NEW SOUTHERN TITLES     September 2002

Stories from the Blue Moon Cafe: An Anthology of Southern Writers (MacAdam/Cage, $25) is a refreshing collection of short fiction from contemporary Southern wordsmiths. Sonny Brewer, owner of the Over the Transom Bookstore in Fairhope, Alabama, edited these nicely varied works. C. Terry Cline, Jr gives us "S. Trident," a witty and concise exchange of letters between Cline and the Public Relations Department of the U.S. Army; Patricia Foster's "The Girl from Soldier Creek" is a moving and beautifully detailed story of a young woman returning home to Alabama after her father's death; and George Singleton's "Vietnam" is a funny tale about art, love, and gourds in a small, North Carolina college town. Singleton, by the way, is a talented writer who lives in South Carolina. Other authors in the collection include William Gay, Judith Richards, Bev Marshall, Winston Groom, Melinda Haynes, Rick Bragg, and Pat Conroy. Incredibly, there's nothing from the brilliant Barry Hannah. Still, this is a strong collection.
 
Compass Publishing gives us the elegant and evocative Lowcountry: Paintings of Ray Ellis ($37.50). A sequel to "Ray Ellis' Savannah and the Lowcountry," this volume has more than sixty new paintings (oils and watercolors), dating from 1996 to 2001. Treesa Germany, in her fine Preface, writes: "Again, in this book, the subject matter defines the place: gnarled live oaks in a maritime forest,...egrets on tidal creeks, colorful hidden gardens, and checker players on a street corner." Valerie Ann Leeds, in her informative essay "Ray Ellis and the Lowcountry," explains that the Lowcountry is a two-hundred mile-long "undefined" area "running between the lower border of Georgia to north of Charleston." The strength of the paintings vary. For example, "Beached Boats" and "Oystermen's Respite" seem to be merely studies in composition. But the book abounds in such telling and visually arresting works as "Savannah Alley," "Endless Marsh," "Shrimpers Offshore," and the particularly accomplished "Daufuskie Sunday." There are over a 100 paintings here. The book includes a complete listing of them in the back, as well as a select chronology of Ellis' publications and major exhibitions. To read more about this acclaimed painter, go to: www.rayellis.com

The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference (Simon & Schuster/$45) is a commendable one-volume resource. Edited by Library of Congress writer-editor Magaret E. Wagner (along with scholars Gary W. Gallagher an Paul Finkelman), this hefty but handsome work utilizes the Library's mammoth Civil War collection, which is comprised of millions of books, diaries, maps, paintings, drawings, and photographs. Each of the book's thirteen chapters has a broad theme ("Antebellum America," "Battles and the Battlefields," "Weaponry." "War on the Water," etc.). The text is highly-readable; and the layout--on non-glare paper--is easy on the eyes. There are over 100 photos and drawings, as well as dozens of maps. And the esteemed James McPherson writes a choice foreword. History buffs and Civil War scholars will definitely want to add this reference to their book shelves.


FRP Books gives us two terrific southern cookbooks. The Alabama Society United States Daughters of 1812 put together Savor the Spirit: Heritage Recipes Passed Down Through the Years ($22.95). In addition to containing American history tidbits from 1784 to 1815, the book features recipes of the past and present. The dishes includeThomas Jefferson's Potato Cakes, Honeyed Bananas, Buttery Biscuit Rolls, Hoppin' John, Martha Washington's Rich Custard, and a wicked Monticello Toddy. Serving Louisiana: Favorite Recipes of Family and Friends of the LSU AgCenter ($19.95) is replete with authentic Louisiana fare from Louisiana cooks and celebrities. Some of the delicious-sounding recipes are Southern-Style Yellow Squash, Asparagus Casserole, Cajun Eggplant Dressing, and--of course--Fried Green Tomatoes. The LSU AgCenter is "dedicated to strengthening agriculture and the food system, supporting families, training leaders and teaching young people."
 
Set in the south in the early 20th-century, Camera Man's Journey: Julian Dimock's South (University of Georgia Press, $39.95) is an important and quietly moving collection of 155 photographs. Dimock (1873-1945), whose work often appeared in major travel and nature magazines, took these pictures in during 1904 and 1905. He neither romanticized nor politicized his African-American subjects. Yet, the poverty and inequity in their lives are achingly apparent . Apparent too are the subject's strength, beauty, and stylishness, The crisp black & white photographs were taken in or around Columbia, Beaufort, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. Camera Man's Journey was ably edited by Thomas L. Johnson (a noted field archivist with the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina) and Nina J. Root (Director Emerita of the Research Library at the American Museum of Natural History).

