A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina by Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern, and: A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Western North Carolina by Catherine W. Bishir et al, and: A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina by Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern (review)

BOOK REVIEWS The creation of the college had its own drama. Mter six years of planning (1923-1930) and at the moment that construction was about to begin, the site had to be changed because of a proposed state highway. The new site was the dramatic cliffside wooded area on the banks of the Mississippi that still marks the special character ofthe school. Then, when all the money was raised, the Depression caused other disruptions.There was even fundraising competition with the Mother Church that made for some uncomfortable moments and further delays. But what emerged in the end was an essay in romantic design that evoked a medieval English village. All of this is laid out in meticulous detail and amazing imagery. Many of the photographs are by Rob Craig himself and demonstrate his talent as an artist, as well as an historian. But there are also Maybeck's drawings, sketches, and plans, along with period photographs. This is a large and heavy book, but read it yo~ should.This book is essential for anyone interested in Maybeck and the period. PAMELA H SIMPSON Washington and Lee University Guide/{) JJ,t HlSTORlC i\RC Hrl ·LTU RE d PLEDMONT NORT H . CAROLINA ~ . ,, , ., ... ..... t ~ .......... ~ -~~=! Guide to the HISTORIC ARCH IT EC fU RE 1'WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern. A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina. The Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 2003, xxiii + 596 pp., 53 maps, 536 illus., hardcover, $39.95, ISBN 0-8078-2772-x, paperback, $22.50, ISBN 0-8078-5444-1. CatherineW.Bishir,MichaelT.Southern,andJennifer F. Martin.A Guide to the HistoricArchitecture of Western North Carolina. The Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 1999, xxi + 471 pp., 30 maps, 313 illus., hardcover, $37.95, ISBN 0-80782465 -8, paperback, $22.50, ISBN 0-8078-4767-4. Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern. A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina. The Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 1996, xvi + 483 pp., 34 maps, 428 illus., hardcover, $39.95, ISBN 0-8078-2285-x, paperback, $22.50, ISBN 0-8078-4594-9. T he three-volume guide to the historic architecture of North Carolina may top the list of guide books. These three books provide what is surely the most comprehensive, historically and culturally informative, and easyto -use set of guides to any state in the nation. They not only open our eyes to great architecture, but they also teach us how that architecture is the very story of our past. Moreover, they demonstrate the larger patterns of place and the connections between diverse elements of the built environment. The multi-volume format includes general introductions to each of the three geographical divisions of the state, as well as numerous maps that provide an overall orientation to the entire area covered in that volume. The Piedmont volume has sixteen county groupings and twentythree town and city maps, in addition to the nine maps that show historical or geographical features, such as river basins, ethnic settlement patterns, or principal industries. The other volumes are similar, with nineteen county group maps and fourteen city maps for the Eastern, and fifteen county groups, thirteen city maps, and seven maps of historical or geographical features for the Western. Individual sections include a 84 ARRIS Volume Sixteen BOOK REVIEWS general introduction to the county and focus on the county seat, towns and neighborhoods (with particular buildings highlighted), and various isolated buildings. Each entry contains d::tte, architect or builder, and specific location, followed by description and analysis. Each volume concludes with a glossary, a selected bibliography, and a section on additional sources of information. These guides are excellent in part because the architectural fabric of the state is so strong. With the Cupula House and Tryon Palace to the east, Old Salem and the fine academic buildings of the University of North Carolina and Duke in the Piedmont and...