North Carolina Books

Following the 2004 elections, citizens of the U.S. learned that they were less United than they had previously thought. It turned out that there were two countries in the space formerly called America, one red and one blue. The strange thing was that the citizens of each color-coded country believed that the people in the other part of the map were actively working against their own interests. Blue-staters saw red-staters as voting for rich people who exploit them, and red-staters believed blue-staters to be recklessly building up a wasteful government.

I live in a blue state (Canada), and so I was naturally curious to find out what the red-staters were all about. I bought and read Thomas Frank's blockbuster What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, which turned out to be a kind of character study of the type of person who votes Republican. The analysis is interesting, but rather superficial -- the conclusion was that a lot of working class people vote based on what the media like to call "moral values", which is a felt need to be patriotic, god-fearing, independent, etc. They're drawn to candidates who have personalities that seem to exemplify such values, even when their actions don't. Reagan is the canonical example.

(Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a similar analysis of blue-staters. Every attempt I've seen is almost comically inflammatory and patently wrong. I realize it makes no sense to expect thoughtful insight from the likes of Coulter/D'Souza/O'Reilly, but I haven't seen much else. I also realize that the problem of summarizing the shared political outlook of 100 million people in 200 pages is formidable, but Frank actually makes it seem doable).

What's great about The Party of Fear is that David Bennett traces the origins of this brand of reactionary thinking to the beginnings of the U.S. It turns out that the kind of anxieties expressed by the folks in Frank's book have been part of the American political landscape for centuries. In all likelihood they typify a sort of personality trait that can be summarized most succinctly as pathological fear of uncertainty. Hence the recent rightward lurch in American politics can be attributed to renewed fears of terrorism, just as previous political movements were sparked by fear of immigrants, Catholics, Irish, etc. As Bennett points, in each case there really was a legitimate reason to be afraid (e.g. immigrants actually were more likely to carry certain diseases), but in each case the reaction of a certain segment of the population was exaggerated in its magnitude and irrational in its substance. The appeal of the current "War on Terrorism" is just the latest example. Yes, terrorism is a threat. No, it does not help to attack random countries or to set up secret prisons.

I'm not sure whether or not it's comforting to learn that paranoia has always been a driving force in American politics. On the one hand, as Party of Fear documents, its influence waxes and wanes from decade to decade. On the other hand, it is totally irrational, surprisingly pervasive, and neither of these aspects is likely to change.

For further information on the same subject I can recommend the more scholarly The Politics of Unreason: Right-Wing Extremism America and the really outstanding Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.

According to historian David Bennett, the parties of fear took many forms, from the anti-Masonic parties of the 1790s to the Know-Nothings of the 1850s. The American Protective Associations of the 1890s subscribed to nativist formulas, as did the acolytes of the Red Scares after World War I. The Ku Klux Klan became an archetype of anti-alienism during the raucous 1920s. A different sort of nativist ideology emerged after the fall of the Klan, in the form of McCarthyism, the John Birch Society, and the New Right of the 1970s and 1980s. Bennett finds common threads in all of these movements and organizations. Subscribers to the ideologies of hate believed in an America resembling a Garden of Eden, a perfect paradise that promised "freedom, opportunity, individualism, equality for all true Americans." Aliens, outsiders who spoke strange languages, practiced inferior religions, and looked different represented a threat to this concept of an edenic America. Nativists abhorred the foreigners' presence, and they were willing to abandon the very principles they cherished in the fight to preserve their country. Moreover, rising to the endless challenges presented by waves of immigrants and foreign ideas allowed these super patriots to find shelter from status anxiety by banding together with like-minded people.

