North Carolina Books

Charles F. Price's "The Cock's Spur" is a fine read. It is so fine, in fact, that I wonder what publishers were thinking when they handed over $8+Million dollars to Charles Frazier (for "Thirteen Moons") who isn't half the writer that Price is. If historical fiction is in fact enjoying a small renaissance, then Charles F. Taylor should be at, or at least near, the top of the list.

The characterizations are vivid, as are the location descriptions, that beautifully rendered sense of place. Price can describe the western North Carolina landscape & terrain in such fine detail that one can smell it as well as see and hear it. The tactile qualities of this book are remarkable. Some of the colorful characters like Hamby McFee or Web Darling, the Moonshine King, are so vivid that you will find yourself thinking about them long after the last page is read. And Hamby, that robustly interesting and prickly person, continues on in Price's next book "Where the Water Dogs Laugh-The Story of the Great Bear", another remarkable story of the late 1800's in the NC mountains.

And having mentioned this last book about the Great Bear, I have to say that the ending of "Where the Water Dogs Laugh" is one of the most luminous & poignant endings I've ever read. It reminded me of Nuala O'Faolain's cerebral in-the-forest ending of her 2002 novel "My Dream of You". Price is such a fine writer that I am constantly amazed at his dexterous use of vocabulary and character dialog. As a writer myself, I can't think of anyone better as a model for carefully crafted stroytelling, right up there with William Styron, et al.

Give "The Cock's Spur" a try; you won't be disappointed. It does have an odd title but don't let that hinder you. It refers to cock fighting, a testosterone-laced sport enjoyed by mountain men who want to play tough...with their birds. Hamby McFee has a special way of communicating with animals, any animal, especially fighting roosters. Very interesting indeed.

Mr. Price makes this history flow with fleshed out characters and inviting narritive. A thoughtful and well written book that you won't put down till it's finished.

Price's multigenerational saga that began with Hiwassee and Freedom's Altar continues in The Cock's Spur as war heroes, thugs, farmers, craftsmen, former slaves, cock fighters, fallen men and women, and moonshine kings interact with a clash of will, purpose, action, and destiny. These books are so rich, so finely textured with all the elements of good historical fiction, and Price engages the reader so completely that he causes you to examine your own need for finding meaning and seeking redemption. Hamby McFee, born into slavery and searching for his place in a post-war life of freedom, is one of the most memorable characters you will ever meet; and his personal journey, his pilgrim's progress toward understanding the meaning of loyalty, friendship, family, home, and love, is remarkably portrayed by Price with emotional depth and sensitivity seldom seen from such a perspective. I recommend you treat yourself to a real feast by reading all four novels in the order they were written: Hiwassee, Freedom's Altar, The Cock's Spur, and Where the Water-Dogs Laughed.

Klein's approach to Plato is to examine the literary form in relation to the meaning imparted by the dialogue. Very often, the meaning of the dialogue is not made explicit by the content of the discussion between the principal characters. Most Platonic scholars, sadly enough, chalk this up to a deficiency in Plato rather than a deficiency in their own grasp of Plato's literary technique. So they claim that certain of Plato's dialogues are merely logical exercises with no outcome. Plato is far more subtle than that, and his greatness is bound up just as much with his mastery of the dialogue as with his philosophical insights. I have found what I have learned from Klein to be applicable to many of Plato's other works, and it has improved my understanding greatly. I recommend this work as a first rate introduction to reading Plato.

After teaching Plato's Meno several times, I chose to use this text as a commentary for my students. It was an excellent choice--they loved the text and interpretation, as well as Klein detailed exegesis of the argument. Excellent scholarship.

Jacob Klein is often describes as a 'Straussian' - but of course this is perfectly untrue. Leo Strauss and Klein (and perhaps even Alexandre Kojeve too) either stumbled upon the practice of pre-modern philosophic esotericism on their own and/or while in contact with each other. Well, this last is an exaggeration too, it is more likely that Kojeve picked it up from the other two rather than his arriving at it entirely on his own as an original insight. Now, all three of these thinkers had been exposed to the greatest song-and-dance man (i.e., Martin Heidegger) of twentieth century philosophy in their formative periods and thus his maneuvering was a great influence on them all. Besides this, Strauss was deeply influenced by several non-Christian Medieval Philosophers (e.g., Alfarabi, Averroes, Maimonides) while both Klein and Kojeve seem to have been almost entirely innocent of the influence of these Falasifa.

