Our Virtual Bookshelf
A selection of regional reading, from playful to serious
Mother Osprey: Nursery Rhymes for Buoys & Gulls by Lucy Nolan and illustrated by Connie McLennan (Sylvan Dell Publishing, toll free (877) 958-2600; 32 pages, hardcover, $16.95) A perfect gift for the child on your list, this book retells classic Mother Goose rhymes with a nautical flair. Young readers will meet playful pelicans, seagulls, otters and pirates while riding wild island ponies. And they might learn the important difference between "orca" and "okra."
Shackles by Marjory Heath Wentworth and illustrated by Leslie Darwin Pratt-Thomas (Legacy Publications, (843) 884-1946; 34 pages, hardcover, $16.99) Based on a true story, Shackles describes what happens when a group of little boys search for buried treasure in their backyard on Sullivan's Island and dig up a bit of history – a set of shackles used centuries ago on slaves who were held on the island. I enjoyed this book, and it would make a great gift for children of all ages.
Through the Pale Door by Brian Ray (Hub City Writers Project, (864) 577-9349; 216 pages, soft cover, $24.95) This book was the winner of the inaugural South Carolina First Novel Prize, hosted by the South Carolina Arts Commission. The author earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of South Carolina and now teaches at UNC-Greensboro. This is an unusual book about first love and teenagers finding themselves while living tormented lives.
Loaves and Fishes and Other Dishes (St. John's Episcopal Church Women, Winnsboro, Betty Ann Ferguson (803) 635-4161; 300 pages, soft cover, $10) This beautiful church has a long and storied past. Organized in 1839, the first building was built in 1842 and destroyed by Union troops during the war. The second structure was built in 1869 and destroyed by fire in 1888. The present building, designed in the Gothic style, was dedicated in 1889 ; the narthex added in 2000. I read cookbooks as if they were novels and this one held my attention until the last recipe was displayed.
Sports in the Carolinas: From Death Valley to Tobacco Road, edited by Ed Southern (Novello Festival Press – to order call John F. Blair Publisher, (800) 222-9796; 180 pages, soft cover, $22.95) Athletes and teams from the Carolinas have won Heisman trophies, Olympic medals, and national titles in just about every sport people play. This book boasts dozens of essays, profiles and personal reminiscences.
The Humours of Folly, photographs by Frank Melvin Braden, words by Ellie Maas Davis, forward by Marjory Wentworth (Joggling Board Press, (843) 971-6930; 224 pages, hardcover, $50) Folly Beach – with all of its quirks and warts, its stretch marks and beauty marks and its playful goofiness, was the inspiration behind this book. I can't wait to see the boat by the side of the road when I drive to Folly for news of the latest birthday or congratulations message it holds.
Freshwater Fishes of South Carolina by Fred C. Rohde, Rudolf G. Arndt, Jeffrey W. Foltz and Joseph M. Quattro with a History of Ichthyology in South Carolina by William D. Anderson, Jr. (USC Press, (800) 777-2021; 544 pages, hardcover, $59.95) A scientific milestone, this comprehensive illustrated guide to the characteristics, distribution, and ecology of freshwater fishes in South Carolina marks the first endeavor since 1860 to document this aspect of the Palmetto State's diverse natural history.
Bitter Freedom: William Stone's Record of Service in the Freedman's Bureau, edited by Suzanne Stone Johnson and Robert Allison Johnson with an Introduction by Lou Falkner Williams (USC Press, (800) 777-2021; 176 pages, hardcover, $29.95) Bitter Freedom is an insightful evaluation of the pivotal role of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction in war-torn South Carolina as written by a young bureau agent eager to do his part in rebuilding a divided nation.
No Holier Spot of Ground: Confederate Monuments & Cemeteries of South Carolina by Kristina Dunn Johnson (The History Press, (843) 577-5971; 160 pages, soft cover, $19.99) The book weaves together a narrative of how South Carolinians united to create memorials to the Confederate dead and vindicate the Confederate Cause. It is not intended to provide a listing and history of each Confederate monument or cemetery within the state. It would, indeed, be impossible to list every cemetery in the state that holds the remains of Confederate or Union soldiers, especially considering that an overall burial index does not currently exist. This is the story of some of these men and the inheritance their loved ones entrusted us with as they attempted to cope with the legacy of the war.
South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times, Volume 1 edited by Marjorie Julian Spruill, Valinda W. Littlefield and Joan Marie Johnson (University of Georgia Press, ugapress.org; 320 pages, softcover, $24.95, hardcover, $69.95) This volume, which spans the long period from the 16th Century through the Civil War era, is remarkable for the religious, racial, ethnic and class diversity of the women it features. Volume 2 of the planned three-volume set will be available in January 2010.
Visions of Order in William Gilmore Simms: Southern Conservatism and the Other American Romance by Masahiro Nakamura (USC Press; 248 pages, hardcover, $39.95) One of 19th Century America's foremost men of letters, Simms (1806-1870) of Charleston distinguished himself as a historian, poet, and novelist; yet his stalwart allegiance to the ideals of the Confederacy have kept him largely from the modern literary canon. The author seeks to reinsert Simms into current American literary and cultural studies through a careful consideration of Simm's Southern conservatism as a valuable literary counterpoint to such authors as James Fenimore Cooper and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
