OCRACOKE: The Pearl of the Outer Banks, 2nd Edition

by Ray McAllister, photographer Vicki McAllister

An updated and expanded Second Edition of the award-winning " The Pearl of the Outer Banks," has been published by Beach Glass Books. The signed hardcover, the fourth in author Ray McAllister’s North Carolina coastal series, is a look at the history, the people and the continuing allure of the remote, white-sanded island that draws tens of thousands of tourists each year — expanded with nearly 90 pages of new information, stories, and photographs. "Ocracoke" tells the island’s story from the early days of Native Americans and European explorers to today’s artists, musicians, fishermen and bicycle-riding tourists. Along the way, it shares the stories of Blackbeard the Pirate’s bloody demise, German U-boat attacks off the coast, and the role of the iconic Ocracoke Lighthouse. Here, too, are portraits of ferries full of visitors, a legendary herd of once-wild ponies, miles of nationally honored beaches, the charmingly unpaved Howard Street and the poignantly serene British Cemetery — along with the inside stories of what draws families back year after year, generation after generation. NOW IN THE UPDATED AND EXPANDED 2nd EDITION, the author continues the story, from the shocking devastation and continuing impact of Hurricane Dorian to the joyful 200th anniversary of the lighthouse, from the glimpses of famous visitors to the secluded beauty of Springer’s Point, from the moving of structures around the island to the moving of structures upward on pilings, from concerns about the future to the largely forgotten past of Ocracoke’s sister island. The Pearl of the Outer Banks is a delightful look at what makes Ocracoke special – and, despite an uncertain future, likely always will.

340 pages, Hardcover

Published August 5, 2025