Böcker i Brief History-serien

Historian Joe A. Mobley recounts events in the Carolinas from prehistory and the first settlement by colonists through North Carolina's emergence as a state in a new, democratic nation. The history of North Carolina began before the first European explorers gazed upon its shores. Its Native inhabitants had long dominated the land and waterways. Before the colonial era ended vast numbers of English, Scottish, Swiss, Germans, French, Welsh and Africans had immigrated to North Carolina, pushing Native Americans to the margins and leaving their mark on the culture of the colony. In some ways, colonial North Carolina was unique in the early American experience. The peculiar configuration of the Outer Banks limited its commercial opportunities, but the colony was very much a part of the Atlantic world.

Lexington is known as the Horse Capital of the World, but the city's history runs much deeper. Learn about the mayor who refused the Ku Klux Klan permission to march and organize in the city. Meet one of the nation's foremost advocates for voting rights for women who was a native of the city. Visit the many small hamlets around Lexington that were settlements for the formerly enslaved. Lexington was the state's first capital and the nation's first community to establish an urban service boundary to regulate growth and preserve horse farms. Seventh-generation Kentuckian and Lexington native Foster Ockerman Jr. offers an updated history.

Few American cities have experienced the trauma of wartime destruction. As the capital of the new Confederate States of America, situated only ninety miles from the enemy capital at Washington, D.C., Richmond was under constant threat. The civilian population suffered not only shortage and hardship but also constant anxiety. During the war, the city more than doubled in population and became the industrial center of a prolonged and costly war effort. The city transformed with the creation of a massive hospital system, military training camps, new industries and shifting social roles for everyone, including women and African Americans. Local historians Jack Trammell and Guy Terrell detail the excitement, and eventually bitter disappointment, of Richmond at war.

Located in the shadow of Mount Rainier, South Hill was once a rural area known for timber and farming. From its beginnings as a Puyallup Tribe hunting ground to the post-World War II building boom, South Hill has undergone a striking transformation. Follow the trials of the pioneers who passed through on the Naches Trail and the settlers who grew hops for local brewers. Uncover the origins of Thun Field and its lesser-known predecessor, the S&S Airport. Relive the glory days of the Puyallup Raceways and celebrate the triumph of local Olympic gold medalist Megan Quann. Join author Carl Vest and the South Hill Historical Society as they explore the roots of South Hill.

La Mirada began with a vision. Andrew McNally, of the mapmakers Rand McNally and Company, saw the beautiful rolling hills as the perfect place to grow olives and lemons and purchased 2,600 acres of land that would become the modern city it is today. Originally planned as a collection of country estates, the area attracted dairy farmers and citrus growers who operated alongside the McNally Ranch, well known for its olive oil. During the building boom after World War II, families flocked to the area, drawn by idyllic spaces like Neff Park, and voted to incorporate in 1960. Join authors Glen Cantrell and Raymond Fernandez as they share the story of a thriving La Mirada.

The smallest of Nebraska's ninety-three counties, Sarpy County's history looms large. The area was home to Native Americans--including the Otoe, Omaha and Pawnee tribes. Hundreds of thousands of settlers moved through the area during westward migration, and they had to cross rivers on ferries like the one operated by the county's namesake, Peter Sarpy. The addition of Offutt Air Force Base and the Martin Bomber Plant made the county an important hub during World War II and beyond. Author, historian and museum director Ben Justman offers the rich history of Sarpy County.

First known as Assabet Village, Maynard evolved from a scattering of marginal hill farms to a bustling center of immigration and industry. Changes came with development and growth, from the arrival of railroads through the founding of the Digital Equipment Corporation. Residents persevered through the Great Depression and World War II to create a vibrant and diverse economy along the recently restored Assabet River. The town's Sesquicentennial Steering Committee has produced an authoritative volume that details the unique history of this beautiful New England town.

At the end of the Civil War, the area around Charlotte County was the southernmost frontier in the United States. Americans rushed south for the promise of cheap land in paradise. Albert W. Gilchrist peddled that dream with great fanfare, but his outsized legacy as a driver of the area's growth comes with considerable baggage. As Charlotte County strives to reinvent itself once again, historian Ted Ehmann provides a historical lost-and-found where heroes fall from grace and new heroes are created. It's an account that predates the arrival of the railroad by millennia, weaving its way from the Calusa kingdom to present day, stripping the remnants of myth created by early developers' utopian promises.