In the letters exchanged between Strauss and Kojeve ('On Tyranny', Revised and Expanded Edition, U. Chi. Pr., 2000) we see the regard and respect these two thinkers had for Klein. For instance, in the letter of 8/22/48 Strauss says of his interpretation of Xenophan that "I know of no one besides yourself [i.e., Kojeve] and Klein who will understand what I am after...' (p. 236). This respect for Klein was shared by Kojeve: in a letter of 3/29/62 Kojeve says, "Except for yourself [i.e., Strauss] and Klein I have not yet found anybody from whom I could learn something." (p. 307). There are, by the way, several amusing asides about Kleins almost legendary indolence. I share one example that might be apropos here: "Klein claims to have finished his book on the Meno -only three more months for checking on the footnotes- but since he has said more or less the same three years ago I believe I shall have to wait another lustrum for its appearance." (Letter of 5/29/1962, Strauss to Kojeve, p. 309).

Well, Klein was, in fact, as Strauss divined only 'about' finished (the published date, 1965, is three years after the amusing remarks of Strauss above) but the result, this book, was well worth waiting for. Now, why has this book been in print for 40 odd years? -Because the 'Meno' dialogue is so popular? To be honest, I rather doubt it! It is because the 'Introductory Remarks' at the beginning of this book contain one of the best brief discussions of how to read Plato -that is, how to take into account Plato's esotericism- that I am aware of. In fact, if a novice were to ask me where to first learn of Plato's art of 'cautious writing' - this is the first book I would send him to.

Why? Because Klein gives an extremely acute explanation (and demonstration) of the ancient way of employing esotericism as a method (and a necessity!) of 'soulcraft'. Klein begins the Introductory Remarks by acclimating the student to the notion that the Platonic dialogues are dramatic encounters and not some sort of failed Aristotelian treatise. (It is shameful how many academics still think that it is a great pity that Plato did not write Treatises!) It is in the intercourse between the actions and speeches of the participants in these dialogues that Plato's meaning and intentions emerge. Klein correctly tells us that the dialogues "intent is to imitate oral instruction." In order to do this Plato writes mini-dramas that subtly indicate more than they say.

A means of doing this is irony. But Socratic Irony was not the same as the older types of irony. "The old Irony of the tragic or comic reversal of fortune they perfectly appreciated. But this new kind, which had a trick of making you uncomfortable if you took it as a joke and of getting you laughed at if you took it seriously? People did not like it, did not know what to make of it. But they were quite sure it was Irony." Socratic Irony, unlike the irony of the theatre, intends to force you to reveal yourself. Uncomfortable? - You should be! Plato is neither simply telling a story nor, less simply, lecturing us on philosophical issues; - Plato is trying to get us, dear readers, to reveal our very souls!

Thus Klein says that for any statement to be ironical in the Socratic sense "there must be someone capable of understanding that it is ironical." Socrates "is not ironical to satisfy himself." We are all called upon to be 'silent participants', not 'indifferent spectators' of these dialogues. Klein correctly adds that, "a (Platonic) dialogue has not taken place if we, the listeners or readers, did not actively participate in it..." The Socratic Dialogue is a form of writing that must be completed by our active, but dialogically silent, participation. But why should we participate?

Klein quotes a scholar, "The dialogues are dramas in which the destiny of the human soul is at stake." But to the scholar Klein here quotes the give and take in the dialogues is only a sport of curious aesthetic appeal. Klein will have none of it: "We have to play our role in them too. We have to be serious about the contention that a Platonic dialogue, being indeed an 'imitation of Socrates,' actually continues Socrates' work." The dialogues are notorious for their many difficulties (aporias) and it often seems Plato had no solution at all. But "we are compelled to admit to ourselves our ignorance, that it is up to us to get out of the impasse and to reach a conclusion, if it is reachable at all. We are one of the elements of the dialogue and perhaps the most important one."

Now, this must not be taken to mean that "the dialogues are void of all 'doctrinal' assertions." But a Platonic doctrine is not a philosophical system in the modern sense. "The dialogues not only embody the famous 'oracular' and 'paradoxical' statements emanating from Socrates ('virtue is knowledge,' 'nobody does evil knowingly,' 'it is better to suffer than commit injustice') and are, to a large extent, protreptic plays based on these, but they also discuss and state, more or less explicitly, the ultimate foundations on which those statements rest and the far-reaching consequences which flow from them. But never is this done with complete clarity." It is we who supply the additional clarity by engaging in philosophy. Thus Klein warns us away from fitting Plato's dialogues into some scholarly developmental scheme or reducing it to some technical vocabulary. These are but shadows that the history of Platonism has thrown. But, as Klein correctly says, "it is the familiar that Plato is bent on exploiting."

