Charleston Curiosities: Stories of the Tragic, Heroic and Bizarre

by Michael Coker and Michael D. Coker

Book Overview

Discover many of the unknown oddities of Chucktown - from its people to its foods.

To escape death the slaves hid. So begins Insurrection on the Stono, the story of a 1739 slave rebellion on the outskirts of the city. Charleston's violent and varied history emerges in the retelling of this dramatic event. In Charleston Curiosities: Stories of the Tragic, Heroic and Bizarre, South Carolina Historical Society's Michael Coker describes...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596295112
• ISBN13: 9781596295117
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: History Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic

Great read! I had the pleasure of meeting the author in Charleston this past Thanksgiving weekend. And even though I had to wait to Christmas to get the gift it was well worth the wait! The book moves along at a splendid pace, and even though I am an avid reader of Charleston History I learned many new things from this book! I will be looking out for more works from this author!

A great read

This sweep of Charleston history gets better and better as it goes along. My only criticism is that I would loved to have more. It's scholarly, readable and humerous all at the same time. Charleston lovers, history lovers and general readers alike should all enjoy this book. DKL, London

highly recommended

Really an excellent collection. Coker goes right to the heart of what makes history interesting: the stories, the characters, the strange and inspiring fragments that animate our past and illuminate our present. I can't think of Charleston anymore without thinking of the Battle of Breach Inlet, or the tragic Stono Rebellion, or the murder of Dr. Ramsay, or the violent moods of Junius Booth; and that's the highest complement that I can give to a piece of historical writing, that it manages to stand out, to be lively instead of burdened by dead exposition and academic pretense.

Educational while Entertaining

Kudos to Mr. Coker for removing the dry and blase aspects of historical nonfiction and populating these little-known or shared stories with vivid imagery and detail. This is not just another book with the same old southern history stories we have heard 'ad nauseum.' These are new and unique tales, and thank goodness for them! Mr. Coker tells a story the way it ought to be told: with attention to detail and personal aspects. These are historical facts spun in and around a yarn. Fantastic!