Tennessee Books

For TC fans, this book is a true gem. Great history, photos and information on the company. Its only shortcomings are that is is not long enough in that I finished reading and looking through it way too soon. Also, I would have liked more info on the business interests, activities and court decisions leading up to the break up of the company.

The book is a fascinating look back at life in the early 1900's
in 4 counties of the northern Cumberland Plateau area of Tennessee.
There is a wealth of old photographs--at a guess, about 250 or more
in the book's 120 oversize glossy pages--maps, and descriptions in
the book. The emphasis is primarily on the coal camps such as Wilder
in Fentress County, with a lot of detail about the railroads that
served the coal mining communities, and not as much about the logging.

The book is divided into histories of some of the towns in each county
(the book calls them "cities", which is a very generous term). Then
you'll find histories of the timber and lumber companies, and the coal
companies. There's a nice chapter on the people--biographies of some
of the residents (mostly coal miners in this book). There are brief
chapters on the Wilder and Zenith strikes (1919 to 1937 or so) and
some excerpts from the 1930s from Jamestown and Livingston papers. All
chock-full of photographs of the people and places--including a couple
of photos of hangings from the late 1800's: it would appear that the
local law enforcement preferred using trees to building gallows.

The book is a nice companion piece to Ghost Railroads of Tennessee,
although the emphasis is on a much smaller part of the state. On a
personal note, I'm a caver, and most of the areas in the book are familiar
to me. Of particular interest is the town of Wilder, close to the gorge
of the East Fork of the Obey River. The population peaked at about 2500
in 1925 or so, with large hotels and a thriving coal business. What is
left has a population of about 60--the hotels, the mines, the railroad,
etc, are all long since gone and grown over--looking at the old photos
is a real treat! A highly recommended book.

For those of us who practiced before 1982, defending the drinking or drug impaired driver was fun, and without substantial consequences. Since then, the matter of drinking and driving has become serious business for the police, the public, the legal profession, and the bench. This book fulfills the professional needs of all lawayers and judges who contend with the accused and convicted impaired driver (and even passenger). This book is, without doubt, a fundamental guide for all lawyers (including prosecutors) and judges on the subject matter of "impaired" driving. It is broken into salient sections, and covers the law in Tennessee completely, accurately and in its entirity. It is a must read for all practioners and judges; it is a most efficient tool for courtroom use; and it is the fundamental lead to research on important questions of dui law. In our office, it is used often and much, with astonishing success as our points for authority. You cannot avoid having this book even if you only have once case a year.

this was a very helpful and informative book about Tennessee. It contains facts concerning the counties, civil war and even different people from the area. This was a great resource for my research. I would recomend it to anyone

An excellent, well written history of Tennessee. Gives an insight into the expansion into the lands west of the Appalachians that is easily understood. Puts the process of transition from wilderness outposts and small farming
settlements to statehood into perspective with other events occurring during the same time period.
Undoubtedley the best explanation of the establishment and subsequent failure of the state of "Franklin" that I have read.

I bought this book as I was beginning to plan my first kitchen garden. It's great- tells you what to plant when, the conditions the veggies like, and some good varieties. The thing I like best about this book is that most garden books are written for northern or central-us gardeners. This one tells me what will work in Memphis, and when to start it. Plus, Felder Rushing is really, really funny. I've had this book for several years and refer to it frequently during the growing season and for planning, when I'm thinking about trying new vegetables.

This book is an excellent resource book for the out-of-area reader. Ms. Whitley not only gives you the actual archives information, her book is well indexed and organized.

This book contains the actual information contained on the records in the archives. With the information in this book, you can write to the State archives and get certified copies of the originals for your own documentation.

This is one book I will be recommending from my website.

Looking through the pages of this amazing book is like traveling back in time. The brilliant black and white photography makes these rural tennessee images come more alive than a Norman Rockwell painting. This is the land where my great-grandparents lived and seeing these photographs made their world come alive. There is something so refreshing in this age of digital photographic trickery and enhancements to see the purity of these incredible images. Do yourself a favor and check out this book. Whether your interest is photography, nostalgia, or history, you will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this story. Once I started reading, I seldom put it down until I was finished. It's a compelling story that had me believing several times that I knew where the author was leading me. In the end, I was right, once...but I never really knew as I was second guessing until the end. It is fun, mysterious, romantic and an all around good read. I look forward to Violet's next work.

What a feast. Zimmerman has given us a rich and deeply enjoyable tour of one of the cradles of American music. It's always a pleasure to read a critic/musicologist who so clearly loves his subject matter. You'll learn and smile a lot.