North Carolina Books

We bought Roger's Book for FL lighthouses and used it as the basis for a tour of all of FL's lighthouses and now we plan the same with this book. His pictures are so nice and his easy, friendly and informative writing style is enjoyable. We really enjoy the insight he adds to the history of each lighthouse. We are looking forward to our next trip with this book as our guide.

This book not only contains excellent information on lighthouses, it is beautifully presented with great sketches and pictures. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book. Roger Bansemer has done an outstanding job in putting together this book.

Bansemer's Book Of Carolina And Georgia Lighthouse showcases the great lighthouses that served the maritime trade for generations along the Carolina and Georgia coastlines. Roger Bansemer's informative text is superbly enhanced by his wonderful paintings. Most of these grand structures are no longer in service, having been rendered obsolete by advances in maritime and communications technologies. But their legacy lives on as proud relics of a maritime history that continues to hold a fascination for each new generation. Superbly produced and presented, Bansemer's Book Of Carolina And Georgia Lighthouse is a very highly recommended addition to any light house enthusiast's collection.

Having grown up back in a day when we were taught Antebellum life was a monolithic experience for African Americans, books like this - opening an entirely new door on that era - always fascinate me even though by now, I know better. For example, who knew that some slaves hired themselves out on steamboats for a few weeks or months with no intention of escaping, but simply as respite from the hardships of plantation life?

The title is obviously a play on Mark Twain's nostalgic memoir. Though Buchanan does find some similarities between Twain's liberating experience of the Great River and the opportunities afforded African Americans by the western rivers - for example, mind broadening mobility, communication networks, accumulation of assets by both slave and free persons through labor or trade, and of course, escape routes for fugitives - he notes the dark side absent from steamboat nostalgia is the fact that the horrible "Second Middle Passage" broke up families and transported thousands of slaves in deplorable conditions into the Deep South.

Whether exploring the lives and culture of steamboat workers, free black travelers, abolitionists or scoundrels, the author draws upon the experiences and observations of many individuals through a variety of primary and secondary sources (including slave narratives and travel accounts) demonstrating how multifarious and uncategorizable the experiences of these men and women were. Even many of the laws and customs attempting to control black movement were circumvented in this fluid economy.

Buchanan's writing is concise, and his narrative flows smoothly. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in maritime history as well as those interested in African American Studies.

Thomas Buchanan follows David Cecelski's study of North Carolina's black maritime sailors with this excellent study of black steamboat workers on the Mississippi. Buchanan describes the culture in which the free black and enslaved steamboat crewmen lived, their importance to the southern antebellum economy, as well as, their impact on the institution of slavery. It is in this area that Buchanan an important contribution to our understanding of African American resistance to slavery.

John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger's book on runaway slaves is the most extensive treatments of the subject. Unfortunately, they give short shrift to the importance of the Mississippi River and the steamboat trade as a means of escaping slavery. Buchanan corrects this omission by arguing that African Americans, both free and slave, were a vital part of the steamboat industry's labor force. Runaway slaves from throughout the South often made their escape by blending in with other black steamboat workers and riding steamboats out of slavery. Although aware of the problem, and although numerous measures were enacted to stop it, Southerners were never able to completely stop the flow of slaves escaping by riverboat.

In addition to this book, Buchanan has written two articles on this subject. I recommend all them to anyone interested in the study of African American antebellum life.

Buchanan weaves the compelling narratives of slave, free black, and white workers and passengers on Mississippi steamboats with extensive archival information.

He shows how the river network and steamboat work allowed them to craft multiple ways to resist slavery, poor labor conditions, and the separation of families.

This is a history book with broad appeal to non-historians as well.

This audio tour of the Blue Ridge Mountains was much more than I expected. It was chock full of interesting facts and historical notes of the area and the people who first settled there. It was very well done, easy to follow and even humorous at times. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make a trip through this part of the country even more enjoyable. It turns a nice drive into a memorable learning experience. It's inexpensive and for the money represents very good value.