Readers are sure to be impressed by the gutsy and well-researched Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters (Little Brown, $25.95). Robert Gordon--who lives in Memphis, Tennessee and who has written for major music magazines across the United States--readily shows not only how the "Hootchie Coochie Man" invented electric blues, but created the template for the rock-and-roll band and its turbulent lifestyle. Muddy Waters (1913-1983) was born in tiny town of Issaquena, Mississippi. Gordon takes us from there to Waters' last years on the road, when he was plagued by drinking, racism, depression, wives, and business problems. In addition to readily capturing Waters' life, Gordon does a workmanlike job of discussing blues music, electric instruments, and the musicians that played with and even idolized this musical legend.

Vivid and deeply-researched, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage (HarperCollins, $34.95) examines one of the deadliest conflicts in American history. Noah Andre Trudeau, a noted Civil War historian and a director a National Public Radio in Washington, DC, dramatically portrays three critical days in 1863: From predawn Wednesday, July 1, through midnight Friday, July 3. Trudeau harrowing details and concise sections are matched by his fresh anecdotes and astute analysis. Also, the author doesn't romanticize the monstrous casualties that occurred on that trio of days--22,813 Union and 22,874 Confederate dead,

In 1990, Sara Foster was a caterer and chef for Martha Stewart. Though she loved her job, Foster's daily commutes between Connecticut and their New York City jobs were exhausted. Recently, she moved to Durham, North Carolina and opened Foster's Market, a gourmet food shop with great wines, fine coffees, specialty grocery items, and--here's the twist--freshly prepared down-home dishes. She also wrote a book--The Foster's Market Cookbook (Random House, $35.00). There are eighty lavish photos and over two-hundred succulent recipes in this splendid volume. You'll find everything from Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits and Mediterranean Vegetarian Sandwich to Grilled Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella (even the picture is to die for), and Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake (which is super-moist and has a decadent layer of Mocha Latte frosting). Martha Stewart writes a choice Foreword, astutely noting that Foster's recipes, "though often complex in flavor, are by and large easy to prepare." Note: Foster has just opened a second Foster's Market in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
 

Time and Place in New Orleans (Pelican, $45) is an informative and handsomely-illustrated work. Utilizing maps, photos, and aerial images, Richard Campanella--the assistant director environment analysis at the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities--examines the influence of the city's unique topography and geography on its expansion and development. The author takes us from the time when early European settlers struggled against dangerous swampland and malarial mosquitoes to establish a commercial port close to the mouth of the Mississippi to the New Orleans of today, with its welter of districts, landmarks, cultural elements, and commercial enterprises. Fine color pictures and illustrations adorn nearly every page.

The esteemed and very cordial Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club is the setting for William Bernhardt's Final Round (Ballantine, $23.95). Ace golfer John McCree is found badly beaten and dead in a sandy bunker on the 18th hole. McCree's buddy and fellow golfer, Connor Cross, attempts to finds the killer, as well as save his own flailing game. Given that at least three people will be dead by the end of the novel, Cross has his work cut out for him. Bernhardt does a winning job of moving the story along, while weaving in some first-rate plot twists. I would have welcomed more descriptions--however concise-- of the town, the fairways, and the grounds. Still, the book deserves much praise. Bernhardt, a former trial attorney, lives in Oklahoma and is the author of fourteen books.


In Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine (Ballantine Books, $25), Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf--both of whom live in Charleston (SC) and are senior writers at "The Post and Courier"--have crafted a detailed and dramatic adventure story that covers more than a century of American history. The authors chronicle, among other things, the Hunley's conception and construction, the technologically advanced torpedoing of a Yankee ship in 1864, the sub's disappearance, its astonishing discovery 136 years after it was lost, and the priceless archaeological treasures it held. There are black & white illustrations throughout the book, as well as a stellar eight-page color photo insert.

Renewing Birmingham (The University of Georgia Press, $40) is the first book-length study of how federal funding helped transform a twentieth-century southern city. In this smartly-observed volume, Christopher MacGregor Scribner discusses how that funding enable Birmingham to go from an industrial to a service economy, while leading to redrawn avenues of power and sway. As the new Birmingham rose from the ashes, racism and elitism--on some levels--remained, of course. Nonetheless, the author readily tells of how a boom in education, real estate, construction, and diverse entrepreneurs has truly enhanced the city.

