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The University of North Carolina Press
232 pp., 7 x 10, 54 illus., 4 maps, bibl., index
A Carolinian's Sound Country Chronicle
Blending history, oral history, autobiography, and travel narrative, Bland Simpson explores the geography and biodiversity of the islands that lie in eastern North Carolina's sounds, rivers, and swamps. The fifth in a series of books by Simpson examining the natural and human history of the region, The Inner Islands presents Simpson's signature reportage on territory often bypassed by tourists and scholars alike.
In each of the fifteen chapters in the book, Simpson covers a single island or group of islands, many of which, were it not for the buffering Outer Banks, would be lost to the ebbs and flows of the Atlantic. Instead they are home to unique plant and animal species and well-established hardwood forests. Simpson traces the ongoing forces of nature and the history of these islands, including inhabitants and industries, from colonization to the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and periods of economic boom and bust. Featuring historical photographs as well as original photography by Ann Cary Simpson, The Inner Islands tells the stories of some of Carolina's least-known special places.
"Simpson imparts the fleeting nature of island life to his readers, capturing the mood of each place with his unique voice and style, interspersing archival history and lore with his own experience."
--Coastland Times
"Part travel log, part history, part memoir delicately tinged with Elizabethan syntax, Simpson's north-to-south trip through some of the state's least known locales will make you want to rent a boat and travel from Machelhe Island to the Cape Fear chain."
--Pilot
"Simpson's words are elegant, and the descriptions multi-layered. . . . Whether you're a native of the Old North State or a more recent transplant, Simpson's narrative should be required reading. You can't beat the combination of one of our best writers with one of the most intriguing and vital parts of the state."--
--Creative Loafing
"[Simpson's] love of these islands shines through on every page."
--Bloomsbury Review
"Simpson deftly weaves together autobiography, travel narrative, and environmental and oral history to explore the geography and biodiversity of the islands of eastern North Carolina. . . . The Inner Islands is sure to be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by scholars, students, and anyone attracted to the story of forgotten and beautiful places."
--North Carolina Historical Review
"Bland Simpson is a man in love--in love with landscapes and waterscapes, boats and voyages; dolphins and pelicans; history and legend; and the energetic, often cantankerous, and wonderfully generous individuals who live along the Carolina coast. He is also generous. In The Inner Islands, he shares his passion by taking readers on a rollicking cruise down the coastal sound country. . . . Simpson has a gift for painting vivid verbal pictures that help us see what he does, and our vision is made even clearer by the fine photographs of his wife, Ann Cary Simpson."
--Raleigh News & Observer
Cloth: $34.95
© 2007 The University of North Carolina Press
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808
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