Seashore Chronicles: Three Centuries of the Virginia Barrier Island [Hardcover]

Brooks M. Barnes (Editor), Barry R. Truitt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1997

ASSATEAGUE, Chincoteague, Parramore, Smith's, Hog, Wallop's: The names of Virginia's isolated barrier islands evoke their beauty and wildness, their dynamic ecology. Drawing chapters from the writings of novelists, naturalists, journalists, and outdoorsmen, Seashore Chronicles presents the history of these slender, constantly shifting landforms from the 1650s to the present. Robert E. Lee surveys the agricultural potential of Smith's Island, and a young Howard Pyle describes the Chincoteague pony penning. William Warner provides an impressionistic foreword and noted writer Tom Horton adds a contemporary chapter on the islands' survival. Eastern Shore residents Brooks Miles Barnes and Barry R. Truitt have compiled a cyclical story of economic settlement, of destruction and conservation, for those who have visited the islands many times as well as for those who have not yet experienced their alluring vitality.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Seashore Chronicles offers an introduction to the Virginia Barrier Islands in the best tradition -- through stories, narratives that offer insights into the nature of a landscape and the human community that arises within it. The blend of history, personal accounts, and natural history, and the range and diversity of voices make this book a pleasure to read.

(Jennifer Ackerman, author of Notes from the Shore )

A thoroughly enjoyable book.... And, in its own unique way, reading it is akin to taking a walk on the beach.... There are delightful surprises to be found on the next page and in the next chapter.

(Will Molineux, Newport News Daily Press )

A must-have for anyone interested in the Eastern Shore, barrier islands anywhere, nature, fishing, history, ecology and, perhaps most importantly, the fragility of our nation's eastern door.

(Bob Hutchinson, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press (October 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813917484
• ISBN-13: 978-0813917481
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 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: #2,540,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent reference of the Virginia Barrier Islands, February 2, 1999

By 

David Roth (Montgomery Village, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seashore Chronicles: Three Centuries of the Virginia Barrier Island (Hardcover)

Those who live on the beach are subject to some of the more momentous forces of nature.... storms and hurricanes. In few other places has this been the case more than along the Virginia coast....and this work explores all those who lived in this treacherous margin between the mainland and the ocean. The book covers the continuing shifting of the islands through time, as well as their attempts of being habitable. The most celebrated ponies on the seaboard get their due...as well as some famous people who owned land or visited the area. It also serves as a valuable lesson to those who may wish to live in the apparent peace and solitude of the shore....for it can change at a moment's notice. It is one of the most balanced local histories I've ever read...and is told from the perspective of those on the islands, a very nice touch. Those interested in the Mid-Atlantic should run and buy this book while it's still in print.