Many have seen it, but few people know it well. Now come visit the Grandfather Mountain in its complete history, and full stature as one of the world's great mountains. Grandfather Mountain: A Profile travels back to the origins of this living entity, then traces its unique development--geological, natural, prehistoric, and modern humans-- to the present day, where it still stands alone as the grand patriarch of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"The beauty of this book is that it tells the whole story of the mountain, from rocks to salamanders to Daniel Boone and beyond. The author shows us that we cannot ignore the human impact on the mountain any more than we can ignore its rich biodiversity...that the key to preserving Grandfather's future lies in understanding its past. That Grandfather Mountain is the heart of this part of the Appalachians we call home, and that its future is our future. Read this book and then climb "The Grandfather." Then, you will understand." -- Stewart Skeate, Ph.D.
"Whether your interest is natural or cultural history, the struggle between development and preservation, or simply the story of one of the world's true natural resources, Grandfather Mountain: A Profile will delight. In bringing this scientific and historic knowledge to a popular level, without distortion, Tager portrays in fair, yet authoritative fashion, the story of "The Grandfather." -- Dr. Harvard Ayers, Professor of Anthropology, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.
"Whether your interest is natural or cultural history, the struggle between development and preservation, or simply the story of one of the world's true natural resources, Grandfather Mountain: A Profile will delight. In bringing this scientific and historic knowledge to a popular level, without distortion, Tager portrays in fair, yet authoritative fashion, the story of "The Grandfather." -- Dr. Harvard Ayers, Professor of Anthropology, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.
About the Author
Miles Tager was a correspondent for numerous publications throughout the country. Currently, he is a staff writer and editor for the Mountain Times in Boone, North Carolina. Tager has received a North Carolina Press Association Feature Writing Award, a North Carolina Bar Association Award for Excellence in Media and the Law, a Blumenthal Series Award for short fiction, and a North Carolina Writers' Network Award for Creative Non-fiction for a piece titled, "Saving Grandfather Mountain." He lives in Linville, North Carolina, at the base of Grandfather Mountain, with his wife Sharon and three children.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A decent effort; could be retitled.,
By Rayford L. White (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Grandfather Mountain: A Profile (Paperback)
Grandfather Mountain, A Profile is a short paperback, comprising some 100 pages. It provides a history and overview of this well-known mountain and privately-held park area in Western North Carolina.The author, Miles Tager, who lives in Linville Falls at the base of the Mountain, has a good understanding of geology, biology, and zoology as they apply to the region, and it appears that he has researched the history of the area in some detail. His book describes the geological processes in the early formation of the mountain in the Cambrian period some 600 million years ago, and provides insight into its development into current times. He discusses how Grandfather Mountain, located in the great Appalachian Range that traverses an area from Maine to Georgia, is now viewed by geologists. He continues in his book with a discussion of the flora and fauna found on the mountain-one of the most ecologically rich in the World located in a temperate zone-- and emphasizes the numerous animals and plants now either extinct or threatened, such as the Woods Bison,the Caribou, the Red Wolf, the Salamander and many threatedned plants. In the most interesting part of his book, he provides an overview of human activity in the area, ranging through archaic inhabitants, DeSoto's visit to the region in the 1500's, the role of the Cherokees in the region, and a fascinating discussion of the "Menlungeons", an olive-skinned, black-haired, blue-eyed, group of Portuguese from whom, according to the author, the stereotype of the Appalachian hillbilly was born. He also debunks a commonly held myth surrounding a still-viewable carving, purportedly by Daniel Boone, engraved on a tree in Wautauga county stating that "D.Boon killed a Bar 'date'" [D. Boone killed a bear]. He continues the book with a chapter titled "Explanations", that purports to provide the historical rationale as to the loss of plants and animal; a chapter titled "Exploitation", a discussion of 1880's gold mining, logging in the 1900's, and to some extent, commercial development in the area since. "Preservation", a short discussion of preservation efforts in the area, concludes the book. Mr. Tager is a very capable writer, logically developing the book into a fast and relatively easy read--although the fog index rises on occasion. He does raise very legitimate environmental issues important not only to America but the World. However, I felt uneasy when I finished the book. I didn't feel like I got what the title promised, a "profile." I thought the positive and attractive aspects of the Mountain that attract people such as Mr. Tager to the region were neglected. As attested by the five million or so annual visitors to the area, Grandfather Mountain is among the most spectacular areas in the country. It is an attractive and well-maintained private enterprise that includes a "Mile High Swinging Bridge" and stunning views. It hosts numerous special events such as the famous "Highland Games", "(the 78th this year)Annual Singing on the Mountain", the Grandfather Mountain Marathon and other events. In Charles Kuralt's America, Mr. Kuralt (a North Carolinian) placed it in his 12 most attractive places to visit. Yet few of these things were mentioned and none with more than barely passing comment. Further, in the book, the author seems to be trying to make the case that commercial development is undesirable, yet he gives very short shrift to the current owners and does not detail how the mountain is suffering from their ownership. On balance, "Profile" is a decent book with a bias. Some derivation of the title of his earlier work, "Saving Grandfather Mountain", would have been more apt.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grandfather Mountain: A Gutsy and Glorious Book.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Grandfather Mountain: A Profile (Paperback)
Grandfather Mountain is a fabulous account of the history and geology of an ancient Appalachian mountain. Miles Tager has the unique ability to excavate what would otherwise read as droll facts and rigid historical tales into contemporary, refreshing reading. He takes a journey back in time, bringing the reader in touch with the earliest geolocical forces to the Native Americans sacred grounds up to modern day tourism and the ever-pressing encroachment of commercial development. The book is well written and honest. I look forward to Mr. Tagers future books! Bravo!
2.0 out of 5 stars
Well intentioned but poorly executed...,
By
This review is from: Grandfather Mountain: A Profile (Paperback)
Let me begin by saying that Miles Tager's account of Grandfather is a compassionate and worthwhile study, deserving of a fuller and more thoroughly researched effort. Tager's treatment of the flora and fauna of Grandfather is competent and relatively well done - this portion of the work serves nicely to introduce neophytes to one of the High Country's most ecologically important areas. Where this books falls far, far short is in its treatment of the region's human rather than natural history. Tager meanders awkwardly from one historical rumor to another, with little indication of his source material - there is certainly much in the text that did not come from the listings in the scant bibliography. Tager overemphasizes the Cherokee presence in northwestern NC and takes a puzzling tangent into the Appalachian lore around Melungeons (at one point remarking on the "Caucasian features set in wide faces, dark skin and hair" of regional residents residents). He follows this with extremely questionable assertions that notable explorers from Juan Pardo to William Bartram visited Grandfather, while spending relatively little time detailing the repeated visits of Andre Michaux, Asa Gray, and none at all on A.A. Heller. The fascinating period beginning in the 1880s with the widespread commercial advertising of the region as a salubrious vacation land also receives short shrift. In his shallow discussion of the conflict between private and public land management, Tager's heart is in the right place but there is much left unsaid. Tager refuses to see that there were actually many similarities between the management of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain as the 20th century drew to a close. In the end this book turns the extremely complex situation on the ground in the mountains into a trope of good environmentalists fighting evil landowners. Part of the story yes...but only one part.If you want a sophisticated story of the struggles of the meaning of wild places in western NC, check out Timothy Silver's Mount Mitchell, or better yet, read Anne Mitchell Whisnant's chapter on Grandfather's struggle in the 1960s with the National Park Service from her book Super-Scenic Motorway. If you want a sketch of the ecology, biology, and geology of Grandfather, followed by some entertaining historical tales that should be taken with a grain of salt, this book will actually serve you well... DAS
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
