Grandfather Mountain : A Profile
- by Miles Tager. A natural and human history of
grandfather Mountain. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.
In the Spirit
of Adventure: A 1914 Table Rock Mountain Hiking Journal
- by D.
R. Beeson. Title is self-explanatory. Nice photos
and good prose. An excellent book for the armchair hiker.
Cabins in
the Laurel
- by Muriel
Earley Sheppard. A classic. Wonderful
photos from the 20s and 30s, as well as compelling
descriptions of life and people in the nearby
Toe River valley prior to WWII.
Our Southern
Highlanders : A Narrative of Adventure
in the Southern Appalachians and
a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers
- by Horace
Kephart. Simply the best book on life
in the Southern Appalachians prior
to the First World War. Humorous and insightful.
If I could have only one book on this region,
this would be my choice.
A History
of Mt. Mitchell and the Black Mountains
- by S. Kent
Schwarzkopf. An excellent short history.
Scholarly yet easy to read.
Mount Mitchell
: Its Railroad and Tollroad
- by Jeff
Lovelace. Fascinating photos from the
early 20th century. The prose is a little
bit awkward, but an interesting book nonetheless.
In the Spirit
of Adventure: A 1915 Mount Mitchell
Hiking Journal
- by D. R.
Beeson. Title is self-explanatory. Nice
photos and good prose. An excellent
book for the armchair hiker.
The Appalachian
Forest, A Search For Roots and Renewal
- by Chris
Bolgiano. The best book I have read on
the natural and human history of the southern
Appalachians. Rated 4 1/2 stars by Amazon
reviewers.
Handcrafted in the Blue Ridge: Discovering the Crafts, Artisans, and Studios
of Western North Carolina
Hiking North Carolina's Mountains-To-Sea Trail
- by the dean of North Carolina hiking, Allen de Hart.
The Dying
of the Trees : The Pandemic in America's
Forests
- by Charles
Little. A good introduction to the effects
of acid rain and exotic pests on the Blacks
and other mountains.
An Appalachian
Tragedy : Air Pollution and Tree Death
in the Eastern Forests of North America
- edited
by Harvard Ayers and Charles Little.
Photos by Jenny Hager. A disturbing and
provocative book. Spectacular photography.
Highroad Guide
to the North Carolina Mountains
- by Lynda McDaniel.
Rated 5 stars by Amazon reviewers.
North Carolina
Hiking Trails
- by Allen de
Hart. Comprehensive. Covers 968 trails.
My favorite.
Hiking North
Carolina (Falcon Guide)
- by Randy Johnson.
Covers fewer trails than de Hart's book,
but covers them in more detail; maps and
photos included.
50 Hikes in the
Mountains of North Carolina
- by Robert
L. Williams. Describes 50 hikes in detail.
The Best Hikes
of Pisgah National Forest
- by C. Franklin,
others. Rated 5 stars by Amazon reviewers.
Exploring North
Carolina's Natural Areas: Parks, Nature
Preserves, and Hiking Trails
- edited by
Dirk Frankenberger.
Newcomb's Wildflower
Guide
- The best field
guide. My copy is only two years old,
but already dogeared.
Wildflowers
of the Southern Mountains
Belongs on the
bookshelf, not in the backpack. With
over 600 color plates, this is an excellent
keep-at-home companion to Newcomb's guide.
Eastern Trees
(Peterson Field Guides)
A Field Guide
to Reptiles & Amphibians (Peterson
Field Guides)
A Field Guide
to the Birds (Peterson Field Guides
Music of the Southern
Appalachians
O Brother, Where
Art Thou?
- Soundtrack from
the movie. An incredible collection of
old time music. This is REAL country music. It
is everything that today's slick new Nashville
pop isn't. Featuring Norman Blake, Emmy Lou Harris,
Gillian Welch, Allison Kraus, John Hartford,
The Stanley Brothers, and more. An astonishing collection!
Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.
Salt Sea Bound
- Polecat
Creek. First release (March 2002) from this triad-based
group. Original music in the Old Time tradition. Outstanding
song writing and beautiful harmonies. My favorite album
of 2002.
Ballads, Banjo
Tunes, And Sacred Songs of Western North
Carolina
- by Bascom Lamar
Lunsford. A Smithsonian Folkways CD,
rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.
Clarence Ashley
And Doc Watson: The Original Folkways
Recordings, 1960-1962
- Doc is a NC legend
and national treasure. This is one of
his earliest recordings. A Smithsonian Folkways
2-CD Set. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.
The High Lonesome
Sound
- by Roscoe Holcomb.
One of the greatest of the old-time
banjo players, Holcomb did almost all of his
playing at Holiness Church services and
square dances. A Smithsonian Folkways recording.
Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.
Music From The
Lost Provinces: Old-Time-Stringbands From
Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931
Various artists.
A classic of the old-time genre. Rated
four stars by Amazon reviewers.
The Legacy Of Tommy
Jarrell, Vol. 1: 1: Sail Away Ladies
- Tommy Jarrell
was one of the greatest old-time fiddlers.
Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.
Ways That are Dark
- by Daniel Gore,
with Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Jack Lawrence,
and others. A musical companion to Horace Kephart's
classic book,
Our Southern Highlanders
.
