BOOK 



MARKET 



may fade, the likes of Donna, Connie and 

 others that raged unnamed in decades and 

 centuries past 

 have left their 

 marks as well. 

 This point is 

 clear in Barnes' 

 examination of 

 the Tar Heel 

 state's hurricanes. 



First pub- 

 lished in 1995, the 

 book now offers 

 33 pages of photo- 

 graphs and infor- 

 mation on Fran as 

 well as a section 

 on Bertha. And 

 though it is 

 packed with infor- 

 mation, this 

 chronicle of the 

 state's storms is 

 no almanac of dry 



facts. It examines the lives and communi- 

 ties affected by hurricanes and the growth 

 that makes them more economically dev- 

 astating. 



With more than 200 maps, illustra- 

 tions and photographs, the book's visual 

 content is as effective as its text. Maps of 

 the hurricanes' paths are riveting, leading 

 readers to think of familiar places, visits to 

 areas once devastated, people they know 

 living there still. 



The photography is as relentless as 

 the constant waves that overwash islands 

 in the storms. With the turn of almost ev- 

 ery page comes another picture of destruc- 

 tion, flooding or the indomitable spirit of 

 the people caught in the midst of the disas- 

 ter. In black and white, the images 

 chronicle a history of change and cycles, 

 suffering and survival. 



Appendices list the most destructive, 

 strongest and deadliest hurricanes in the 

 country's history. This puts recent hurri- 

 canes into perspective, for while they have 

 been financially devastating, the greatest 

 loss of life happened before hurricanes 



were given names. If the storm of 1900 

 that killed more than 8,000 people in 

 Galveston, 

 Texas, hit 

 today's widely 

 developed 

 shores at, say, 

 Wilmington, 

 the loss of life 

 might rival that 

 of the Asian 

 cyclones that kill 

 tens of thou- 

 sands. 



Included 

 are stories of 

 residents who 

 miraculously 

 rode out storms 

 or those who did 

 not hear the 

 warnings and 

 fought inge- 

 niously to stay 

 alive, of townspeople pulling together in 

 the aftermath of devas- 

 tation, of rescue work- 

 ers who risked their 

 lives to help people in 

 danger. Though 

 Barnes tells these hu- 

 man stories of the hur- 

 ricanes clearly, without 

 melodrama, the careful 

 cataloging of details 

 creates an intense and 

 emotional narrative. 



ALSO WORTH 

 MENTIONING ... 



If you admire 

 Bruce Roberts' spar- 

 kling photography, 

 then these two glossy, 

 large-format paper- 

 backs should strike 

 your fancy. Though 



both contain photos from archives and by 

 other photographers, Roberts' signature 

 style dominates. 



• Southeastern Lighthouses: 

 Outer Banks to Florida by Bruce 

 Roberts and Ray Jones. 1998. The Globe 

 Pequot Press, P.O. Box 833, Old 

 Saybrook, CP 06475. 92 pages. Paper- 

 back, $19.95. ISBN 0-7627-0217-6. 



Now in its third printing, this book 

 showcases stunning shots of North 

 Carolina's lighthouses as well as those 

 in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. 

 Because this book can be used as a travel 

 guide, directions to each lighthouse are 

 included. These sentinels by the sea are 

 more than mere structures, and the authors 

 make this point by touching on the histori- 

 cal, cultural and architectural importance 

 of lighthouses. They also enthrall with 

 stories of pirates and shipwrecks, relent- 

 less storms and raging wars, heroism and 

 love, and even a ghost story. 



• The Outer Banks by Bill Yenne. 

 1998. The Globe Pequot Press, P.O. Box 

 833, Old Saybrook CT 06475. 48 pages. 

 Paperback $14.95. ISBN 0-7627-0384-9. 



This 

 slim volume 

 is a perfect 

 keepsake to 

 remind folks 

 of their trips 

 to one of the 

 country's 

 most unique 

 coastal re- 

 gions. Large 

 color photos 

 are paired 

 with a few 

 paragraphs 

 of informa- 

 tive text. 

 The pictorial 

 tour of the 

 Outer Banks 

 stops at the 

 Elizabethan 



Gardens, Duck, Cape Lookout, Ocracoke 

 Island and many other notable locations. □ 



COASTWATCH 29 