Travel Narrator's Blue Ridge Parkway audio tour brings out the best of this section of the Blue Ridge mountains. Travelers play the tape while driving the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and Cherokee, North Carolina. This is not simply a look to your right, look to your left, tour. It teaches you about the history and landscape of the North Carolina mountains as you drive through them and it highlights key overlooks and hikes for you to take along the way. It's the next best thing to having a personal tour guide with you . . . and sometimes better. The tape is well worth it.

Travel Narrator's audio tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a MUST for anyone travelling the southernmost section of the Parkway for the first time. Those who know this section well will find the audio tour a delightful, useful companion.I have traveled the Parkway for over 30 years and have done extensive research for a Parkway course I teach, so I can assure that the historical information in the audio tour is extremely accurate. The Parkway is more than a scenic road; it is an interpreter of the region through which it passes. Trevel Narrator enables the listener to enrich his/her understanding of the Blue Ridge region. I hope this is only the first in a series of audio tours that will cover the entire Parkway.

Interesting and pleasant book to read that tells the story of the USS NC through the experiences from certain crewmen.

The author has interviewed numerous former crew stationed throughout the ship and focuses primarily on their personal observations, duties, and lives (personal and onboard). Some crew for example that the book follows are a 5" mount crewmember, a radioman, Kingfisher pilot, bow 20mm gunner, and many more.

Rather than simply tell the more common (and possibly dry reading) "bio" of the ship, the author uses the experiences of the crew to tell the story. For example, because of this, rather than simply stating how many crew were killed or injured at such-and-such occasion, the author put them in a personal perspective where you know their names, duties, and where and what they were doing when they died or were wounded. In each case where a crewman was killed in action, by accident or natural causes the authore tells their stories. The lives of the crew are also followed on liberty in the pacific and in the US - some visting the ladies, bars, others sightseeing, etc.

Throughout the book there are numerous photos of the crewmen that the book relates to, the ship/equipment, and other random interesting images from the battleship's archives (like the purple heart cake made for the USS Kidd after the friendly fire incident.)

In short, the book tells the story of certain crewman and in doing so tells the story of the USS NC.

For a good companion piece that focuses more on the in-depth service history and techincal/machine side of the battleship, check out Ben Blee's "Battleship North Carolina."

I have visited the battleship about 10-15 times in my 50+ years of life. This book brings the history of the ship and the young men who served her into a greater perspective.

The book covers in detail the ship from it's inception up to the end of the war. No detail is missed in the lives of the sailors. Especially gripping are the accounts of the ones who were killed in action. The book wraps up with a final chapter with touching details of some of the recent reunions for the surviving crew members.

This is a must read for anyone interested in history, and especially for those with an interest in the naval history of WWII.

This is a wonderful book that gives you an insight of what our young men were like and their personal experiences during WWII aboard the USS Battleship North Carolina. I'll have to admit that I cried several times as I read the book; the experiences were powerful and the writer portrayed them with such insight and feeling.

Helped me trace my wife's heritage back to Scotland. Since we live in the heart of Scots Carolina it all hits home. All Scottish genealogists will use this book. Very well written.

When I first ordered this book, it was for purely personal reasons. I was tracing hard to find ancestors; however, once the book arrived, I found myself engrossed in compelling reading. In fact, CAROLINA SCOTS is addictive, and I could not put it down until I had finished it.

For the Highland genealogist, this is a must-read. For anyone interested in Scottish history or early-American history, this is a must-read. And, finally, for anyone who enjoys a story well-told and well-written, this is a must read.

I'm waiting on Part II.

Doug Kelly has provided a much needed addition to the geneological arena with this 500 page work. If your family is from Carolina and of Scottish derivation, it is probably in here. The general history section is worth twice the price alone. A must have for even the part-time family history buff.

How do I become a member of a cherokee nation of Oklahoma? please post on internet because I don't have an email! I'm using a friends computer thanks!

