South Carolina: A History

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Summary: A must read for any South Carolina resident
Review: 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!

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Summary: wonderful teacher, wonderful writer
Review: 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.

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Summary: A Much Needed Book That Falls Short
Review: 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.

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Summary: Most controversial state in the Union!?!
Review: 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...

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Summary: I loved this book.
Review: This book is wonderful! It tells the overall story of South Carolina and includes all of the people in the state. I loved the way he included the small towns throughout his book. Charleston and Columbia are important in understanding our states history but everything in South Carolinas' past didn't just take place in this two cities. This book is easy to read and gives a clear understanding of the important role that South Carolina has played in the building of the history of our great nation. This book explains why South Carolinians took the positions that they did and how. All walks of life are reading this book. This book has gotten the young and old asking questions about their families history in South Carolina. This is the best book since Wallace! Working in a museum in South Carolina I know first hand the positive impact that this book has had on our state. I find this book most refreshing. I think it is interesting that the author grew up in Alabama, and has returned to his South Carolina ancestral roots to marry,teach, study, and write. Edgar understands the heart and soul of South Carolina, making him forever a South Carolinian. God Bless Dr. Edgar for sharing his wisdom, knowledge, and time spent writing this outstanding book.

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Summary: An excellent history of the Palmetto state for everyone.
Review: Walter Edgar's South Carolina: A History is a clearly written, well researched and accurate history of all the citizens of the Palmetto State. This is a book to be proud of as it chronicles a turbulent history and how it affected African-Americans, Native Americans, women and all classes of citizens. I have bought this book as gifts for friends and family and find it very readable for the layperson as well as the scholar. Five stars for an excellent book which has taught me much about my home state.

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Summary: Where's the Rest of the Story?
Review: We in South Carolina have long suffered from not having a true history of our state. We have lived with myths and legends and the glossed over version of our history. Dr. Edgar has finally pulled "the bones from our collective closet" and set the record straight. The truth is not always what we've been told all our lives and is sometimes hard to swallow but we can now try to understand where we have been, assess where we are, and take this knowledge into the future to make our state an even greater place to live. Thank you Dr. Edgar. Your book would have certainly made studying SC History under you at USC a lot easier, just one book instead of all those smaller, less indepth volumes we had to work with. Thanks, DiAnna