Long Green: The Rise and Fall of Tobacco in South Carolina [Hardcover]

Eldred E. Prince Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2000

The first comprehensive history of Bright Leaf tobacco culture of any state to appear in fifty years, this book explores tobacco's influence in South Carolina from its beginnings in the colonial period to its heyday at the turn of the century, the impact of the Depression, the New Deal, and World War II, and on to present-day controversies about health risks due to smoking.

The book examines the tobacco growers' struggle against the monopolistic practices of manufacturers, explains the failures of the cooperative reform movement and the Hoover administration's farm policies, and describes how Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal rescued southern agriculture from the Depression and forged a lasting and successful partnership between tobacco farmers and government. The technological revolutions of the post-World War II era and subsequent tobacco economy hardships due to increasingly negative public perception of tobacco use are also highlighted.The book details the roles and motives of key individuals in the development of tobacco culture, including firsthand experiences related by farmers and warehousemen, and offers informed speculations on the future of tobacco culture. Long Green allows readers to better understand the full significance of this cash crop in the history and economy of South Carolina and the American South.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is the fullest and most thoughtful treatment of the changing fortunes of tobacco in one of the richest tobacco areas in the United States and, as such, a valuable and timely contribution to consideration of elements of the background of a critical national policy issue."--David Moltke-Hansen, President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

"A comprehensive history of Bright Leaf tobacco culture that explores both the good and the bad. . . . A fresh view of a southern heritage that been instrumental to both the economy and the attitudes of the region."--North Carolina Historical Review

"A thorough study of the structure of South Carolina tobacco farming, with ample attention to the elites who promoted it and the manufacturers who profited most from it."--Journal of American History

About the Author

Eldred E. Prince Jr. is a professor of history at Coastal Carolina University. Robert R. Simpson was a professor of history at Coker College and director of the Pee Dee Heritage Foundation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press (July 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820321761
• ISBN-13: 978-0820321769
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well worth the read, March 11, 2001

By 

Billy Hills (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Long Green: The Rise and Fall of Tobacco in South Carolina (Hardcover)

This beautifully-produced historical account of the tobacco industry in the Pee Dee region of SC stayed in the pile of books on my bedside table for about a month before it finally cycled to the top. Having received the book as a present, I was mildly curious when I picked it up. "OK," I thought, as I began what I believed would be, at best, a cursory examination, "it's a history book." What a pleasant surprise I received! I was immediately drawn in to the story by the eloquent writing style of the authors and the appropriate use of southern expressions. I felt as if I was experiencing the frustration and the joy of the tobacco farmers as they labored to bring in the crop in this unique region of the country. I found each of the illustrations in the book to be clearly presented and to closely fit the part of the story being told. Within a short period of time after beginning my reading, I began going to bed early to allow myself more reading time. Since I only adopt that reading behavior for the page-turners, I knew then I was hooked! My interest continued right on through the cogent explanation of the structure of the tobacco-subsidy system and finally to the conclusion and the insightful comments of the authors regarding the future of the tobacco industry. I wish to thank Prince & Simpson for their intelligent coverage of a complex part of American culture. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in real southern culture, and not that fake, hick Hollywood version so often portrayed in movies, and for anyone interested in really knowing what the tobacco industry is about.