina Books

If Shackelton made it across the antartic as planned he probably would not be as well-known as he is today. The feat he and his crew managed to pull is simply astounding. One of the most inspiring adventure stories of all time in my opinion.
Amru Albeiruti

The collective effort of Jonathon Shackleton (Antarctic special and a cousin of the famed explorer) and biographer John Mackenna, Shackleton: An Irishman In Antarctica is an informed and informative portrayal of Ernest Shackleton's historic, dramatic, highly dangerous South Pole expedition. Even though the voyage's ultimately failed to achieve it's stated goal, and Shackleton's crew were stranded on ice floes, all hands worked together to survive for a year before the perilous return to civilization could be made. Not a single man died in Shackleton's expedition, a credit to Shackleton's leadership and determination. His is a profound, inspirational, and keenly engaging story which is very highly recommended reading.

This remarkable first book by Dr. Smith has already won two of the history profession's highest awards. The historical society named it the best book of history for 1997 and it shares the prestigious Avery O. Craven Award for the most original book on the Civil War era. Smith's observations of the slaves' adjustment to and manipulation of measured time are fascinating. The portrait of plantation life and the effect of the normalization of time on the South will be a revelation to anyone interested in Southern history.

Mark Smith has produced a masterpiece. His mastery of theory and primary material is breath-taking. His willingness to take on such established scholars as Geonovese (and convince this reviewer that he is correct and they were wrong) is the mark of a confident historian.

Would that all works of history were as intellectually stimulating as this. MASTERED BY THE CLOCK is an example of the historian's craft at its best--something rarely seen these days.

Masters of Small Worlds views the relationship between yeomen and planters from a new perspective. Selecting the Low Country of South Carolina for her study, Stephanie McCurry uncovers documents revealing the presence of a much-ignored yeoman class and contrasts their political and social motivations with that of the economically dominant planter aristocracy. McCurry, an Associate Professor of History in the University of California, San Diego and winner of two awards for Masters of Small Worlds, claims that yeomen were not seeking an egalitarian society, but one of republican democracy. McCurry argues that not only were these yeomen masters of their own domain, but they were instrumental in the South Carolinian secession of 1860, acting "in defense of their own identity, as masters of small worlds" (page 304). In order to support her claim, McCurry first identifies her study group. The yeomen of South Carolina, a previously ignored and invisible group accordi! ! ng to the author, emerge as a cohesive and numerically significant class from census documents and court records. McCurry selected the South Carolina Low Country as her study area because of its unique geography that placed yeomen next to planters. This side-by-side arrangement necessitated yeoman-planter interaction. McCurry's argument focuses on the patriarchal structure of plantations and yeomen families. The author cites numerous comparative examples, contrasting the planter and yeomen social relationships and successfully illustrates that white males with absolute authority ran the estates of both. The similarity of structure allowed elite manipulation of the yeomen toward planter-oriented political stances. For example, McCurry states that yeomen identified with the planters enough to feel that a threat to the established social order was a threat to their own mastery and manhood. Ultimately, this identification led yeomen to perceive abolition and unionist sentiment as ! ! a threat and enlist in the secessionist cause. While docume! nting the similarities between planters and yeomen, McCurry also notes the similarities between involuntary servitude and marriage. The author equates the lack of rights and loss of identity for women with slavery, and thus strengthens her argument that the yeomen male was a master in his own domicile. Although arguing that planters and yeomen shared similar social motivations, McCurry stresses that the two classes were unequal socially. To support this claim, the author cites examples of planter wives who snubbed yeomen or wrote of their animosity towards them. Interestingly, women, rather than men, provide clear examples of class inequality. McCurry suggests that men were forced to interact and maintain good relationships with their neighbors, regardless of class, due to business and political dealings. However, women were not so encumbered, and, according to McCurry, rarely interacted. McCurry also addresses the role that evangelism played in the social and political struct! ! ure of South Carolina. According to McCurry, although the churches initially were a yeomen institution, the ministers adopted the elitist doctrine of planters and helped create a yeoman following for paternalism, republicanism, and the continuance of servitude. Ultimately, the pulpit was used to rally church members to the cause of secession, which the ministers assured the congregation God supported. While presenting her arguments, McCurry provides many enlightening insights into the yeomen's world, not the least is the often elusive definition of 'yeoman'. While McCurry notes and even partly adopts traditional definitions, she also uncovers a self-descriptive definition provided by yeoman narratives: a "self-working farmer." This definition clearly states what other historians have missed. Rather than tie a class to the number of slaves or the value of assets, the fact that a farmer did not have enough slaves and owned sufficient land to require "self-work&quo! ! t; made him a yeoman. By taking into account variables such! as land and slaves, this elegant definition is far superior to popular definitions that must be qualified to account for many exceptions. For instance, McCurry classifies families that had up to nine slaves as yeoman because the majority of the slaves were women and children. Many definitions would place these families outside of the yeoman class, as they limit yeomen slave ownership to less than five slaves. However, the productivity of the bondsmen would not be taken into account. McCurry supports Bertram Wyatt-Brown's claim that private space did not exist for southerners. While describing the yeomen, McCurry states that the division of private and public spaces had no meaning. However, McCurry supports this conclusion differently than Wyatt-Brown. McCurry notes that the difference between northern and southern social structures was great, and that the Cult of Domesticity did not penetrate to South Carolina. Because of this, private and public spaces were not considered se! ! parate in the South. Of course, this conclusion dovetails with Wyatt-Brown's code of honor and peer influence and suggests an explanation of this phenomenon. McCurry also notes that a common practice of planters was an annual party that yeomanry attended. According to the author, the purpose of the event was to show off art and architecture to the "hordes" of yeomen and poor whites. While this fact is not significant by itself and, in fact, the author used it to show the inequality of planter and yeomen, it also illustrates that yeomen were not only witnessed planter culture, but were deliberately exposed to it. Coupling this information with the claim that yeomen viewed themselves as potential entrants into the planter class, we can see that architectural emulation is a logical path for the yeomen to take. The information that McCurry presents allows for a greater understanding of the yeomen families that were so important to the South. The yeomen of South Carolin! ! a share much with other southern yeomen. Thus, McCurry's fi! ndings suggest similar motivations for other southerners. For example, the geographic proximity of yeomen to planters in South Carolina is similar to the proximity of yeomen to planters in North Alabama, where valleys and mountains divide holdings of the two classes rather than swamps and rivers. Additionally, the affects of evangelism and its influence on yeomanry and planters in South Carolina equally apply to other parts of the South. Another similarity exists between the South Carolina that McCurry studied and Alabama. Both states had an elite group controlling government by limited representation. In South Carolina, representation of the yeomen class was unequally assigned and the public denied the right to directly express their political positions. Similarly, Alabamians had limited electoral powers, as indirect representation was common. While McCurry's study of the Low Country of South Carolina appears to be a flawless and comprehensive study, its usefulness in stud! ! ying yeomen outside of South Carolina may be limited. Although many similarities exist in the social order of the study and in other parts of the South, South Carolina has a reputation for non-conformity. Therefore, other studies must be cautious about applying McCurry's findings to other areas. McCurry presents readers with many enlightening views of yeomanry. Boldly challenging the popular opinion that yeomen subscribed to an egalitarian/Jacksonian social order, her argument for a republican democracy is convincing. While her findings may not apply universally to all yeomen, McCurry offers many alternative viewpoints to consider when studying cultural patterns of the South. Additionally, the author finds many surprising parallels between planter and yeomen social structures. These revelations, together with her successful argument make Masters of Small Worlds a valuable and interesting addition to any study of yeomen as well as planters in the Old South.

