“North Carolina Slave Narratives”

The lives of former slaves Moses Roper, Lunsford Lane, Moses Grandy and Thomas H. Jones are examined in moving detail in this new collection. The four pre-1865 autobiographical narratives, set in North Carolina, were first widely read in the antebellum era and beyond. The piece by Grandy claims citizenship and the respect of full manhood. Lane’s narrative discusses his experiences as a house slave to an elite Raleigh family in the wider context of economic and racial dynamics. Roper, who was owned or loaned to at least 15 masters, details his odyssey from a childhood of slavery to his adult achievements as an abolitionist. The last testimony, by Jones, delineates his experiences as a preacher to other slaves. Introductions to each narrative include historical information and explanatory notes. The editor, William L. Andrews, is an English professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, and has written or edited more than 30 books. Co-edited by David A. Davis, Tampathia Evans, Ian Frederick Finseth and Andrea N. Williams. Published by University of North Carolina Press. Hardcover, 296 pages, $27.50. Call (800) 848-6224 or visit www.uncpress.unc.edu.

back to books index

"Hertford County, North Carolina"

A new book by historian Alice Eley Jones of Murfreesboro looks at Hertford County’s history. As part of the Black America Series, published by Arcadia Publishing of Charleston, S.C., “Hertford County, North Carolina” shows and tells how people here blended their African, English and Meherrin cultures to produce an unusual set of goals, values and achievements.

“Hertford County, North Carolina,” published in 2002, is 128 pages in softcover. It is available for $22 (includes shipping) from King Enrichment, P.O. Box 397, Murfreesboro, NC 27855. Phone: (252) 398-8192.

back to books index

“The Lost Light”

The magnificent Cape Hatteras lighthouse lens, lost for 140 years, eluded Sherman’s Army and the U.S. government. The missing lens was located by author, filmmaker and historian Kevin Duffus, who then penned this tale of plot-twists, redemption and courage in lighthouse history. Historical narrative and maritime scholarship guide Duffus’s “Mystery of the Missing Cape Hatteras Fresnel Lens.” The book spans 200 years and three centuries of lighthouse-keeping history in America. Softcover, 230 pages, more than 75 photographs and maps, published by Looking Glass Productions. $21.95.

Duffus, a Raleigh resident and Haywood EMC member, produced the videos “Move of the Century-Cape Hatteras Light” and “The Graveyard of the Atlantic – 400 Years of Shipwrecks, Mysteries and Heroic Rescues.” Call (800) 647-3536 or write Looking Glass Productions, P.O. Box 98985, Raleigh, N.C. 27624 or visit www.thelostlight.com

back to books index

“Deadly Greed”

Rockingham author Clark Cox delves into the shocking murders of former country commissioner Maceo McEachern and his mother, Vela McEachern, in his true-crime book. The mysterious 1991 slayings near their Hamlet home were beset by complications of race, romance and greed, all of which are examined in detail by Cox, a longtime newspaper reporter and editor. High Country Publishers in Boone. Softcover, 137 pages. $12.95. Call (828) 964-0590 or visit www.highcountrypublishers.com

back to books index