This set contains the Official US Census Rolls of Cherokee Indians recorded between 1817-1924. Volume one covers those Cherokee living East of the Mississippi River, Volume 2 covers Cherokee who were living West of the Mississippi River. These same rolls are still used today in determining tribal enrollment eligibility, along with the 1924 Baker Roll and the Dawes Roll for Cherokee people. If you are looking for your Cherokee ancestors, this set is a MUST have!
Raven SiJohn,Managing Editor

Good book, but for the $800 it's listing for on Amazon? Crazy. It is a must have and if you must have it, order it from the Museum of the Cherokee Indian for $10.

After a surprisingly interesting visit to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota I was anxious to know more about this unsung chapter of American History. This book was everything I wanted and more.

Full of well researched facts, insightful conclusions and fascinating details, it reads like a dream. If I could give it 6 stars I would! Well done Janet M. Davis.

after reading "WATER FOR ELEPHANTS" I needed some circus history and this book was great. Love the pictures. This was a pleasure to read.

Davis' book is a rare scholarly exploration of the history of the American circus. She makes smart conclusions about this Amercan instituion. Her work is well documented and a pleasure to read.

I took classes from Prof. Hilbert in College. He is incredibly brilliant. If you can pick up just two or three main points from this book, it will be worth every penny you spent. One of the top 5 books ever written. If you like sociology and want to have your world rocked, pick this up.

In this well-written and important book, Hilbert demonstrates how key themes in classical social theory were lost or 'inverted' by Talcott Parsons. Hilbert goes on to show how Garfinkel's 'Studies in Ethnomethodology' (1967), and related work by other early ethnomethodologists generated a body of knowledge regarding actual social practices that stood Parsons on his head, thereby unintentionally 'recovering' some of the key insights lost to American Sociology through Parson's interpretation of Durkheim and Weber. A thought-provoking book whose insights can fuel further empirical work explicating the actual processes of the social world.

In this well-written and important book, Hilbert demonstrates how key themes in classical social theory were lost or 'inverted' by Talcott Parsons. Hilbert goes on to show how Garfinkel's 'Studies in Ethnomethodology' (1967), and related work by other early ethnomethodologists generated a body of knowledge regarding actual social practices that stood Parsons on his head, thereby unintentionally 'recovering' some of the key insights lost to American Sociology through Parson's interpretation of Durkheim and Weber. A thought-provoking book whose insights can fuel further empirical work explicating the actual processes of the social world.

Reynolds Price was born in North Carolina. He has lived here his whole life, excluding four years in Europe. He is rooted in Southern ways and Southern life. With Clear Pictures, we understand how his rural beginnings shaped the life that he has made. We begin to understand the basis of all the wonderful characters he has shown us.

OK, this is yet another great autobio by a writer that I admire: it displays a fabulous power of memory - one of the traits that Nabokov said was a sign of creativitiy - and is written in a secure and elegant style. Its portraits are sharp and unlike any that I have ever read, leavened with enormous subtlety and humor. This makes it a truly unique read.

Interestingly, not a whole lot happens in this autobio outside of personal growth, ambition, and his father overcoming alcoholism. Instead, the author muses over a rich life that started with an average family. There are deep relationships and a great deal of love, ruminations over the racism and sensitivity of his southern upbringing, and the outlines of his concerns with art. It is a bit annoying that he plays the pronoun game with those he loved: obviously, they were either men or men and women, so why not say it?

If you like a measured and calm set of vivid recollections by an individual of great literary talent, you enjoy this very much. Very very much.

Reynold's beautiful memoir contains memorable characters that many readers will find perched somewhere in their family tree. The prose pleads to be read aloud.

A very well done guidebook. Location information is especially helpful. Kelley made extraordinary efforts to contact climbers of early routes to obtain accurate historical data. We can only hope Kelley will put together a fourth edition.

This is the third copy of this guide I have owned. I wore out two copies of the 2nd edition. This latest edition is superb in the descriptions, details and advice offered.

This book is must have to anyone climbing in North Carolina. Especially if new to the area. It is a very well thought out and produced book, The Photos and topos are very useful,a nd the line drawings are very clear. It covers all of the good Climbs I know about in the state.