New Book Releases

D'Iberville and the community of St. Martin share more than a common origin: from their colonial beginnings they have been one, now separated only by an invisible county line. The first is named after Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d'Iberville, commander of the French fleet who initiated settlement of Louis XIV's claim to the Mississippi Valley and adjacent coast of the Mexican Gulf in 1699. The latter is named for Raymond St. Martin de Pattier (or Jorquiboey), who married into the pioneer Ladnier family that homesteaded the north side of Biloxi Bay in the late 1700s and were the first landowners when the colonial era ended and the American flag was hoisted in 1811. After statehood in 1817, foreign and American emigrants arrived by ship and covered wagon. Before the Civil War, the families north of the bay included Spanish, Austrian, Italian, and their "African chattel." From this frontier beginning, farmers and fishermen spawned ranching, timber, and seafood industries as well as shipbuilding and mercantile enterprises. By World War II, it was a town, and in 1988 it became a city within the core of this old frontier.

The Mississippi Delta possesses a rich past that fuels the haunted lore of the present. In this ghostly guide, Barbara Sillery delves into the legends and myths, tracking the homes where spirits still roam. She interviews witnesses and reveals vivid firsthand accounts of paranormal activity. A short history of each site and its ghostly inhabitants adds to the mysterious allure of these locales. Fourteen bone-chilling chapters profile the cavorting spirits and their often-frightening antics. Greenville's lost ghost remains on guard duty at the former armory. Rowan Oak, Mount Holly, the Lyric Theatre, the Old Capitol Museum, Rosedale and Waverley all have tales to tell and lively spirits who will not lie still.

Colorful tales of the MS Gulf Coast from specters to sodas and from buccaneers and pioneers.

The story of the Mississippi Golden Gulf Coast can't be told without a few tall tales--pirates, buried treasure, ghosts and colorful characters pepper its diverse past. From incredible stories of the pirate Jean Lafitte to iconic legends like Barq's Root Beer, travel from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi and every nook and cranny in between to discover the legends and lore of Mississippi's Golden Gulf Coast. Local historian Edmond Boudreaux explores this exciting history, recounting the fantastic tales that launch the reader into the past and create a truly captivating history.

Natchez, Mississippi, attracts thousands of visitors annually. One look through these pages and it is easy to see why. Beautiful exterior shots, rare interior photographs, and moving descriptions capture the essence of one of the largest and best-preserved collections of antebellum architecture in the country. Natchez truly is a living museum.

King's Tavern, circa 1789, is believed to be the oldest building in Natchez and still operates as a tavern and restaurant. The stately Greek Revival Stanton Hall occupies an entire city block and is considered one of America's finest house museums. Longwood, the largest octagonal house in the country, stands unfinished today because Northern workers stopped in their tracks and left for home at the outbreak of the Civil War.

For those fortunate enough to experience this bastion of the Old South or for those who hope to visit one day, The Majesty of Natchez makes the perfect memento or gift book. It presents the grandeur of this quintessential Southern town in all its radiant splendor.

Pelican's acclaimed Majesty Series takes detailed looks at the unique architecture of historic cities and geographic areas throughout the South. The nine titles currently in the ever-growing series include Colonial Williamsburg, Savannah, and New Orleans.

After its founding in 1821, Columbus endured the hardships of early settlement and the tumult of the Civil War to enjoy years of prosperity while also weathering some hard times. Through it all, the city developed into the beloved homeplace residents are proud of today. Rufus Ward has been a diligent steward of the region's history, and his popular "Ask Rufus" column stands as proof. This new collection presents some of his best historical tales. Taken together, these stories cover the breadth of the city's history and capture the essence of the region's heritage. What Native American tribes once called east Mississippi home? What are the oldest surviving houses in Columbus? What Columbus family provided Eudora Welty with her favorite mint julep recipe? "Ask Rufus."

In 1940, the town of Clinton had scarcely grown in size or population since the Civil War. However, the coming of World War II forever changed the identity of this small Southern college town. Aside from the sudden departure of its best and brightest men and women for the front lines, global war touched Clinton in the form of a German POW camp and a Navy V12 training school at Mississippi College. Clinton: 1940-1980 picks up where author Chad Chisholm ended his previous book, with Clinton in the midst of postwar growth. It is a chronicle of Clinton's living history, a treasury of photographs for all Clintonians.

The old country stores along the back roads of rural Mississippi are the treasures that remain of a bygone era. Travel back to the Mississippi of yesteryear and hear of the deadly can of molasses that once caused a massacre in Carrollton, Mississippi, in the late 1800s. Find the church near Alston's General Store in Rodney with a Civil War cannonball lodged in its front facade. Or discover the haunts of Causeyville General Store among shelves and corners stocked with relics of the American past. These and other stores remembered here by local author June Davis Davidson were the cornerstones of their communities, and harken back to a time when the sweetest things in life were the smell of peanuts roasting and reaching into the penny candy jar.

Learn the story behind how the town of Oxford, Mississippi, and The University of Mississippi came to be.