But he is exploiting the familiar through written words. And written words are, according to Plato, inherently playful; that is, imitative. (See the Phaedrus, and also Sophist 234b, on this theme.) Written texts "cannot defend themselves against misunderstanding and abuse." They resemble living thought but, like statues, they are dead and do not respond to changing circumstances but always maintain the same stance. This is why Plato wrote dialogues in which it is necessary for us to participate; he hoped that by doing so he could make his dialogues resemble living thought. "In brief: a written text is necessarily incomplete and cannot teach properly." In the Phaedrus we learn, according to Klein, that the best texts, "in addition to being playful, can serve as 'reminders' [...], that is, can remind those 'who know' of what the written words are really about."

"Now, Phaedrus and Socrates agree that spoken words can be clear, complete, and worthy of serious consideration provided they come from one who 'knows' - who knows about things just, noble and good - and who also knows, as Socrates insists, how to 'write' or 'plant' these words in the souls of the learners, that is, possesses the 'dialectical art' as well as the 'art of healing souls' which enables him to deal discriminatingly with those souls and even to remain silent whenever necessary." Now, this last is also why Plato writes in a dialogical manner; not only to engage in the great soul-shaping work of philosophy, but also in order to remain silent when necessary. But how can a dialogue do both? It can't "if the written text is to be taken in its dead rigidity." But it can if "the written text gives rise to 'live' discourse under conditions valid for good speaking." Again, the Platonic dialogues demand our active participation in order to be successful.

As if to underscore the lived, changing nature of well-written philosophical texts Klein reminds us that after the myth of the origin of the cicadas in the Phaedrus "we hear Socrates interpreting freely the speeches he himself made, assuming the role of their 'father', that is, supporting and defending the truth in them, adding to them, omitting the doubtful and changing their wording..." How Socrates treats his earlier speeches is how we are to treat Socratic dialogues, we are to continually interpret and, when necessary, reinterpret them. We are to treat the dialogues as conversations in which we must participate in order to get anything out of them. We are, when properly engaged in a Socratic dialogue, attempting to understand Socrates, Plato, philosophy and ourselves.

This soulcraft that Klein is here, at the beginning of the 'Introductory Remarks' to his 'Meno' book, speaking of has utterly nothing to do with the parroting of some doctrine. "Words can be repeated or imitated; the thoughts conveyed by the words cannot: an 'imitated' thought is not a thought." Indeed, in reading and interpreting a Platonic dialogue we reveal who we are. Treat the dialogues, and yourself, with the thoughtful seriousness they deserve.

So we see that Klein, here in the 'Introductory Remarks', has given us a masterful explication of an ancient esotericism too often today forgotten; an esotericism focused on individual soulcraft and not merely or exclusively on political philosophy. It is important to realize that these two esoteric strategies are not entirely in harmony. But what of Klein and Strauss? Are they in harmony? I think the major difference between the two is the medieval philosophers, especially Farabi. He was the first (see especially his 'Attainment of Happiness' e.g.) to use esotericism almost exclusively to manufacture 'politically useful' philosophical artifacts without (seemingly) even the slightest concern for soulcraft. Strauss follows Farabi in this; also, like Farabi (see the 'Philosophy of Plato', e.g.) Strauss gives an entirely political reading of Plato.

Whenever we see Leo Strauss speak of 'Platonic Political Philosophy' we need to immediately add that this Platonic political philosophy has been filtered through Alfarabi. So then, do Klein and Strauss simply disagree about the Platonic Art of Cautious Writing? No, of course not, that would be an exaggeration. Of this notion of readers of Platonic Dialogues as 'silent participants' in the dialogues Klein says that "it certainly obtains whenever Socrates himself is the narrator of the dialogue." But what of the dialogues (e.g., Sophist, Statesman, Timaeus, Laws) in which Socrates is not the principle speaker? Are the principle speakers (Eleatic Stranger, Timaeus, Athenian Stranger) in these dialogues primarily engaged in the art of soulcraft like Socrates? Or, are they, like Farabi and the medieval falasifa, primarily engaged in what might be called social damage control and 'philosophical' artifact making? Insofar as they are doing the latter one can perhaps be forgiven for saying that the split between Socrates' esoteric Platonic soulcraft and Farabi's esoteric political Platonism was already known to, and anticipated by, Plato himself.