A stirring and eloquent volume, This Fiery Trial: The Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln (Oxford University Press, $26.00) brings together more than one hundred pieces, ranging from Lincoln's first political statement (printed in the Sangamo Journal in 1832) to his final public address, delivered just days before his assassination. William Gienapp, professor of history at Harvard University, provides us with some of the Lincoln's finest speeches, including the Gettysbury Address, the Second Inaugural Address, and his "A House Divided" speech to the Republican State convention in 1858. Gienapp does admirable job of showing how Lincoln's thoughts on slavery and emancipation changed through the period of the war, from his short-sighted view (free only slaves for use in the military) to his whole-hearted endorsement of the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery forever.

The Majesty of the Mississippi Delta (Pelican Publishing, $18.95) is a concise but informative celebration of this historic region. Written by Jim Fraiser and photographed by West Freeman, the book not only shows us stately antebellum mansions, but--just to mention a few of the attractions--the Hebrew  Union Temple (it dates back to 1867), the Bridgewater Inn (about which Stephen Foster wrote a song), Rowan Oaks (William Faulkner's home), the Historic Cotton Row District (which is comprised of 57 buildings, and several elegant structures from the University of Mississippi. Pelican Publishing also gives us South Carolina's Revolutionary War Battlefields: A Tour Guide ($12.95 paper). Approximately 250 armed conflicts took place in the Palmetto State, including the war's more decisive battles of in Camden, Cowpens, and Kings Mountain. R.L. Barbour, a Charleston (S.C.) historian, writes about and gives driving directions to the actual locations where forty-five of the most intense conflicts occurred. Nice maps, but the black & white photographs are poorly printed. Still, South Carolina historians will certainly want to peruse this important handbook.  
 
Robert Inman's Captain Saturday (Little Brown, $24.95) is a funny, poignant, and beautifully-textured novel. Will Baggett--a 20-year career weatherman at Channel Seven--is one of Raleigh, North Carolina's leading celebrities. Even more, he has an attractive wife who gets high-commissions for her saavy real-estate sales and an equally brilliant son in medical school. Will's well-ordered world comes joltingly apart when the station is purchased by a Chicago conglomerate, whose president decides that Will is a thing of the past. Matters are made worse when, among other things, Will is involve in a traffic violation, develops symptoms of a midlife crises, and discovers that his marriage is not as solid as it appeared to be. The author's sure but quiet plot twists--especially those that occur when Will's long lost cousin, Wingfoot Baggett, appears out of the blue--are ably matched by his fresh, New South humor (e.g., Will's trial at the Wakes County Courthouse is both dramatic and hilarious), his great weather descriptions ("it rained for the rest of the week--a thick soup of fog and drizzle, interspersed with galloping downpours"), and his immensely-memorable characters. Inman is a multi-talented North Carolina writer who has written four novels, a collection of essays, and six TV movies, two of which have been "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentations. His Web site is at: www.robert-inman.com


Lavish and illuminating, Lowcountry Plantations Today (Legacy Publications, $59.95) takes us on a memorable tour of 35 plantation homes. William P. Baldwin, the critically-acclaimed author and lifelong resident of the South Carolina Lowcountry, wrote the text for this mammoth work. Of the Lowcountry region, Baldwin says, "Along this 200 miles of South Carolina coast, these venerable, but once neglected, country places have been refurbished and renewed." Their splendor has been exceptionally captured by  N. Jane Isley's 400-plus color images. Isley is a North Carolina photographer with more than 23 books to her credit. Especially accomplished---just to pick a handful of the photographs--are the avenue of oaks at Boone Hall Plantation (Charleston), the Chippendale-style furnishings at Arcadia Plantation (Georgetown), the entry/formal garden of the Weymouth Plantation (Georgetown), a breakfast setting on a English mahogany pedestal table at the Gregorie Neck Plantation (Beaufort), and the haunting "Morning haze on the Tulifinney River" (Gregorie Neck Plantation). Alas, at least a fourth of Isley's pictures are a tad too dark. That could be the fault of the printer, given that Isley is such skilled lensperson. Baldwin is to be commended for pointing that the plantations--those "romantic little worlds"--were "not a romance of ease shared by all." For their grounds were populated with slaves, "slaves who, to many master's amazement, was not content  with their station in life." Kudos too to Palmetto Graphic Design Company for its work on this production. If your local book shop doesn't have Lowcountry Plantations Today, you can order it at the publisher's Web site: www.pacecommunications.com
 
