North Carolina Books

One of the best histories of small business men making it big

Mark M. Smith provides the reader with an excellent and unique perspective of 19th century America in an accessible and very interesting manner. This book is not just for the history enthusiast! I highly recommend it.

Don't be put off by the fact this book was written a few years ago, it's still quite newsworthy. I've been gardening for many years -- everything from a two-acre spread to a small urban garden but I never had to "think small" until I moved to the big city. This book has proved very helpful for resizing thoughts.

In "The Little Bulbs," Miss Lawrence covers everything from miniature daffodils to sqill, from crocuses to irises. Did you know there were miniature irises? Most if not all of the bulbs she describes are still around, and many more varieties exist besides, but this book will get you started and keep you going awhile. I haven't found anything newer with better practical knowledge.

Even if you own an estate, this book can help you. Miss Lawrence has a nice section on container planting which the British have done for years, and we are just beginning to do really well. Remember, bulbs exist for every climate. You can grow the tropical kind in-doors in colder areas (amaryllids), and grow those that require cold outside if you have freezing weather in winter. I like this book so much, I am ordered the hardcover to replace my old paperback which I'm giving to my daughter who is just beginning to garden.

Amazing book. The real account of a Southern heroine from North Carolina, Mary Bayard Clarke. She travels early America, including Texas and Cuba (you can certainly see she lives up to her motto, the title "Life your own life"). The historical detail and meticulous research by the authors brings out her rich and wonderful writing and poetry. I recommend it as a great addition for any Civil War or North Carolina history buff.

This is Reynolds Price's first novel, and what a distinguished beginning it is. Wesley Beavers and Rosacoke Mustian are involved in a mating ritual, a courtship spanning six months (June to December), as they test each other out as a prelude to marriage. Rosacoke spends much of her female energy trying to get Wesley to commit himself emotionally to her, while he is satisfied merely with the physical. She gives herself to him finally (she indeed thinks of what she does as "a gift"), and by the end of the novel she knows she is pregnant and about to give Wesley another "gift" - unwanted at the time by both, but this gift of childbirth will seal their marriage. The novel is filled with opportunities for Rosacoke to handle and calm babies, which she finally succeeds in doing, as she is compelled to "grow up" and face her new responsibilities. She is not sure Wesley will be exactly what she was hoping for, but both reach a plateau of confidence that they will share "a long and happy life" together. The novel is a pastoral one, with much of it set outdoors. Price's personal writing style, which is purely his own and is amazingly powerful and exhilarating, especially in his use of similes, is established right away - a major asset. A wonderful and marvelously written first novel.

I read this book with joy and insight. It is very well written and demonstrates in which way poetry and philosophy (around 1900) is struggling to establish an immediate, unalienated contact between the human being and a surrounding world that lost "looks" and "words."

I was in this show back in 1975, and have been looking for a copy for a long time. The book is wonderfully researched and there are many facts that most people would not know if they didn't read this book.

Over the years, there have been several revisions of the script and most of the revisions are contained in this book. It is fascinating how attitudes have changed over the years and how the script has changed to accommodate current ethnic beliefs.

I give this book full marks for the research and full script that is included.

I was interested in the music and so I tried to read the lyrics. It's a very challenging test of your Latin skills. Very deep and profound. A priest friend of mine really liked it, too.

This is even better than Mackesy's WAR FOR AMERICA. It should be used as a reference for all students of the British side of the war.

Until the publication of this book there was little recognition of North Carolina's outstanding contribution to the Loyalist cause during the Revolution. This is somewhat surprising since North Carolina probably had a greater number of Loyalists in proportion to its population than did any other colony. DeMond's groundbreaking work in this area of Revolutionary studies brings together all the available source material and identifies great numbers of these heretofore little known Loyalists. To the genealogist the Appendices in the back of the book will doubtless hold the greatest interest, for herein are found (1) lists of soldiers and civilians who supported the Crown throughout the Revolution; (2) lists of Loyalists who suffered land confiscation; (3) lists of Loyalists who made application to Great Britain for compensation for loss of office or property; and (4) lists of North Carolina Loyalists who received pensions from Great Britain. This definitive work leaves little to speculation concerning the history or genealogy of Loyalists in North Carolina.