Now, Klein isn't oblivious to the difference between esotericism as politics and esotericism as soulcraft. Indeed, even in the latter part of the 'Introductory Remarks' that we have here only begun to consider, he goes on to broach the subject of political esotericism. For those interested in Klein's take on the latter I can recommend his detailed study 'Plato's Trilogy' which includes a discussion of the Eleatic Stranger in 'The Sophist' and 'The Statesman'. I give 'Plato's Meno' five stars for the discussion, defense and demonstration of the ancient esoteric practice of soulcraft, which today, is too often forgotten.

Since I got this for Christmas, I have probably used it several dozen times. I use it mainly to cross reference songs on my Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Americana collections but really it could serve as the bedrock of any thesis on early American music. This is a fine book, put together by Meade and many others.

What a wonderful job Gus Meade in putting this thing together. I wasn't fully sure what to expect, but the organization and thoroughness of the research makes this one of the most accessible books of discographical information ever printed. Yes, there are classification categories that I might have wanted to see used, but this is a minor cavil in the face of the all the ones that are used.

This is one of those books that was a "life's work" for its principal author (Gus Meade), but we never would have seen the fruits of his labor without the help of two colleagues who completed this volume after his death--his son Douglas and leading folk scholar Dick Spottswood. It is the most valuable listing of traditional music I have ever seen, everything from British ballads to topical songs, cowboy songs, minstrel music, sentimental songs, blues and hornpipes! There is a wide range of 19th century music here, and some from the early 1900s. Pre-1942 recordings of the songs are listed (including LP/CD reissues), but the book is also valuable for its citations of early published versions (including songbooks), composer/author credits and commentary on the often-similar songs. For anyone interested in the field of traditional American music, this volume is a must.

I love this book. It's so real as I am from Lumberton and knew Jill before she had published. As I read her work I remember those days and those places and I appreciate how she has given new life to those times and places.
I could not put this book down and I am proud to have met Jill and proud of her wonderful ability as a story teller.

john evers

Do people behave any better than animals? Do they often behave worse? That question underlies Jill McCorkle's latest book, Creatures of Habit, a collection of stories set in the fictional town of Fulton, North Carolina, that explores the vagaries of childhood, love and marriage.

The best stories in this book deal with betrayal. In "Chickens," McCorkle demonstrates her profound ability to report on the intricacies of human psychology. The story tells of a young college graduate, Kim, who always expected to marry Randy, her childhood sweetheart. Toward the end of her college career, however, she learns that Randy has been dating -- and sleeping with -- other girls. When he attempts to patch things up, her pride rebels. Instead of taking him back, she starts dating a divorced man 14 years her senior. Has Kim betrayed her birthright or has she bailed out of a bad situation? McCorkle shows her brilliance as a writer by not telling the reader exactly where to stand on this question.

"Snakes" is another story that deals with the compromises one makes with the romantic ideals of youth. A middle-aged married couple has weathered a dark patch in their relationship. They are enjoying a quiet evening together when the wife learns that her husband had a brief affair during their estrangement. Now she has to decide whether to undo the repairs her marriage has undergone by making an issue of his lapse.

Another powerful story is "Turtles," in which McCorkle draws back the curtain on old age. The central character, Carly, is ending an unloved life in a nursing home that fails to live up to the promises of its brochure. Her son never visits, and she has an unrequited crush on a distinguished old man in another wing. Even the nursing home dog leaves her for another resident who offers better snacks.

McCorkle is a justly beloved author, in part because of her ability to deal a straight hand without bitterness. Though she does not hold back when it comes to capturing the cruelty in life, she doesn't sell short its moments of tenderness, either.

Jill McCorkle has long been one of my favorite writers--the novel "Ferris Beach" and short story collection "Crash Diet" are two of my all-time favorite books. Her writing has a down-to-earth, true quality. Oftentimes, I find myself either identifying with her characters, or at least having known people very much like them. Not only does she have a gift for writing humor (some of the funniest lines I have ever read), but she can just as easily break your heart with a turn of phrase. Although her characters are usually from the South, I don't find myself thinking of them as "Southern characters", but simply PEOPLE. The characters in her latest collection, "Creatures of Habit", are no exception.