Hermy the Hermit Crab Goes Shopping (Legacy Publications, $15.99) is a colorful, instructive, and beautifully-written children's book. Andrea Weathers (a native Charlestonian who lives in Folly Beach) penned the story and Bob Thames (a Charleston artist) created the laudable 20-plus watercolor illustrations. Hermy, an adventurous hermit crab who lives on Folly Beach, has outgrown his shell. What is he to do? Go shopping, of course! We follow along as Hermy meets a slew of interesting sea creatures. He travels to Fort Sumter, the Morris Island Lighthouse, Charleston's Rainbow Row, and to various other Lowcountry locales. The book is enhanced by a full-page of important information on hermit crabs, as well as a terrific "Hermy's Beachside Glossary," which provides concise and engrossing definitions of everything from the Atlantic Ocean and Marsh Grass to Pluff Mud and Whelks. This marvelous title is for ages 4-8. Note: Weathers will be signing copies of her book at the Three Daughters Gift Shop in Saluda, S.C., on Feb. 8th, 2:00-5:00pm. 

South Carolina: Then & Now  (SC Dept. of Archives and History, $37.00) is a colorful and informative volume. Edited by Jason H. Silverman (professor of history at Winthrop University) and Judith M. Andrews (director of publications with the South Carolina Dept. of Archives & History), this handsome tome celebrates "the best of the old and the new" in the Palmetto State, while being sure not to ignore the ignoble. The editors have gathered a commendable array of cultural, historical, economic, geographic, and botanical information. The topics range from Edisto Island churches and present-day universities to NASCAR (at the Darlington Raceway) and the semi-tropical environment of the 16th-century Lowcountry. Color pictures and illustrations adorn every page. Some of the more memorable photos are of the Ocean Golf Course at Kiawah Island, the South Carolina Aquarium, the Pee Dee River, the skyline of Columbia (the city is "one of the few planned capital cities in the country"), the Lake Jocassee region in mid-autumn, and the mighty Chattooga River, where "Deliverance" was filmed. Your local book store should have South Carolina: Then & Now. If not, visit the Department of Archives & History's Web site (www.state.sc.us/scdah) for ordering info.
 

Mark Twain: An Illustrated Biography (Knopf, $40.00) is a lavish and thoroughly-absorbing work. Geoffrey C. Ward, Dayton Duncan, and noted director and producer Ken Burns ("The Civil War) compiled this stately volume. The book not only examines Twain's famous novels, stories, travelogues, and lectures, but his diaries and letters. Also, there are 275 illustrations and photographs, many of which are in color. The writers take us from Samuel Langhorne Clemens' boyhood in Hannibal, Missouri to his varied careers as a printer, newspaperman, and author. They also follow his travels across Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The book especially notes Twain's compassion for African Americans ("One of his most lasting childhood memories was of a dozen black men and women chained together, waiting to be shipped downriver to the slave market in New Orleans. 'Those,' he said, 'were the saddest faces I have even seen'").The writers have included essays by Ron Powers, Jocelyn Chadwick, John Boyer, and Russell Banks, as well as an interview with actor and frequent Twain portrayer Hal Holbrook.

Gritty and detailed Chimborazo (American House Book Publishers, $21.95 paper) takes place in the legendary Richmond, Virginia hospital of the same name (christened that by a Richmonder who had recently seen the majestic Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador's Andes Mountains). While Steven W. Wise's hospital is vast, it is far from majestic. Set from the autumn of 1864 to the end of the Civil War, the novel centers around Letha Bartlett, a beleaguered and compassionate matron of a ward that houses three men whose lives become entwined with hers. Wise astutely varies the ages of the men, and he sees that their terrible wounds are both physical and mental. The most gravely wounded is Graville Pollard, a Northerner who spurned his Union father to fight for the Confederacy and with whom Letha falls in love. Refreshingly, Wise focuses on the story, not the politics of the time. And his details of the hospital--from the size of the building and its incredible rat population to the horrible injuries and the frightened men--are movingly (and sometimes painfully) rendered. The dialogue doesn't always ring true, but the details are all there. Also, the characters are memorable. The author is a licensed real estate appraiser and lives in Missouri.