The history of nativism from the inception of the United States to the 1930s oscillated between anti-Masonic, anti-Catholic, and anti-communist sentiments. Concerns about Freemasonry welded with suspicions of Illuminism offered a hope for Federalists who wished to regain their waning influence in the 1790s. The early anti-communist attacks occurred shortly after the First World War with the Palmer Raids. By far the most important fuel for nativist fires during this period was the Catholics. Hatred of "Romanists" and "Papists" first surfaced during the colonial era when religious animosities between England and Spain traveled across the Atlantic to America. By the middle of the eighteenth century, anti-Catholic attacks by Protestants reached a fever pitch as Irish immigration into the country soared to undreamt of heights. The secret societies of the 1830s fought pitched battles with recently arrived men of Eire in the streets of eastern cities. These gangs eventually coalesced into the Know-Nothings of the 1850s, a third party that gained success in local and state elections on a platform filled with anti-Catholicism. The disintegration of this party due to divisions over slavery, and the subsequent Civil War, briefly quieted nativism. The American Protective Associations of the late eighteenth century and the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s marked the high water of anti-Catholic attacks.

When the United States failed to fall prey to the Vatican, anti-alienists moved on to other lucrative ventures. They also, according to Bennett, shifted their fears from foreigners to foreign ideas. The old nativism declined due to a number of factors. Immigration slowed thanks to the national quota acts of 1924, cosmopolitanism triumphed, and the economic policies of the Roosevelt administration greatly alleviated the old fears traditionally transferred to immigrants. Additionally playing a part were the rise of corporate ethics, which placed an emphasis on performance over ethnicity, and academics such as Franz Boas who eroded the old concepts of Social Darwinism and racial superiority. From the 1930s on, those movements that still insisted on blaming foreigners for the ills of the country moved further and further to the fringes of the right. The "mainstream" parties of fear attacked communism with a zeal reminiscent of the old anti-Romanist fanatics, but it was an "inverted" nativism led by Catholics like Father Coughlin and Joseph McCarthy who launched salvos against a Protestant elite perceived as soft on Moscow.

Bennett's book resembles in no small way Seymour Lipset's and Earl Raab's "The Politics of Unreason." Both studies recognized fear and anxiety over status as motivating factors of American nativism. Bennett does a better job in his book, however, because he examines the myriad factors that inspired anti-alienism. For example, chapters describing the rise of the secret societies and the Know-Nothings also describe the host of ills caused by a flood of Irish immigrants. Crime rates and public expenditures exploded in eastern cities unequipped to handle the huge influx of uneducated foreigners unfamiliar with the American system. Moreover, citizens worried about immigrants driving down wages, diseases, and the swelling size of the cities where the Irish stayed after arriving in the country. By showing the very real circumstances behind the rise of anti-Catholic, anti-Irish attitudes, the author allows nativist attitudes to assume context.

Factual errors are not as troubling as the author's occasional forays into psychohistorical speculation. For example, after a lengthy section detailing the popularity of anti-Catholic books describing the sexual debasement of women, Bennett begins using the words "might" and "could have" more times than is comfortable. To explain the lure of these degrading tracts, he cites "psychoanalytic literature" that "suggests an inextricable alliance between sadism and masochism. Both seem to represent means of defense against castration anxiety; by performing symbolic castration on others, the sadist gains assurance that he is the castrator and not the castrated." This claim seems to be far outside the realm of the historian, to say the least. Students of the past must recognize they do not possess the necessary tools to perform psychological analysis. Even if the historian holds a degree in psychology, the subjects did not leave behind the type of evidence required to make such sweeping judgments. The author should have avoided making these conclusions. "The Party of Fear" is a monumental achievement, a learned, exceptionally researched, highly readable tome of great significance for students of extremist politics. Investigating the far right is never an easy task due to the enormous amount of primary source material churned out in reams by hundreds of its adherents. David Bennett did an excellent job successfully navigating his way through three hundred years of the lunatic fringe.

Bennett provides an insightful and concise detailing of American history dealing with the rightist movements. From the nativist / anti-papacy movements of the 1840's to the Christian Militia movements with their stress on government conspiracies that are guided by a Jewish elite, this work provides the basis for understanding the reactionary movements which seem so vogue today.