Not all the stories are humorous--in some (the opening story, "Billy Goats", "Cats", and the closer, "Fish", for instance) the tone is more poignant and melancholy. However, the stories "Hominids", "Snakes", and "Toads" are hilarious. Using the theme of humans' co-existence with (and likeness to) particular animals, these stories explore such subjects across the entire spectrum of human experience, such as marriage, loneliness, death, childhood, family, and aging.

If you are a fan of Jill McCorkle, you will not be disappointed. If you are new to her writing, this is a wonderful place to start, and representative of some of her best work.

Mr. Young has outdone himself. His book not only offers well-argued insights on the subject matter, but his prose is sharp, funny and beautifully crafted. I recommend this book not only for historians, but for anyone looking to take an adventurous ride through our nation's earliest years. Mr. Young is clearly a young historian on the rise. I eagerly await his next work.

Mr. Young has outdone himself. His book not only offers well-argued insights on the subject matter, but his prose is sharp, funny and beautifully crafted. I recommend this book not only for historians, but for anyone looking to take an adventurous ride through our nation's earliest years. Mr. Young is clearly a young historian on the rise. I eagerly await his next work.

Young has managed to combine many factors in this work. He cogently explains how costal planters could perceive themselves as paternalistic masters protecting their slaves while at the same time literally driving those slaves to death in the name of profit. Even more cleverly, he traces the spread of this paternalistic, anti-capitalist rhetoric of the planters through their growing network of commercial capitalism. A revealing read.

Emma And The Civil Warrior is a novel for young adults, set in America 1865. Despite the surrender at Appomattox Court House, the brutal Civil War raged about Raleigh, North Carolina. Twelve-year-old Emma Graham dares to defy the 100,000 Union troops surrounding and occupying her city, by smuggling morphine, spying, and stealing an enemy code book. But her actions could have terrible consequences, for the rest of her family and for all Raleigh. Emma And The Civil Warrior is an exciting book of historical fiction; though its main heroine is an original character, nearly all of the cast are directly from U.S. history. A brief Author's Note at the end explains the connections between the story and the events that shaped the end of America's deadliest war. Emma And The Civil Warrior is also available in softcover

Mrs. Dahl wrote a fantastic book about the history of Raleigh, and being a resident in Raleigh and a member of Christ church, this book covers a great deal of Raleighs history! great book!

Emma And The Civil Warrior is a novel for young adults, set in America 1865. Despite the surrender at Appomattox Court House, the brutal Civil War raged about Raleigh, North Carolina. Twelve-year-old Emma Graham dares to defy the 100,000 Union troops surrounding and occupying her city, by smuggling morphine, spying, and stealing an enemy code book. But her actions could have terrible consequences, for the rest of her family and for all Raleigh. Emma And The Civil Warrior is an exciting book of historical fiction; though its main heroine is an original character, nearly all of the cast are directly from U.S. history. A brief Author's Note at the end explains the connections between the story and the events that shaped the end of America's deadliest war.

Steven Schuker's work is considered by many in the academic field as perhaps the most well researched and scholarly work in diplomatic history in recent memory. This book is a must for anyone who really wants to understand why the Paris Peace Process failed after the First World War, and why France was so ill-prepared for World War II. The End of French Predominance in Europe also provides great insight into France's situation in European politics, both in the inter-war period and today. This is a must read for any serious scholar of modern diplomatic or military history.

This is a first-rate book about France's troubles in the inter-war years. After World War I, France, although revaged by war, was the leading power in Europe. By the end of the 1920's, this predominance was gone and, with it, France's freedom of action in foreign affairs. The cause of all this was French money problems. France financed the war primarily through borrowing and expected to solve its problems with reparations payments from Germany. The French were not eager to put their financial house in order with new taxes. Germany had no intention of paying any reparations unless forced to do so. The United States, meanwhile, demanded that France pay its substantial war debts. The British considered French efforts to get Germany to pay vindictive. The end results of France's financial plight were, first, serious inflation in France which could be arrested only through U.S. and British financial intervention and, second, an overvalued Franc which caused problems in the 1930's. France's financial fate was now tied to unsympathetic outsiders. This loss of financial independence had foreign policy repercussions.

