[.ca] South Carolina: A History (ISBN 1570032556)

wonderful teacher, wonderful writer:
I am one of the lucky ones, Dr. Edgar was one of my Professors at USC, and I now follow in his footsteps teaching SC history to 8th graders. This book is written with enormous detail and a true love for the subject. Dr. Edgar is amazing, as is the book.

Where's the Rest of the Story?:
In 1948 South Carolina's most famous citizen of the modern era -- Strom Thurmond -- ran for President of the United States. In a speech in Birmingham, Alabama he urged a race war in the event blacks were ever granted access to public accommodations. The funny thing is that the United States and its allies hanged Germans who fomented less hatred than Senator Thurmond did in his previous incarnation as a race baiter. Chesterton once said that the greatest criminals have committed no crimes. And Augosto Pinochet proved that a man's deeds aren't always locked away in the past. For Walter Edgar to ignore Thurmond's incendiary remarks is an unspeakable oversight. What else did he leave out? And why?

Most controversial state in the Union!?!:
Overall this was an excellent book on what is most likely the most controversial state in the Union...Since the first landing in St. Helena Parish, through the Colonial period and the Civil War era to the flag controversy in the late 1990's, South Carolinians have been different, in almost every way, then the rest of the country. While NC's motto may be 'first in flight', South Carolina's could very well be 'first to fight'. Their instigation of the Revolutionary war and the Civil war, not to mention dozens of other controversial actions on the part of some of our ancestral fire-eaters make this book not just a history every SC-olian should read but one that every American should read as well. Like it or not, SC has played an extremely vital role in the path our country has taken and the culture we have developed. This book attempts to cover this role... While some of the book may bog down, the majority of the chapters are very well researched, flow smoothly, and are extremely interesting. You will find such topics as Colonial life in SC, Antebellum life in SC, SC-olinans in the Revolutionary War, SC-olina's role in starting the Civil War, how SC bucked reconstruction, etc...Overall, if you are a fan of good history then you will enjoy this book. If you are looking for action then try a couple books about SC's role in the fighting of the Civil War...'Kershaw's brigade' and 'the Stuck eagle: South Carolina Infantry in the Civil War'. Enjoy...

A must read for any South Carolina resident:
As a resident of SC for nearly twenty-five years, I was delighted to find a readable, comprehensive history of our state! Dr. Edgar does a wonderful job of inter-weaving the various aspects of SC history into a fine tapestry; he relates economic conditions to religious culture to the political climate to family life to economic conditions... Of special interest to me were the chapters dealing with the political and economic development (or lack thereof) during the years immediately following the Civil War through the turn of the twentieth century. (In fact, this time period would make a great movie!) Kudos to Dr. Edgar for a worthwhile 700+ pages of my time!

A Much Needed Book That Falls Short:
I'm glad to see this book -- one of the few comprehensive histories of SC in decades. It is a clear, easy to read history. However, I was disappointed. Edgar is often too brief with his subject. One example is the Mill Villages. He mentions them, but fails to go into depth, especially in their changes with the decline of the textile industry. He does fairly well with the discussion of the growth of the Republican party, but makes no mention of the Governor's race in the 1970's in which Dorn lost to Edwards. Caused primarily because of the unconstitutional race of Charles "Pug" Ravenel, Dorn's loss to Edwards quickened the rise of the Republican party in SC. All in all an adequate book that will serve until something better is written.