As a new recruit in the growing international army of Civil War reenactors, I was anxious to evolve past the usual march-and-shoot mass maneuvers into effective first-person interaction with spectators. But having never even seen a living-history interpreter, I wasn't sure what to do. Then I found Ms. Roth's delightful book on the internet! She interviewed scores of experienced interpreters at the best living-history museums in the United States and Canada to find out how they hook -- and keep -- the interests of their visitors. The result is some imaginative out-of-the-box approaches that make visitors think they're being entertained instead of educated! The fun that the interpreters obviously have with their roles is infectious -- I could hardly wait to try it! This is a MUST read for anyone who's ever thought of going to a historical reinactment as either a participant or a spectator.

I have participated as a living history first person interpreter for over 6 years, and have been a visitor at many living history sites across the country. I am also the period costume coordinator for a living history site. I have seen first hand many effective and ineffective presentations.

While reading and searching for textbooks for our upcoming "Dame School" program for young ladies at our site, I came across this book. Since the text is clear and written to be interesting as well as educational,I have chosen it as a textbook for our "school". I believe our young students will be able to relate well to the book, and that we will be able to use this book to guide them to more effectual presentations. I also highly recommend it for adults.

This book is very good at giving hints on how to engage visitors in conversations useful in imparting stories of the site one is working, as well as methods to diffuse potential problems. It presents varied types of sites which were reviewed by the author, and gives good examples of what is effective and what is not. This book also discusses class distinctions and first person interpretations of difficult and traumatic events and activities of the past, such as slavery. To give a well rounded view of history, first person interpreters can't just present the rosy side of life!

The extensive listing of living history sites which is in the back section of the book would be very useful to persons who are considering the hobby or profession of first person interpretation.

Television, movies, computers, even video games have changed the way we look at history. Recently written books on history are now in a style that gives the reader a greater understanding of what our founding father's and 19th century pioneer's daily lives were like.
Everything, it seems, is three dimensional today. Try visiting an American History museum - it's not your father's museum, that's for sure!
In her book, "Past Into Present," Ms. Roth just about covers every aspect of presenting history in all its glory and gore by using the process known as 1st person. First person brings the folks from the distant past back to life by having a re-enactor or a museum docent dress in period clothing, doing a job or a chore from the past, and speaking as if they actually ARE that long-dead person, alive again, here to share their knowlegde of times gone by. I, myself, impose a 1st person technique for my civilian impression in the 21st Michigan Civil War reenactors, and I must say that "Past into Present" truly helped me understand the importance of what I am representing while doing my impression. Through her book Ms. Roth also helped me see the pros and cons of being a 1st person living historian as well - how to stay in character, for instance, without jumping back and forth between first and third person.
From what I have seen at some re-enactments - and even at a museum - some living historians do not give the past the justice it deserves. They are the ones who should own this book as well. I've learned to give the reverence these folks from the past that we are emulating the respect they so deserve.
The writer can get a bit wordy (so can I, can't you tell?) but if you are one who is a bit more passionate about the past and would rather get deeper involved in history than the average person, then I would suggest you taking a gander at this book and read how you can become one from the past into the present at your next reenactment.

I picked up this book after hearing a talk on the the recovery of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ship, now going on near Beaufort, NC. The book has the appealing qualities of great stories, excellent prose, and solid scholarship. Using Butler's references, a reader can explore way beyond what the book offers.

Finding a chapter on James Waddell, born in nearby Pittsboro, NC, was a surprise and a delight. Waddell, in the closing days of the Civil War, circumnavigated the globe, intending to disrupt Union whaling, a task at which he succeeded admirably. Waddell's Shenandoah was the only Confederate ship to cruise in the Pacific.