Oxford and Lafayette County were formed from the Pontotoc Treaty and the Chickasaw Cession of 1832 and the revised agreement in 1834. This treaty with the Chickasaws ceded land that formed 12 counties in North Mississippi. On June 22, 1836, three land speculators, John Martin, John Chisom, and John Craig, donated 50 acres to the Board of Police for the formation of the city of Oxford. The name Oxford was proposed by a nephew of John Craig, Thomas D. Isom, who worked for him in his trading post, in hopes that the state legislature would place the new state university there. Oxford was chartered by the State of Mississippi on May 11, 1837. The University of Mississippi opened its doors in 1848.

Though no legendary battles took place at Oxford, the community was deeply affected by the War Between the States and deeply involved in its proceedings. Oxford in the Civil War tells the story of the steadfast men and women who fought to defend their homeland. Join author Stephen Enzweiler as he recounts the lives of Oxfordians caught in the grips of civil war. Looming historical figures include L.Q.C. Lamar, a politician and so-called "fire eater" who organized the Nineteenth Mississippi Regiment in Oxford; the "University Greys," a unit organized by Ole Miss students; and Jacob Thompson, former secretary of the interior under President James Buchanan who resigned and returned to Oxford to serve the Confederate cause. Although Union general Andrew "Whiskey" Smith burned much of the town to the ground, Oxford survived. And the resilient people--both slaveholders and slaves--finally have their stories told here.

Plagued from its beginnings by fires, financial hardships, and the dismal days of war, Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, has persevered into the twentyfirst century to become a leading liberal arts institution with one of the South's most diverse small college populations. In this delightful journey into the school's storied past, vintage photographs illuminate the beloved campus, early classes, annual events, and prolific leaders that friends and alumni of Belhaven will recall with fond memories. Founded in 1894 by Dr. Louis T. Fitzhugh, Belhaven College for Young Ladies occupied a large residence and spacious grounds formerly belonging to Colonel Jones Hamilton and named after his ancestral home in Scotland. Just seven months after it opened, the college burned to the ground on February 7, 1895. New buildings were constructed, and the college reopened in the fall of 1896. Fires would also wreak havoc on the school in 1910 and 1927; the school would go on to affiliate with the Presbyterian Church in the early part of the century; and the post-Depression years would find Belhaven facing an uphill struggle to continue operating with minimal funds. Shaken but not defeated, Belhaven continued to grow and with each passing decade gained more national recognition, whether through its renowned music program, its high standards of academic excellence, or the introduction of intercollegiate sports following the school's first admittance of male students in 1954. Although the years have brought numerous changes and Belhaven now rests on the cusp of the computer age, the school's commitment to traditional Christian values still permeates every aspect of a student's education.

While searching for vintage guitars on the internet, Zeke Schein came across what he believed was a photograph of one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Schein, both a fan and historian of the Delta Blues, suspected that the image depicted the enigmatic Robert Johnson. His attempts to authenticate it inspired vitriolic debates among blues aficionados about its legitimacy. Schein's fascinating experiences documenting its history are entwined with his own journey of discovery and his unwavering belief in the truth of the image.

The perfect keepsake of a trip to beautiful, historic Natchez, this delightful postcard book also allows a slice of the antebellum South to be sent to friends and family. Stanton Hall, the headquarters for the world-famous annual Natchez Pilgrimage, and Texada, a brick building that has served as everthing from a tavern to a town meeting hall, are but two of the architectural marvels presented.

For visitors to Natchez, this postcard book will preserve many fond memories and will also allow them to send the essence of the Old South to friends and family unable to visit Natchez themselves.

Settlers came to Clarksdale and Coahoma County with dreams of owning land and building a future. Some bought small plots to build a cabin and carve out a living, while others amassed large acreages of the most fertile soil in the world. They found nearly impenetrable forests and cane breaks and were confronted with unbearable hardships as they attempted to tame the land. With perseverance and the labor of African Americans using oxen, mules, and crude tools, Coahoma County made Clarksdale the "Golden Buckle on the Cotton Belt." From this labor a phenomenon has enveloped the city, and the preservation of the heritage and traditions of Delta blues has made Clarksdale an international destination for those searching for the authentic roots of blues music.

Washington County, located on the Mississippi River in the heart of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, is the culture that cotton built.

Founded by hearty pioneers willing to risk even their lives for the unexcelled wealth that the ""white gold"" of cotton promised, the county was literally carved out of a swampy, cane-covered wilderness where the brave were as likely to reap an early grave as elaborate grandeur. This collection of more than two hundred photographs from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth depicts the unique and pervasive dichotomies that the struggle to weave the ""Cotton Kingdom"" produced, especially the twin threads of prosperity and poverty. Here men struck it rich in an unprecedented short time, but here they lost it just as quickly. While high cotton bought white men opulent homes and the leisure to produce literary classics, simultaneously it bought the black man little more than a shotgun shack and the pain that birthed the blues. Witness the challenges presented to the mule by the machine and to the isolation of the county's way of life by international war and the infusion of industry. Despite the divisions, this collection also illustrates the common, commendable effort by the citizens of one American county in the South to clear their land, cultivate their fields, build their homes, pave their streets, construct their highways, lay their railroads, and protect it all from flood, fever, and fire with an unfaltering faith in the future.