Pelican Publishing has just brought out two New Orleans-related titles. Mardi Gras Treasures ($35.00) is a detailed and colorful assemblage of original float designs as rendered in watercolor and lithographs. Henri Schindler explains how dazzling parade floats of Carnival's Golden Age (1870-1930) weren't just whimsical creations; rather, they depicted themes in nature, history, mythology, and even epic literature. There are over 170 sterling color illustrations. The Majesty of St. Charles Ave ($45) is an absolute gem. Written by Cynthia Reece McCaffety and photographed by Kerri McCaffety, the book takes us on a five-mile journey through a century of architectural styles. Whether it be two-story Wedding Cake houses or grand Richardsonian mansions, Cynthia--in fresh and intelligent prose--explains the houses' styles, histories, and singularities; while Kerri captures both the interiors and the exteriors of these stately (as well as quirky) homes and buildings. Kerri's pictures are large, brilliant, and amazingly crisp. Decorators, architects, southern historians, and lovers of New Orleans (particularly of St. Charles Avenue) will definitely want to add this volume to their libraries.

Civil War Acoustic Shadows (White Mane, $24.95) is a unique study of how the sometimes strange behavior of sound waves impacted the decisions made at the Battles of Gaines's Mill, Fort Donelson, Seven Pines, Iuka, Perryville, and Chancellorsville. Charles D. Ross--an associate professor of physics at Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia--winningly shows how the careers of Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and a number of other prominent Civil War generals were greatly affected by unusual battlefield acoustics. Ross's prose is very accessible, and the book has numerous maps, pictures, and illustrations.   

Back to the Table: The Reuion of Food and Family (Hyperion, $29.95) is a rich and inventive collection of more than 150 recipes. Art Smith, who was born in Florida and who is Oprah's personal chef, chooses home-cooked dishes that are not only mouth-watering, but that can be easily shared with family and friends. As the author notes, "Cooking for others is a way to extend your heart." The beautiful assortment fo recipes include Farm Apple Butter, Over Roasted Tomatoes, Classic Southern Cornbread (be sure to check out the Fresh Corn/Chile/Cheese variations!), Baked Eggs with Garden Vegetable Hash, Spring Vegetable Lasagne, and Southern Sweet Potato Pie (which is gorgeously photographed). And speaking of pictures, there are a welter of celebratory photos here, both color and black & white. Smith has included a very helpful "Sources" section in the back of the book, listing where you get various products and utensils.


 Books, $19.95) provides both the historical and the contemporary cuisines of Charleston. The book, with its eye-pleasing layout and its evocative illustrations of the area, was published in 1997 by the Porter-Gaud School Parents Guild. (The preparatory school lies along the banks of the Ashley River.) The volume's title is fitting, given that both the city and the recipes have "been tested by time." In the Preface, the Guild speaks movingly about how the English, Africans, and French Huguenots had such "a profound impact on the Lowcountry and its cuisine." A few of the book's many delicious recipes are Portebello Mushroom Sandwiches, Shem Creek Pasta Salad, Dill Bread (made with light brown sugar and beer!), Baked Blueberry French Toast, Sesame Broccoli, Wadmalaw Squash Casserole, Pumpkin Cake (with Cream Cheese Frosting), and The Old Post Office's Grits (yes, Lawd!). If your local book shop doesn't have Tested by Time, you may order it at: www.frpbooks.com.

Reminiscence of the 41st Tennessee: The Civil War in the West (White Mane, $24.95) is a vivid wartime diary by eighteen-year-old Sumner A. Cunningham, who joined his local home guard near Shelbyville, Tennessee, in October 1861. He rose to senior non-commissioned officer in the Confederate 41st Tennessee infantry regiment. Cunningham is remarkably candid about his daily life in the Army of Tennessee. He writes forthrightly about everything from fear and combat to disease and locales. The book is well-edited by John A. Simpson, an historican who specializes in the Civil War in the western theater.

Gorgeously designed, Crescent City Collection: A Tast of New Orleans (FRP Books, $26.95) explores the culinary, historical, and architectural traditions of famed city. The book presents over 250 recipes from members of the Junior League of New Orleans, as well as from more than 25 famous local restaurants. The chapters are arranged from Appetizer and Soups & Salads to Brunch & Breads to Desserts. The mouth-watering dishes include French-Fried Eggplant, Mardi Gras Slaw, Easy Squash Souffle, Mango Barbecue Sauce, Roasted Garlic & Goat Bread Pudding, Cajun Cheddar Biscuits, Creole Eggs en Croustade, and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Torte (careful--it'll sneak up on you). David G. Speilman's outstanding full-color photographs adorn many of the pages.
 