Butler's book highlights seamen of the southern coast, and brings to life vibrant personalities that most of us have not heard of. Pirates (Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet) get adequate attention, but are not the stars of the show. Otway Burns, a real swashbuckling privateer, is by far a more interesting character. The Confederate privateers are heroes in their cause, leading and surviving adventures worthy of an O'Brian or Forester. Confederate naval commanders (Cooke, Maffitt, Wood, Waddell) give a new face to war-time intrepidity. Most of those were names I did not know, but all were intriguing new personalities.

The book is spare, describing eight individuals in a little more than 200 pages. Butler provides adequate detail, in general, but doesn't often go beyond that. Having read Butler's book, I want to find out more, as you might. Waddell's exploits, for example, get a book length treatment in the recent volume, "Sea of Gray," by Tom Chaffin. Maffitt's novel, "Nautilus," is still in print and could be worth a look. There are others.

Butler's book is a tiny bit repetitive in spots, not a big surprise, given the degree of interaction among the protagonists. The repetitive elements are brief and not distracting. The inclusion of multiple maps is very useful for keeping geographical track. The photos emphasize that these were real people, with real lives -- including their loves, losses, heartaches, disappointments, and achievements. The tedium of a naval career is also abundantly represented. Butler does a good job of humanizing men who could otherwise have been caricatured as comic book superheroes. I also liked the descriptions of the innovations in ship-building that occurred, especially in Souther shipyards, during the War.

A good read for the nautical history buff, worth the money to buy, worth the effort to recommend. The prose is accessible, I think, to adults and young readers from about high school age.

While visiting beautiful Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks recently I picked up this book in a local book store. I wanted to get some flavor of the island's history and had skimmed through a dozen or so titles before I settled on this one. I was not disappointed. Lindley S. Butler has captured the marine lore of the Outer Banks in a well written and researched book. "Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast" chronicles, without sensationalism, the often bloody careers of eight of the most important personalities of the days of pirates, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. All, from the pirate Blackbeard to the Confederate raider James I. Waddell, are shone in realistic fashion. I was much impressed by both the wealth of sources listed and with the easy reading style of this work. It made a great read during my flight from Raleigh-Durham to El Paso. This is, in my opinion as a non-historian, the way histories should be written to make them more accessible to the layman. I have to also give my compliments to the University of North Carolina Press for publishing this excellent account, which stands out among any number of books on pirates and privateers.

If you visit the coast of either North or South Carolina and wish to know more about the rich local history, you cannot go wrong in reading Butler's volume on the subject!

With Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders, Dr. Lindley Butler has written an exceptionally readable narrative that attempts to transcend the myths of sea outlaws and tell the stories of 8 important seafarers who operated off the rugged North Carolina coast. The book spans over 150 years from 18th century pirates, to privateers during the War of 1812, and rebel raiders of the Civil War. The stories of the notorious Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet open the book with engrossing tales about these pirates' lives and activities during their relatively short stints as outlaws. Historical consultant to the archaeological team exploring the 18th century wreck off the coast of North Carolina believed to be Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, Butler has researched some of the most up-to-date material on the world famous pirate, though much of Blackbeard's early life remains a mystery. Equally engaging are the stories of the lesser-known privateer, Otway Burns, and naval commerce raider Johnston Blakeley who operated out of North Carolina during the War of 1812. The poignancy of Blakeley's final days is skillfully told through Butler's narrative. The book concludes with the exploits of Confederate naval officers James Cooke of the ironclad Albemarle, blockade runner John Maffitt, naval commando John Taylor Wood, and James Waddell, the commerce raider who sailed around the world in the Shennandoah. The stories of these naval heroes of the rebellion reveal the intensity of the national struggle that shook the country apart and draw the reader into a deeper understanding of the personal struggles that affected so many in the nation. Although the lives of these eight men are not romanticized in Butler's book, romance is not left out of his narrative as family life and personal relationships are woven into each biographical sketch. Nonetheless, the action packed stories of these maritime warriors and thieves are thoroughly captivating, making the book difficult to put down. What Butler has reminded us is that history in its truest form is first and foremost about story-telling. He has succeeded in telling the stories of these men's lives in a way that is both historically informative and skillfully narrated.

