Amazing Tennessee : Fascinating Facts, Entertaining Tales, Bizarre Happenings, and Historical Oddities about the Volunteer State [Paperback]

Theresa Jensen Lacey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2000

Take a closer look at all Tennessee has to offer! This engaging volume is a treasure trove of fascinating facts, incredible anecdotes, and bizarre events in Tennessee’s storied history. With nearly 250 pages of reading enjoyment, Amazing Tennessee is packed with tidbits and tales ranging from the remarkable to the downright bizarre. You’ll discover: - Elvis Presley’s greatest boyhood disappointment - The largest hippie commune in North America - The annual Liar’s Contest - Two Tennessee counties that disappeared - The world’s longest paper clip chain - The world’s best pecan pie recipe - World records set by Tennesseans - And more! Whether you’re a Tennessee native, transplant, or just passing through, you’ll never look at the Volunteer State in the same way again!

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Rutledge Hill Press (October 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558537902
• ISBN-13: 978-1558537903
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,315,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cornucopia of Unusual, Inspiring, Humorous Tennessee Tales, October 2, 2000

By 

"tcjl" (Clarksville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amazing Tennessee : Fascinating Facts, Entertaining Tales, Bizarre Happenings, and Historical Oddities about the Volunteer State (Paperback)

This book is chock-full of photos (over 50, I believe) and stories that will make you alternately laugh, wonder, or sigh with disbelief--but all the stories in AMAZING TENNESSEE are true! For example: Why was the world-famous Scopes "Monkey Trial" really a PR stunt that backfired? What was Elvis Presley's greatest 10th-birthday disappointment? Who was it that was charged with, then convicted of, killing his political opponent--and even ran against the victim's widow? What was the most unusual [i.e., nonhuman] lynching in the U.S.? Just what Tennessee restaurant has the world's oldest cooking grease still in use? What two Civil War generals had been students at West Point together, with one tutoring the other--and wound up in a famous battle in Tennessee fighting on opposite sides? What did Dolly Parton do as a young school-girl that made her refer to herself as "The Creative Dreamer of East Tennessee"? Where in Tennessee is the most famous haunted place in the country? Where in Tennesse was the most destructive earthquake in U.S. history? And what famous whiskey distiller became owner of his distillery not only in a dry county, but before he was even of legal drinking age? Find out answers to these questions--and more--between the pages of AMAZING TENNESSEE (with foreword written by Governor Don Sundquist). And, as they say in Memphis, "Thankyouverymuch."

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for finding out little-known material, November 17, 2000

By 

james a. crutchfield (Franklin, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amazing Tennessee : Fascinating Facts, Entertaining Tales, Bizarre Happenings, and Historical Oddities about the Volunteer State (Paperback)

The title of Lacey's new book might well be "Everything you ever wanted to know about Tennessee, but couldn't find elsewhere." Crammed full of interesting and little-known facts about the Volunteer State, the book is sure to be a hit with trivia buffs. Everything is in here, from historic information about the 1877 rainstorm of snakes in Memphis to current listings of the state's best fishing streams. This book will make a great "stocking stuffer," and it's out just in time for Christmas. Anyone who has the least connection to Tennessee should own this book and read it cover from cover. I'll guarantee you'll learn something about our great state you didn't know.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tennessee is an Amazing State!, October 7, 2000

By 

D. J. Epright (San Antonio, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amazing Tennessee : Fascinating Facts, Entertaining Tales, Bizarre Happenings, and Historical Oddities about the Volunteer State (Paperback)

This is a really good book about a state I love to visit. I especially liked the chapter about the Civil War in Tennessee. One of the most fascinating stories involves Cravens House atop strategic Lookout Mountain. During the Battle of Chattanooga the house served as the headquarters for the Confederates and the Union on the same day. I think the tragedy and chaos that must come in little anecdotes like that really personalize a major conflict. There are tons of stories about real people and delightful destinations for day trips in this book.