This rather arcane story is made almost simple by the author. While much of this work deals with financial history, the human element is not ignored. Particularly interesting is the discussion of the general ignorance of economics among French politicians. Also intriguing is the author's view that Herriot's slapdash operating methods hurt the French cause. This is a must-read for students of 20th Century French history.

Steven Schuker's work is considered by many in the academic field as perhaps the most well researched and scholarly work in diplomatic history in recent memory. This book is a must for anyone who really wants to understand why the Paris Peace Process failed after the First World War, and why France was so ill-prepared for World War II. The End of French Predominance in Europe also provides great insight into France's situation in European politics, both in the inter-war period and today. This is a must read for any serious scholar of modern diplomatic or military history.

Like Melvyn Leffler, Zubok believes that Soviet decision making was constrained by ideology and personality. Zubok writes that ideology formed the basis for Stalins decisions regarding Germany. Stalin thought that his proposals for a neutral Germany and socialism in Eastern Germany would be enough for the Germans to flock to the Soviet cause. When this did not proved out to be true, Stalin militarized Eastern Europe for fear of a Western Germany with Western backing. Khruschev did not want to end the Cold War because he thought that Communism would eventually triumph and that he force the West to back down through the fear of nuclear war. Brezhnev implented detente because he feared war, but when he became ill, hard liners took over decision making and invaded Afghanistan. Gorbachev abandoned hardline Communist ideology and thought that a type of European Social Democracy would take over Eastern and this led to the Soviets leaving Eastern Europe in 1989. Hopefully Zubok along with Leffler and Tony Judt will get rid of the myth that Reagans's arm build up and hardline ideology was responsible for ending the Cold War.

This is an excellent overview of Soviet foreign policy during the Cold War. Judicious and fair, and drawing on much new information from the archives, one gets a sense that this will be the definitive work for some time. The only criticism I have is that I wish the author had dealt with the Sino-Soviet split in more depth. It is here, but only episodically brought in to the narrative. But all and all a great book and a fine read.

This is an excellent book - a coherent, persuasive and well-written overview of the Soviet side of the Cold War. Zubok resurrects the "revolutionary-imperial paradigm" of his (and Pleshakov's) earlier book and extends it to the 1980s. The Soviet leaders, he argues, were motivated both by dreams of imperial aggrandizement and messianic revolutionary zeal. The thesis is well-made. I think on the whole Zubok's book chips away at the "revolutionary" part of the paradigm: the Soviet policy makers come across as rather cynical political operators, who carefully or sometimes unconsciously used ideological platitudes in pursuit of realpolitik aims. But that's just my reading of Zubok's own evidence. The book stands on familiar ground with regard to Stalin and Khrushchev; it does offer a remarkably vivid account of the Brezhnev and Gorbachev years. Brezhnev, dismissed in anecdotes as a senile fool manipulated by grey cardinals in his entourage, comes across as a real statesman, a peacemaker. Zubok's portrait of Gorbachev penetrates beyond the facade of naive idealism, revealing some of the layered complexity of the Gorbachev phenomenon. This is a must-read for anyone interested in post-war Soviet history.

Dr. Hess has authored one of the most significant books in print on the use of field fortifications during the US Civil War and the relationship of these works to the actual campaigns. Although there are some other books that do include some of this information, including several excellent post-war sources from the 19th century, this book does a remarkable job of putting the subject in perspective. Many so called "Civil War" experts simply do not realize the significance of the role of field and permanent fortifications during many of the key campaigns of the war and reduce everything to simple terms stating "there were breastworks, etc..." They simply give no detail and the reader can not understand such details as why some of these "works" were easily overrun, why some railroad cuts made great defensive positions and others did not, or even why on Cemetary Ridge at Gettysburg the troops of II Corps could not entrench themselves.
Hess not only describes what the defenses consisted of, but also shows how they affected the campaign. He also includes background information as well as detailing the events related to the campaigns. The book does not rehash the old story of bullets and beans in these operations, instead with Hess we see its bullets, beans and spades.
The reader will soon notice this book does not cover all the operations of the Civil War where fortifications were involved, but that is because this is the first volume with two additional ones planned. The publisher did a good job in reproducing the photos. One serious flaw is a lack of maps for the reader to follow everything mentioned in the text. This usually results from the publisher attempting to save on production expenses and there is not much the author can do to correct it. On the other hand, any expert or buff will have other books available with the missing maps they need for folowing the text (the first volume of the old West Point Atlas of American Wars has just about every map you may need).
This volume covers the eastern theater through April 1864 and includes a good deal of information on the defenses of Washington and Richmond (which are more than just field fortifications). It also covers the battles of the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 where fortifications played a key role. The limited role of field fortifications in some of the campaigns of Northern Virginia are included as well as information on how work was done to protect Harrisburg and even far off Pittsburgh with fixed defenses against Lee's second invasion of the north.
This book is not intended for fast reading or skimming, but instead created for those who have a real interest in the Civil War and want to enjoy a good read.