A delightful collection of Post Cards depicting this lovely mountain settlement when it was pristine and largely untouched by man's hand. Much has been destroyed and replaced by new homes and condos, but the Historical Society captured life as it once was drawing flatlanders to cool from the summer heat. When transportation was difficult and arduous to Blowing Rock and God was still the architect in charge.

an excellent compendium of photographs which adorned postcards from a bygone era from this wonderful hamlet.While many of the hotels,motels,and attractions no longer exist,you can still find them in the minds eye with this book...truly a treasure to savor and share with your children

A project of the Blowing Rock Historical Society, Post Cards Of Historic Blowing Rock is a coffee table book showcasing wonderful samples of rare, historic, and colorful postcards from the American town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. A brief caption with background information on the pastoral scenes and landmarks enhances each postcard presentation and thereby brings to life a vivid, visually impressive, and memorable collection. A unique and highly recommended approach to regional American history, Post Cards Of Historic Blowing Rock could well serve as an example of what might be done by other community organizations to celebrate and memorialize their villages, towns, and cities.

This woman really was a wounded, sick individual and Schutze tells her bone-chilling story with grace and wit.

Jim Schutze, the book's author, takes you inside the crimes committed by Taylor-Moore against lovers, husbands, and family members. In horrifying detail, Schutze describes how the poison used, arsenic, destroys the body from the inside, and the pain and torture it creates. At times, the descriptions may seem almost too graphic, particularly if someone leans towards being a "visual" person to begin with. Not for shock value, however. I am convinced that Schutze uses the graphic detail to take the reader into the victim or his (her? as suggested in the death of Isla Taylor) family, allowing the reader to "see" and feel what those around the victim felt and experienced. Horribly real in every way, but it's not easy to put this book down either.

I got this book out of my local library after seeing the TV movie starring Elizabeth Montgomery. The TV movie was based on this book. However, the movie did not even begin to scratch the surface of what Blanche Taylor Moore was really like. I was horrified to think that one human being could be this evil, yet appear perfectly normal. Her father was a terrible man, there was no question about that. He forced Blanche to do things that no child should have to endure. That is why Blanche probably turned out the way she did. It does not, however, excuse the terrible things she did to the people she supposedly "loved." It's a fascinating book.

I can understand now why such people like Dean Smith are on the top of their careers. From my opinion it's their beliefs and healthy attitudes towards their occupations. The best quote for me is the one where he talks about inner affirmations and the sources of them and about the negative effects of external affirmations. Really a book that needs to be read few times. Very recommended!

Dean was an unbelievable coach who was able to participate in an incredibly competitive arena, yet make consistent decisions with his values and beliefs, never compromising those ideals, even in the heat of battle. The way he created the Carolina family, always remembering everybody who ever played, managed and worked with the team is truly amazing. Keep this book by your bedside and refer to it often.

I like this new book about Dean Smith a lot. Smith was famous in his press conferences for rambling on and on and not saying much of anything quotable, but the author (David Scott) has painstakingly culled Smith down to a point where the excellent coach sounds funnier, blunter and more insightful than he is often given credit for. This book would be a superb addition to a Carolina fan's library, and Lord knows there are a few of them out there.

I have never read this book, however I have known Ray Hicks for practically my whole life. I live in Boone, near where Ray spent his whole life. I first went to his house when I was 3 years old, but my mother did not take me to the top of that remote mountain to hear Ray's famous Jack tales. Ray Hicks was a faith healer, a seventh son of a seventh son with true powers. I had thirty three warts covering my hands. All Ray had to do was count my warts and perform some mysterious act on a designated tree he had in his backyard. After three weeks every single wart was gone, without the help of a single drop of medicine or even the slightest touch. Ray performed this incredible wart removal on myself, my brother, my mother, our neighbors, and anyone else that was in need of his powers. I am not a religious man and am not one to put faith in things I cannot explain, however Ray Hicks healed me and touched me in a very special way. Please read this book to discover how incredible this simple mountain man truly was.