McCurry's 1995 work "Masters of Small Worlds," is an attempt to fill the traditional gap in American historiography of theclass between slave and planters. Her work attempts to address the question of why the South Carolina yeoman elected to defend slavery and the present social hierarchy in the nullification struggle and the succession crisis of 1860. In this aim she is largely successful, by arguing that yeoman's may not have been planters political or social equals, but the institutions of slavery and a rigid defense of property rights gave yeoman's their own sense of power within their own households and communities. Her analysis involves gender relations in the state. Men's position of dominance rested on the cultural institutions that grew out of slavery. Making them masters of small worlds

On the hole: this work is a deeply reward read. Its difficult narrative and heavily structured natures make it a challenge to read but the benefit greatly outweigh the costs.

This book provides a fascinating look into the life and teaching of Muhammad Nurbaksh an adept of the Kubravi order ( an order famous for it's focus on the visionary experience of various colored lights along the stations of the Sufi path ) , devout Shi'ite , and claimant to the title of Mahdi. Shahzad Bashir provides a good introduction to the concept of Mahdi in general (looking both into the Sunni and the various Shi'ite teachings regarding the subject) as well. It also discusses some of the other claimants to the title such as Fazlallah Astrabadi the founder of the Hurufi movement. If you have an interest in the more "unorthodox" streams of Shi'ite thought, Messianism, and Sufism then buying this book is a no brainer. Get it!

Messianic Hopes And Mystical Visions: The Nurbakhshiya Between Medieval And Modern Islam by Shahzad Bashir (Assistant Professor of Religion, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota) is an impressively in-depth study of the Nurbakhshiya sect of Islam, which originated in fifteenth-century Iran and survives to the modern day in Pakistan and India. From a detailed biography of founder Muhammad Nurbakhsh (d. 1464); to the world view of this Islamic sect; to its eventual transplantation into Kashmir, Messianic Hopes And Mystical Visions is a meticulous and scholarly account which is a very highly recommended contribution for Islamic studies reference shelves and reading lists.

