Forgive the book for being written in the fifties, read it fast and enjoy it for what it is. Gives a thumbnail about what Edisto was like before the tourists.
The tales of Edisto could continue on and on. My childhood memories of Edisto are cherished and I love that the island has maintained the same lowcountry pause it is known for. After reading this book, I have a new list of places to visit there. Learning new things about Edisto`s history makes it even more cherished. Edisto will always have a piece of my heart, thanks to the author for writing this book.
This book was informative in terms of providing historical background on the island, but was hard to read due to the author's glorification of the antebellum period and assertions that slaves were happy and well-treated. I thought the 1986 epilogue would address this, but no, it just talked about the more recent development of the island.
Good book of the history of Edisto Beach, SC. We spent a week there in a beach front cabin in 2019 so I was interested it it's history. Very interesting book.
I'm not familiar with the Edisto area of South Carolina, but I picked this book up from a local used bookstore for its liberal sprinkling of ghostly tales and legends. As a paranormal investigator, researcher, and blogger, I'm always interested in regional tales from throughout the United States. As an added bonus, I'll be visiting nearby Charleston, South Carolina soon and thought this collection of history, anecdotes, and even recipes from this southern island would get me pumped up for the trip!
Obviously, I was a big fan of the ghost stories, but I enjoyed the rest of the book way more than I imagined I would. Even without a prior knowledge of the geography or history of the area, I found the stories and family bios pretty fascinating. However, several parts of the book were a little dry and the overall organization of the stories and topics left much to be desired.
Another somewhat intriguing aspect of this book was that it was originally published in 1955. Although my copy was the edition released in 1986, little (if any) of the original text was altered. Therefore, it contains quite a bit of language that isn't really considered as PC as modern readers might be used to. If you can look past that, it really is a neat collection of stories and a unique glimpse into early life on the island.