Joseph's Charleston Adventure (The Junior League of Charleston, $16.95) is a colorful and inviting children's book. Written and illustrated by Charleston author Laura Jenkins Thompson, the book tells how Joseph comes to the aid of Susie, an adorable puppy who has lost her way. Together, they set off on an adventure that takes them to such locales as the Battery, Rainbow Row, the Old City Market, the Dock Street Theater, and Anson Square, "where the basket ladies were weaving fresh sweetgrass, an art form that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations." If your local bookshop doesn't have this 1998 title, you may order it from FRP Books. The phone number is: 800-269-6839. And their Web address is: www.frpbooks.com.

A praiseworthy collection of recipes, The Best from Helen Corbitt's Kitchens (Univeristy of North Texas Press, $29.95) centers around Helen Corbitt, who Texas Monthly declared the "Best Tastemaker of the Texas Century." Patty Vineyard MacDonald not only edited recipes from Corbitt's five cookbooks, she honed Corbitt's instructions (the Texas cook often "mixed narrative into the list of ingredients and her directions for combining ingredients were often cryptic"), clarified certain words and phrases, and offered up great advice ("Unsalted butter was not widely available to home cooks in the 1950s, so unless specified, use salted butter in the recipes. Because so many of us favor less salt today, you may want to scant that seasoning"). The book's layout is handsome, inviting, and easy-to-read. And the recipes range from Eggnod and Scrambled Eggs (made with dry cottage cheese) to Artichoke Souffle and Sour Cream Apple Pie (one of her most requested recipes and dishes). Southern cooks and food scholars will want to add this title to their cookbook shelves.

David J. Eicher's The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War (Simon & Schuster, $40) is a deftly-written volume. It gives us a modern and comprehensive history of that tragic war, from the opening engagement at Fort Sumter to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The book covers hundreds of battles and confrontations, both well-known and obscure. It also delves into the roles that railroads, shipbuilding, and even prisons played in the War. The author draws on scores of manuscript collections, as well as recently published diaries, records, biographies, letter collections, and battle histories. The acclaimed James M. McPherson writes an insightful foreword to this book.


The seventh edition of Insiders' Guide Charleston (Globe-Pequot, $16.95 paper) has just been released. And it's a winner. Lowcountry authors J. Michael McLaughlin and Lee Davis Todman have penned a lively, in-depth, and immensely informative guide. It covers everything from shopping and the city's history to festivals and Lowcountry daytrips. McLaughlin and Todman are refreshingly candid. They rightly point out the oppressive summer temperatures AND humidity, the congested traffic, and the enigma of the Cooper River bridges--which "never fail to evoke awe or fear (or both) in newcomers." (I still can't drive across the Grace Memorial without getting white knuckles.) But Charlestonians are so gracious and the sites are so plentiful that visitors  generally don't mind putting up with the city's minor inconveniences. The writers do a fine job of covering the various hotels--even the new ones, such as the Market Pavilion on East Bay ("a 'boutique' hotel with an emphasis on service and design") and the Renaissance Charleston Hotel on Wentworth Street ("in the heart of the city's downtown business district" and "ideal for visitors to the College of Charleston just a short stroll away"). Restaurants? McLaughlin and Todman point out the inexpensive down-home dishes at Alice's Fine Food and Southern Cooking on King Street with as much fervor as they do the "upscale" Palmetto Cafe in the stellar Charleston Place complex. And kudos to the authors for doing a page on the city's parking facilities--listing prices, addresses, and telephone numbers. Other features in the book include sports, tours, charters, art galleries, area neighborhoods, sailing instruction, Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, and the magnificent Kiawah Island.

