Suggested Reading List
A Brief History of the Caribbean, From the Arawak and the Carib to the Present
Author: Jan Rogozinski
Description: Written for a scholarly audience, this concise history presents the full sweep of Caribbean geography, culture and commerce from aboriginal inhabitants through European colonization and modern developments.
A Continent of Islands, Searching for the Caribbean Destiny
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Description: A wonderfully observed social history of the Caribbean by a far-ranging journalist and favorite author. Kurlansky has a knack for honing in on the small details that make the Caribbean culturally unique, offering frank insight on music, religion, healthcare and the influence of the United States.
A Short History of Charleston
Author: Robert Rosen
Description: A third-generation Charlestonian, Rosen traces the history of Good King Charles's City from its founding to the present with flair.
A Small Place
Author: Jamaica Kincaid
Description: Antigua-born Kincaid meditates on the politics, history and culture of the islands in these remarkable short es-says. A useful antidote to the usual fun-in-the-sun ap-proach of the local tourist office, she shines a light on the poverty, corruption and startling beauty of the Caribbean.
A Traveller's History of the Caribbean
Author: James Ferguson
Description: A concise history of the Caribbean Islands, beginning with a description of their formation and geologic attrib-utes and carrying through to the first civilizations in the region, right the way up to the modern tourism boom.
Africans in America, America's Journey through Slavery
Author: Charles Johnson, Patricia Smith, WBGH Series Research Team
Description: A powerful collaborative effort that paints a vivid picture of the history of slavery in America, and celebrates the brave Africans who managed to preserve their heritage as they endured so many hardships.
At the Bottom of the River
Author: Jamaica Kincaid
Description: Ten short stories capturing the essence of Jamaica Kincaid's childhood in Antigua. Originally published in the New Yorker, the collection evokes the rhythms of work and play in the Caribbean.
Caribbean
Author: James Michener
Description: The sweeping, compulsively readable saga of the Caribbean, chock-full of historical detail.
Caribbean Birds
Author: James Kavanaugh
Description: A fold-up, laminated card featuring color drawings and short descriptions of commonly encountered Caribbean birds.
Classic Savannah: History, Houses and Gardens
Author: William Robert Mitchell, Van J. Martin (Photographer)
Description: A quick tour of Savannah, focusing on its sumptuous architecture.
Confederate Charleston, An Illustrated History of the City and the People During the Civil War
Author: Robert Rosen
Description: A lavishly illustrated history of Charleston during the civil war, this is an illuminating portrait of the times, the war, and, of course, the great city.
Literary Charleston, A Lowcountry Reader
Author: Curtis Worthington (Editor), Louis D. Rubin, Jr. (Introduction)
Description: A lovingly edited anthology of writing about Charleston, arranged chronologically and including heavyweights such as Henry James and Edgar Allen Poe, as well as less known writers.
Lonely Planet Caribbean
Author: Glenda Bendure, Ned Friary
Description: A comprehensive, practical guide to the Caribbean.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Author: John Berendt
Description: Part affectionate portrait of Savannah society, part murder mystery, Berendt’s classic account of his stay in the decayed splendor of the southern coastal city is one of those rare instances when a great writer finds himself caught at the center of a real-life crime story.
Moon Handbook Baltimore
Author: Geoff Brown
Description: A no-nonsense practical guide in the Moon series, jam-packed not only with travel necessities (hotels, restaurants, sights), but also with a good overview of history, flora and fauna and geology.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States
Author: Peter Alden (Editor)
Description: A compact photographic guide to the nature of the Southeast States from Mississippi and Georgia to North Carolina, featuring 1,500 photographs, concise descriptions and an overview of the natural history of the area.
Reefcomber's Guide, Caribbean
Author: Idaz Greenberg
Description: This double-sided laminated card depicts fish, corals and other invertebrates of the Caribbean.
Savannah Blues
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Description: Living in a carriage house on the property of her ex-husband's Southern mansion, antique dealer Eloise "Weezie" Foley finds herself in a pickle after discovering the corpse of her ex's latest lover. This screwball comedy is enriched by quirky characters and a treasure trove of richly described Southern antiques and furnishings.
Savannah Breeze
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Description: After a charming con man leaves BeBe Loudermilk with only a run-down Southern motel to her name, she enlists the help of her antiques-dealing friend to turn the place into a success. A comic sequel to Savannah Blues (USS418).
The Charleston, Savannah & Coastal Islands Book, A Complete Guide
Author: Cecily McMillan, Wade Spees (Photographer)
Description: An excellent, locally produced travel guide mixing history, culture and anecdote with a shipload of up-to-date practical information. It does justice to this area's rich traditions and food.
The Civil War, An Illustrated History
Author: Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns
Description: An illustrated, comprehensive social history of the Civil War by the now-famous team of Ward and Burns. With 500 photographs and maps, extensive text and original essays by contributing experts.
The Jekyll Island Club: Southern Haven for America's Millionaires
Author: June Hall McCash, William Barton McCash
Description: A history of the legendary Jekyll Island Club, the group of powerful millionaires (including Vanderbilt, Rockefeller and Pulitzer) who vacationed on the small island off the coast of Georgia.
The Middle Passage, The Caribbean Revisited
Author: V.S. Naipaul
Description: Novelist and travel writer Naipaul tackles the history of the Caribbean and northern South America in this incisive portrait. With chapters on Trinidad, British Guiana (Guyana), Suriname, Martinique and Jamaica.
The Spanish Frontier in North America
Author: David Weber
Description: The definitive history of the Spanish colonial period in America.
Wide Sargasso Sea
Author: Jean Rhys
Description: This classic novel by Dominican-born Jean Rhys, steamy both in its lush, tropical setting and in its plot, imagines the encounter between Edward Rochester and his mad wife -- a riveting prequel to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
Wild Caribbean, The Hidden Wonders of the World's Most Famous Islands
Author: Michael Bright
Description: Nicely illustrated, this companion book to the BBC series on the natural history of the Caribbean includes an overview of the plants, animals and underwater life of the islands from Cuba to Trinidad and Tobago.
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