A book on Civil War fortifications should be dry as the Sahara and as easy to get thru as a concrete block wall. In the hands of a lesser author that would be true! What we have is a very readable, intelligent history of the Civil War in the east with emphases on fortifications. The author chooses to follow the campaigns and discuss the use of or lack of fortifications during the campaign and in the ongoing war. This simple idea gives the reader a very good overview of the war and a very intelligent discussion of how and why "digging in" became the norm.
We start with a discussion of the American approach to battle and the theory of when and why fortifications were appropriate. This prepares us for the war's early months when armies use fixed forts to control areas but look for "a fair fight in the open". Reality meets theory during the Peninsula Campaign and The Seven Days as first one side and than the other is forced to dig. Hard lessons are quickly forgotten as the main armies struggle with the ideas of offensive or defensive actions and the fear fortifications will foster a defensive mentality. This interplay makes John B. Hood's actions outside Atlanta much easier to understand, something the book does not cover but a student of the war will grasp.
The three chapters on the war in the Carolinas are excellent! "The Reduction of Battery Wagner" alone almost pays for the book. I have not read a better account of Civil War sieges and the impact on the men than in this chapter.
The book ends with Mine Run and the Union not attacking the extensive fortifications in the area. When we reach the fall of 1863, the reader fully understands and appreciates the revolution that has occurred. The stage is set for the second volume "Trench Warfare under Grant & Lee".
A very good Glossary takes care of vocabulary problems. Within a couple of chapters, even a novice reader will seldom have to refer to it. Maps, illustrations and photographs are common and well placed giving us the visual information we need to supplement the text.
This is not a basic book! However, it is not an advanced tome that requires a military education or years of study to enjoy. The reader needs a good idea of the events in the East from 1861 to 1863. You will have to be prepared to check the glossary on a regular basic for the first 20 to 50 pages too. After that, you will have a very informative, intelligent learning experience.

In popular perception of Civil War combat, entrenchments were something that came along late in the war when troops, weary of being targets when marching across open fields, took to digging in the earth to find protection. As Hess amply demonstrates in this new volume, the first of a projected trilogy, entrenchments in fact were an integral part of the Civil War landscape from the earliest months. He backs his narrative with numerous citations from official and unofficial accounts and he discusses the details of how entrenchments were made (and how they evolved as the war went on). This volume is an important contribution to understanding how the war was fought and to better fix its place in the continuing development of military theory and technology.

We recommend this book to any film fan living in or visiting NC! Add another dimension to the streets you see. As an NC bookseller we have yet to find a better researched, more user-friendly or more helpful guide. Thank you both!

Great hits... near misses ... big stars... a unique look at a cool state... A few classics and new faves "One Tree Hill", "Dawson's Creek" et al... Good Stuff!

How many times have your out-of-town visitors whined: "Take us to the waterfall in The Last of the Mohicans (1997), or the train wreck in The Fugitive (1993)? Why doesn't somebody come out with a North Carolina travel guide that spotlights our Hollywood connections?

Cue the applause meter-Film Junkie's Guide to North Carolina has finally arrived. The 430-page glove-compartment-sized winner is comprehensive (160 mountain-to-sea locations!), masterfully written (a perfect mix of scholarly insight and insider gossip), and beautifully laid out in a simple reader-friendly format, full of photos, maps, sidebars, and enough movie trivia to make you want to read the book from cover to cover even if you're a stay-at-home couch potato. And bargain-priced at $16.95, even film students can afford it.

Guide is divided into three geographic areas: The Coast, Piedmont, and The Mountains. "Locations" in each area list the places where films and TV shows were shot, including great maps on how to get there. "Star Tracks" list the restaurants, stores, hotels and other places where celebrities used to hang out, or they still do.

Keep a copy of the book in the glove compartment of your car for spontaneous tourist adventures.