In Good Company (FRP Books, $21.95) is an entertaining and thoroughly-inviting cookbook from The Junior League of Lynchburg, Virginia. The book presents 248 recipes and menus indigenous to Central Virginia. Also presented are historical anecdotes and over a dozen color pictures by Robert DeVaul. As for the recipes, don't miss the Hot Broccoli Dip, Houseguest Breakfast Casserole (you can easily exchange the 1 pound of pork sausage with a meatless substitute), Deep-Dish Buttermilk Cheesecake (simple to make, especially if you have a ready-made grahm cracker crust), and the refreshing but lethal Long Island Iced Tea (it contains gin, rum, vodka, and tequila!). FRP Books also gives us the marvelous SeaBoard to Sideboard ($21.95). A 1999 Southeast Regional Winner of the Tabasco Community Cookbook Award, this collection of 250 recipes from The Junior League of Wilmington, North Carolina has plenty of mouth-watering dishes for those of us who don't eat fish. Especially accessible and fine-sounding are the Dill Biscuits, Garden Frittata, Southern Hush Puppies, Squash Fritters, and the Heavenly Lime Pie. Melinda Strawn Vass provides the color photographs. If these titles aren't in your local book shop, you can order them at: www.frpbooks.com
 

A History of Navigation on Cypress Bayou and the Lakes (University of North Texas Press, $67.95) is an in-depth and well-written examination of how water transportation affected the natural and socioeconomic aspects of Northeast Louisiana, East Texas, and the Red River from 1800 to the present. Jacques D. Bagur--a professional researcher living in Baton Rouge--details how the natural logjam called The Great Raft (a unique phenomenon on the Red River) formed a continuous water body west of Shreveport. In the 1800s, savvy steamboat captains traveled east on the river (a region known as Cypress Bayou and the Lakes) and developed a system of ports. Jefferson became the most important of these. The author's research confirms that these landings fell victim to the same source that extinguished many early settlements: The railroads. Bagur notes that a dam prevents boats from traveling between Shreveport and Jefferson today. Yet, this robust water body still offers much to nature lovers and contemporary watercraft.


Deep South: Delta, Piedmont, and Sea Island Society in the Age of Segregation (The Johns Hopkins University Press, $45) is a captivating and in-depth study of three distinct regions of the American South during Reconstruction. J. William Harris--who grew up in Atlanta but is now Professor and Chair in the Department of History at the University of New Hampshire--examines the vast social, political, economic, and cultural differences that existed between the Mississippi Delta, the Georgia Piedmont, and the Georgia Sea Islands. He also addresses the enormous changes that occurred in those regions over the course of a century. Drawing upon everything from census records to oral history, Harris includes the stories of a wide array of individuals. For example, James Monroe Smith built a massive Georgia cotton plantation based on convict labor; Nellie Nugent Simerville became a Mississippi suffragist and legislator; and Arthur Raper, a white New Dealer, was hauled before a grand jury in Georgia for using "Mr." and "Mrs." to refer to his African-American co-workers. Graphs, tables, and historic black & white pictures enhance the engaging text.


The River Run Cookbook: Southern Comfort from Vermont (HarperCollins, $35) speaks to two of my favorite topics: Southern cooking and the lovely state of Vermont. When Plainfield, Vermont native Maya Clifford met Mississippi chef Jimmy Kennedy, they not only fell in love and married, they opened the River Run restaurant in her vibrant and singular hometown. The Plainfield community is comprised of artists, musicians, farmers, statisticians, human rights activists, and writers (including Howard Norman and playwright/screenwriter, David Mamet, who is a River Run regular and who writes a lively foreword to this splendid book. Here are some of Maya and Jimmy's mouth-watering recipes: A hardy Veggie Soup; Corn Fritters; Hushpuppies; Whiskey Cake (a recipe from one of Jimmy's aunts in Kentucky); Veggie Scrambler (a popular breakfast item); Fried Green Tomatoes; Collards (with a Vegetable soup base!); and, heart be still, Really Big Buttermilk Biscuits. Marvelous black & white photos of Plainfield residents are scattered throughout the book. Now if only I could get one of those neat-looking River Run Restaurant t-shirts to wear as I try out the recipes!

Web Garrison Civil War Hostages (White Mane, $29.95) is a vivid examination of hostage-taking during that terrible war. Garrison tells how soldiers and civilians alike were targets of hostage takers--even women were not safe if a commander believed he could use hostages to force concessions from the enemy. The author delves into how those power struggles were played out on both land and sea. The United States Marine Corps in the Civil War--The Final Year ($40.00) completes David M. Sullivan's workmanlike three-volume study of the United States Marine Corps in the Civil War. Particularly well-detailed are the operations along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts in support of Sheridan's "March to the Sea." Lots of historic photographs and illustrations.