"Ray Hicks", Robert Isbell's beautiful narrative about one of America's favorite Appalachian storytellers, brought me to tears, into uncontrollable guffaws, and sent chills up my spine - a literary high. Isbell recounts his conversations with various members of the Hicks' kinship, painting beautiful images of the proud yet humble life which abounds in the Southern Appalachians.
Most wonderful about this book is that Isbell does not go too far in attempting to present Hicks' vernacular speech in a jumbled, Elizabethan mess. He relies simply on Hicks' eloquent turns-of-phrase to present his fascination and amazement with the man's craft. The author's prose reads like fiction and ethnography simultaneously, resulting in a heartfelt portrayal of the American spirit.
Isbell, no dummy when it comes to mountain life himself, is able to create an honest portrait not only of one man, but an entire family and an entire region. He weaves magic, fantasy, reality, music, Jack tales, religion, and myth-as-truth to create one hell of a literary, folkloric and anthropological accomplishment.
When I finished the book, I closed it softly with a tearful smile. I then ordered a basket of daisies to be delivered to Ray and Rosa Hicks at their Old Mountain Rd. home.

Sadly, Ray Hicks has been diagnosed with advanced cancer since this book was written. A fund has been created for the cause (The Ray and Rosa Hicks Fund), the address of which can be found on various webpages.

12/24/2003
This exquisite book is a beautiful, fitting tribute to the remarkable national treasure, Ray Hicks, who took stories passed down orally for centuries and magically brought them to life for new generations. Previously published in hardback as "The Last Chivaree," this book is an authentic, moving portrayal of the charismatic Ray Hicks and his family. Working from hundreds of hours of taped interviews, Robert Isbell realistically and poetically evokes the lives of people whose great spirit and joyful participation in the suffering of the world allowed them not only to survive inconceivable poverty and hardship, but to triumph.

Ray Hicks died in April of this year (2003), and Robert Isbell, the author of this book and my father, died two weeks ago. Each had reached his 80th birthday. Both were luminaries to all who knew them.

Everyone should purchase this book.

It is a chapter that contains information about the murder of my maternal grandfather, Walter Gunn.

Norrell's book gives a detailed story of the movement in Tuskegee, the home of Booker T. Washington. It clearly shows of the Macon County's progress away from the accommodationist views of Washington. For those who are not familiar with the movement outside the realms of Martin Luther King and others, Reaping the Whirlwind is a great source to fill your mind.

The struggle for civil rights was a long and argous process, and Robert Norrell's Reaping the Whirlwind, is an example of how the movement progressed, grew, and eventually was successful. In his book he traces the lines of leadership at Tuskegee Institute in Macon County, Alabama. As the novel progresses, society increasingly adapts to the ideals behind an integrated community. The struggle for equality was not won as easliy as the court battles suggested rather, true equality could never have existed due to the white exodus of the "model city." This is an excellent portrayal of the events in this small town, and this novel should be mandatory reading in any civcs or Civil Rights History class

