North Carolina Books

This is a really great book. If anyone just googled this last name and is curious about relatives it really clears a lot up. The author was a good grandpa.

Few people know the history of Greensboro as well as Mrs. Fripp. Having taken one of her personally-guided tours of the city, I was quite impressed with Mrs. Fripp's genuine loved and regard for Greensboro's historic offerings. That fact becomes even more evident in this book.

There seems to be no corner or alley that she isn't able to place within its historical context. Her intense devotion to history, accompanied by her first-hand involvement in the world of antiquities, has resulted in a depth of knowledge that is unparalleled. In 'Greensboro: The Chosen Center', Mrs. Fripp skillfully combines the fruits of her research with carefully chosen illustrations that are marvelous, even by themselves. The marriage between the two make this book enjoyable for just about anyone who picks it up. What a great way to learn about one of the South's greatest cities.

As with most books about cities, this one presents the town in the most favorable light. However, the photos, art work, and interesting commentary makes this one a city portrait worth buying.

GROWING WITH GARDENING is an excellent book to use when working with a group for garden/horticulture therapy. I am an Activity Director in a nursing home and have found this book full of ideas and guidance with what types of plants to plant, how to use them in programs including crafts, when to plant, how to prune and propagate, as well as other projects related to gardening. The book has step by step instructions to build a wheelchair accessible planter and to make a simple flower press. There are lists of supplies related to budget and ways to adapt the program to various ages and abilities. I have found this book has provided me with a wealth of new ideas to expand my residents gardening experiences.

This book enabled me to identify liverworts and hornworts in an area of North Carolina where few (if any?) had ever researched them before. Now I realize that Megaceros aenigmaticus also grows about a hundred miles farther east from any population known heretofore. Pantropical Dumortiera hirsuta occurs nearby and might represent diploid ssp. nepalensis, an extreme rarity in North America. Although drawings represent outlines of these organisms accurately enough to assist in identification, they might help more if stippled more extensively to reveal more details. I heartily recommend this book to any and all who may wish to learn more about liverworts and hornworts.

I have spent thirty years hiking the woods of North Carolina, and never found a North Carolina guide of this significance. The writing is stellar, the layout straightforward and clear, and most important, I haven't been lost once since I began to use it. In addition to a wonderful guide to North Carolina preserves, it also underscores the magnificent work of The North Carolina Chapter during its enviable 25 year history in the state. Bravo!!

Now in an updated second edition, A Guide to North Carolina's Wineries profiles 64 different North Carolina wineries along with wine lists, directions, contact information, schedules, and fee information. Black-and-white photographs as well as descriptive histories of the wineries convey the conviction and dedication of the winemakers who run them. An easy-to-use, enthusiastically recommended guide for wine lovers residing in on traveling to the North Carolina area.

A GREAT BOOK IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND MILITARY CONTRACTING...SHOWS HOW WE BUILT A PLAN EVEN THE AIR FORCE DIDN'T WANT! THIS BOOK IS VERY EDUCATIONAL...I USED IT EXTENSIVELY DURING MY INVESTIGATIVE WORK AS A JOURNALIST WHILE RESEARCHING FAULTY CONSTRUCTION METHODS USED ON THE PLANE...IT'S REALLY A BOOK WORTH READING.

This book is exactly what its title suggests: It's a survey of HISTORIC architecture in eastern North Carolina, one of the richest concentrations of colonial, federal, and early Romantic architecture in the country. Eastern North Carolina is a feast for anyone who enjoys small coastal towns packed with historic churches and houses, small regional cities that aspired to metropoli but failed and are now preserved gems of early 20th century urban architecture, and rural plantations off the beaten path just waiting for that late afternoon thunderstorm. This book, along with its two equally good companion volumes covering the Piedmont and West, is a joy to simply browse for a quick daydream or a resource to pour over as part of a larger research project. They're really that good.

In the world of architectural surveys, the variation in standards can be frustrating. Some are generally excellent, complete and (relatively) objective, while some are grossly incomplete or out of date. Some are packed with structures that have otherwise been demolished or destroyed (what's the point?). Some are so overstuffed with editorial political correctness and arcane archi-speak that they can't be enjoyed for the art itself. Also, some like to use what I call "iconoclastic postdating." That's the process by which an expert tells you the gorgeous old plantation house you thought was built in 1785 was REALLY built mostly after World War 2. It allows that expert to express the fact that he or she knows far more than you (and the general public) about such matters. If you've ever seen Antiques Roadshow, you know what I mean.

This guide, miraculously, resists ALL of these flaws. It is of the highest scholarly and editorial quality. There are no significant omissions to reveal the author's political or aesthetic bias. The summaries are concise and well researched. The coverage is truly exhaustive. The photographs are largely functional rather than artistic, but are well chosen to reveal the structures in entirety.

If you're a fan of architectural surveys, these are among the very best and every bit as good as Oxford's BUILDINGS OF AMERICA series. If you're a fan of rural and small-town historical architecture, these books are representative of the genre. Buy all three and you can carry historic North Carolina around with you in your briefcase or backpack.

This is a comprehensive and entertaining history of the development of commercial fishing in the southeast. It is also very informative with regard to the momentum coastal development has, and which is threatening the source of its development in the first place--fishing. As multiple use zones, our coastal communities now are the intersections of a variety of conflicting interests. This is one of the few books that chronicles how this has happened, and the incredible ability of fishermen to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.