No one should visit Savannah without eating at Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse, and no Southern cook or food lover should be without Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook (Tenspeed Press, $29.95). The superb culinary historian John T. Edge gives an illuminating history of Mrs. Wilkes' contribution to Savannah and Southern cuisine. Edge is particularly to be praised for highlighting "the strong cadre of black women" who do the actually cooking at Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse. This handsome volume has 250 recipes. They include a quick and delicious-sounding Artichoke Dip; Family Style Potato Salad (the picture will surely start your mouth to water); Fried Eggplant; Macaroni and Cheese (a "house favorite"); Cheese Grits (which Edge rightly notes "can convert even a steadfast Yankee into a believer in this Southern staple"); and Lemon Meringue Pie (with that exquisite "mile-high" meringue). There are plenty of photographs (color and b/w) throughout the book, including those of four generations of Wilkes' women who run the restaurant, author John Berendt ( "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil") with Mrs. Wilkes and her family, and Florrie Simpson Leach, who, Edge writes, has "worked her daily magic in Mrs. Wilkes' kitchen for decades."

April 1865 (HarperCollins, $32.50) is a vivid and insightful look at the final days of the Civil War. Jay Winik--writer, historian, and senior scholar at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs--tells how those thirty pivotal days in April witnessed, among other things, the chaotic fall of Richmond; a last-ditch Southern plan for guerrilla warfare; Lee's agonizing retreat; and Lee and Grant's final meeting at the Appomattox Court House, where both soldiers lay down their swords. Winik also does a masterful job of discussing Lincoln's tragic assassination (which General Lee roundly condemned) and Grant giving food to impoverished Confederate troops and allowing them to go free. We read too that Lee celebrated the end of slavery. The wording on April 1865's dust jacket hits the mark when it states that this work "emerges as not just a tale of war's denouement, but the story of the making of our nation."


An exquisite mix of fine recipes, beautiful pictures, and engrossing history, The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, $19.95) is sure to be enjoyed by anyone interested in fine food, Colonial Williamsburg, or Southern history. Edited by Charles Pierce, the volume is filled with 200 recipes from Williamsburg's four taverns: Christina Campbell's, Chowning's, the King's Arm, and Shield's. The recipes include Cream of Watercress Soup (alas, made with chicken stock rather than vegetable broth), Corn Fritters, Chowning's Tavern Creamy Grits, Christina Campbell's Tavern Slaw ("the early colonists found the English cabbage plants year-round in the mild Tidewater climate"), King's Arm Tavern Apple Cheddar Muffins, and the delicious-sounding Black Bottom Chocolate Pecan Pie. Tom Eckerle took the superb photos.

White Mane Publishing has produced two fine titles. The first, Mutiny In the Civil War ($29.95) is vivid and informative study of nearly two-thousand occurrences of resistance to authority. Web Garrison examines the extend to which ordinary fighting men and officers were opposed to policies and orders. Just to take one example, Harrison notes (in the chapter "Armed Mutiny by Eight Hundred Men--The 79th New York, August 13-14, 1861") Col. William T. Sherman's "lack of mercy fuel circulation of ugly tales of how he took better care of his horses than his men." And the second title, Lincoln On God and Country ($19.95), is a moving, revealing, and compassionate work. One of the many admirable selections that editor Gordon Leidner includes here is the one when Lincoln pointed out the terrible folly of Southern writers, preachers, and editors who "proclaimed the advantages the slaves of American had over the black people of Africa." Lincoln said: "Although volume upon volume is written to prove slavery a very good thing, we never hear of man who wishes to take the good of it by being a slave himself."


University of South Carolina: A Portrait (University of South Carolina Press, $39.95) is a resplendent collection of photographs. Robert C. Clark--whose studio is in Columbia, SC--provides over 250 images of people, places, and architectural surrounding the campuses of the USC. Familiar landmarks are readily captured here. But Clark, ever the craftsman, not only offers up gorgeous and telling pictures (such as the sweeping and marvelously-composed two-page shot of the Horseshoe), he provides a sizable number truly artistically rich photographs, such as the one of flower petals shed from Bradford pear trees on the brick floor and outdoor dining tables at the Faculty Club. Outstanding too are Clark's renderings of the holiday lights at the President's House, the Performing Arts Center at USC Beaufort, and the various shots of students, faculty, and administration personnel. John M.Palms, University president, gives a foreword to the volume; and Chris Horn writes the concise and informative captions.