Great book to read after Stephen Sear's Penninsula Campaign (even noted by the editor). This great collection of CW historians take the leading characters and events of the 7 days campaign and provide insights to this fascinating series of battles that set the Union back three years. Fascinating writing of John Bankhead Magruder, the hero of the lower Peninsula, whose prewar reputation for drink and ladies combined with lack of sleep, stress, illness and improper medical treatment created a magnifyer for his failures particularly at Malvern Hill. Lee's desire to rid himself of Magruder who was a hero just weeks before is in stark contrast to his retaining of Stonewall who as R. K. Krick writes was virtually ineffective for a multitude of reasons, primarily due to sleep deprivation. Also, great essays on McClellan whose grandiose ego was not able to stand upright on the battlefield and his engineers who could build anything he needed but were used as scapegoats just like anyone else to excuse his own conduct. Additional essays are on the great importance of the seven days battles to lift southern morale and the enhancement of the radicals position contributed to by McClellan's failures during the campaign. Superb article on the artillery duel on Malvern Hill and confederate attack that collapsed under murderous and accurate union artillery fire. The Union's artillery was no match for its southern counterparts. R.E.L. Krick highlights Whiting's Division (with Hood) breaking the Union line decisively at Gaines Mill. No one knows the battlefield better than Krick. Longstreet may have wished he never picked up a pen after Krick writes of Longstreet's post war confusion of facts over his command of Whiting, "It appears an unusually early example of the gasconade for which Longstreet is now famous". That commentary would have made "Old Jube" proud.

The April-July 1862 Richmond campaign was a critical point in the American civil war that resulted in more than 50,000 casualties, 35,000 of whom fell in seven days (June 26 - July 1). The Richmond Campaign Of 1862: The Peninsula & The Seven Days offers nine essays exploring questions regarding high command, strategy and tactics, the effects of the fighting upon the politics and society of both the Union and the Confederacy, and the ways in which emancipation figured in the campaign. Included is an invaluable analysis of the Richmond campaign's place in the broader sweep of the war in 1862, assessments of George B. McClellan's generalship and Stonewall Jackson's flawed performance, an examination of the campaign's impact on white and black civilians in the region, the role of the engineers in the Union effort, the role of artillery in the battle of Malvern Hill, and more. Highly recommended for personal and academic Civil War studies reading lists and reference collections, The Richmond Campaign Of 1862 is an impressive work of painstaking, informative, insightful scholarship.

I agree with an earlier reviewer who writes that this book is a great companion (or follow-up) book to Stephen Sears "To the Gates of Richmond". Mr. Sears books gives a vivid account of the overall campaign, while this book offers some insightful essays about certain aspects of the campaign. The authors are all experts in the field, and offer well written essays for the reader to contemplate.

I really enjoyed this book because the authors cover a wide range of topics to include General McClellan's flawed performance, "Stonewall" Jackson's less than stellar leadership during the campaign, the artillery battle at Malvern Hill, "Prince" John Magruder's struggles, and the affect of the campaign on both Northern and Southern society. These detailed essays offer readers the latest and greatest scholarship about the Richmond campaign. They really helped me gain a much deeper understanding about what the campaign was like, why it was so important to the overall war effort (for both sides), and most importantly, how did if affect those involved.

I highly recommend this book for those "students" of the Civil War (like me) who are looking to gain a richer grasp of the events that happened during the Richmond campaign. If you have not read anything about the Richmond campaign (usually referred to as the Pennisula and Seven Days campaign) then I suggest that you read "To the Gates of Richmond" by Stephen Sear first, then this book.

The book is informative and fun. The authors divide the chapters by types of activities (i.e. arts, active, spectator sports) which is helpful. Additionally, each activity is specified by geographic location (mountains, piedmont, coastal plain). I think this book would be especially nice for a wedding or anniversary gift for a couple living in North Carolina.

I bought this book as a gift for someone who asked for it, but I looked through it first. I expected cupids and overly cute things, but the authors have a real sense of humor and appreciate the potential romantic qualities of a wide range of otherwise cool things to do. I think it's just a great guidebook of fun things to do in North Carolina, romantic or not ... in the eyes of the beholder, I guess. But, if you're going to NC, or live there, take a look at it.

Romantic North Carolina is good fun for lovers and others seeking adventures off the beaten path in such a beautiful state. The authors are savvy about their topic and include vivid site descriptions and a vast amount of resources on North Carolina. The book is exceptionally well-designed and will be a handsome and helpful addition to travel collections.