The front jacket reads:
"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...
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...
Simpson also 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..."
These Islands are prime paddling locations. Many I've already paddled to, or around. And many I'll now make a point to get to. Reading thier history is fascinating.
And if the name Bland Simpson sounds familiar, besides authoring a number of other books regaling NC history, and teaching creative writing at UNC Chapel Hill, Simpson is a member of the award winning "Red Clay Ramblers", an American folk band and theater performers.
3 comments:
Interesting post! I often search for similar books whenever I'm paddling, especially in ones I'm not familiar with. Picked up two in Newfoundland this summer and another about a billion years of Nova Scotia geology. Makes one's time on the water that more interesting!
Sounds like a great book, thanks for the tip. I'll add it to my amazon list right now.
Steve
I had just gotten my first kayak a few weeks before this book was released and when I heard about it I thought it would be a great list of places to go paddle. I showed up at a reading at the Regulator in Durham and was able to get it signed "Wishing you great good fortune with your kayaking adventures." -Bland Simpson
There is lots of interesting history and even an entertaining kayaking story.
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