Dr. Farmer proves himself to be an expert on his subject matter. He developes his themes superbly and keeps his reader interested and involved. An excellent display of talent and knowledge!

He makes the argument that the Old South, its finest intellectual hour seen in Thornwell, was much superior intellectually than the North. By the way, this is published by the scholarly Mercer University Press, so it ain't no hick from the sticks writing.

Thornwell also warned of the coming religious crisis, that which we call the Civil War. While criticizing unbiblical aspects of Southern slavery, he primarily warned against the rising humanistic and unitarian tide from the North which would overwhelm the South, not only militarily, but also--and more deadly--spiritually.

If I can restate the thesis in different terms: with the fall of the Confederacy, we saw the last bastion of a thoroughly Christian civilization destroyed. America would move from a decentralized republic to a consolidated Empire (which subsequent decades proved chillingly).

This little book is a visual feast, a celebration of nature's bounty in this lovely, unsung corner of the world. The 3 creators each address art and nature in their own unique--and breathtakingly beautiful--manner. This book is a priceless gem, believe me.

I own a copy of Mirror Lake.? Robert and I think it is absolutely stunning!!! It is evocative, yet restful.? I love the combination of the paintings with the photographs, and the combination of your bright colors together with the starker whites, greys, light browns and light blues--of the ocean, sand, sky and birds. ? It is really a remarkable accomplishment!!!

In More Than Petticoats, the reader is introduced to fourteen extraordinary and memorable women from North Carolina. Each of this remarkable women were alive at important historical junctions of the state's history ranging from the Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, to the beginning of the 20th Century. These were women who saw reformation all around them and realized that they too could contribute and promote change. There was Emeline Jamison Pigott, a Confederate spy; Mary Martin Sloop, a physician, community leader, and child welfare advocate in the hills of the Blue Ride; Maggie Axe Wachacha, a healer, teacher, and Cherokee leader; Cornelia Phillips Spencer, who helped liberate the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and eleven others who each directly addressed the challenges of their respective times and places. Their enduring contributions are here chronicled in absorbing and informative biographical sketches, providing a highly recommended addition to women's studies and American history reading lists.

More Than Petticoats: Remarkable North Carolina Women is a very satisfying book. As the title suggests, it is a collection of profiles of women who contributed to the history of the State of North Carolina through impressive acts of courage and/or years of determined effort.

The book opens with the story of Mary Hooks Slocumb, born in 1760, a heroine of the American Revolution, and concludes with the biography of Maggie Axe Wachacha, a Cherokee healer, treaty clerk and midwife who delivered more than 3000 babies before she died in 1993. Between, we meet a dozen other fascinating women who played significant roles in the advancement of North Carolina's social conditions, politics, education and health.

Scotti Kent is a strong writer - her spare, evocative prose draws readers in immediately and holds our interest and attention throughout each chapter. That these women's stories were of consistent interest to a reader who has never (yet) set foot in North Carolina is a testimony to not only the admirable qualities of the subjects' lives but also to the strength and clarity of the writing.

Compiled and edited by art historian and expert James Timothy Voorhies, My Dear Stieglitz: Letters Of Marsden Hartley And Alfred Stieglitz 1912-1915 is an informative and intrinsically interesting collection of previously unpublished correspondence between America artist Marsden Hartley and avant-garde impresario, editor, and photographer Alfred Stieglitz chronicling Hartley's three year European sojourn before and just at the inception of World War I. The letters begin with Hartley's 1912 arrival in Paris and provides invaluable commentary on Gertrude Stein's salons, the paintings of Picasso, Cezanne, and Matisse, and his encounters with many of the leading lights of the European world of artists, art dealers, and gallery owners. Hartley continues in 1913 to write an informative correspondence about the Expressionist artists and art trends that he encountered in Germany. This amazing body of correspondence concludes with Hartley's late 1915 return to an America seasoned by the influx of pre-war modern art. My Dear Stieglitz is a welcome and invaluable contribution to 20th Century Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I loved this collection of letters because the correspondence is so succint, complete, and filled with emotion and drama. The letters really gave me a sense of what the artist was going through at this time in his life.

Also, the editor did a great job with the appendices and the footnotes - they are as entertaining and informative as the letters themselves.

Who knew that there were so many interesting and accessible areas to explore along the NC coast? We look forward to taking some of the trips described in this unusual book.

I bought this guide to the North Carolina coast at a book signing by the author while I was at the Outer Banks. It was very useful with an interesting and different slant from the typical guidebook. It makes me want to come back and spend more time exploring other parts of the area in more depth. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves the natural world and North Carolina.