Charleston is a city apart; a world unto itself. Seated serenely on the coast, buffered from the Atlantic by wild, sandy barrier islands and held in the cradle of the Carolina Lowcountry, Charleston is regarded as America's most polite city; a cultural capital of Southern hospitality and charm. Graced with beautifully preserved historic buildings and ancient moss-draped trees, Charleston, South Carolina and the Lowcountry: A Photographic Portrait, unveils a whole new view of the many facets of one of the loveliest gems in the American treasury.

Charleston, a living museum of Southern culture, is famous for its charm, Lowcountry cuisine, unique architectural stylings, and leisurely pace of life. A side of Charleston that many tourists do not witness and explore, the African-American community is a vibrant part of the Charleston identity, having shaped the Holy CityAa's very essence since the days of slavery.

Often called the most "Southern" of Southern cities, Charleston was one of the earliest urban centers in North America. It quickly became a boisterous, brawling sea city trading with distant ports, and later a capital of the Lowcountry plantations, a Southern cultural oasis, and a summer home for planters. In this city, the Civil War began. And now, in the twentieth century, its metropolitan area has evolved into a microcosm of "the military-industrial complex." This book records Charleston's development from 1670 and ends with an afterword on the effects of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, drawing with special care on information from every facet of the city's life—its people and institutions; its art and architecture; its recreational, social and intellectual life; its politics and city government. The most complete social, political, and cultural history of Charleston, this book is a treasure chest for historians and for anyone interested in delving into this lovely city, layer by layer.

A guide book will help natives and visitors alike appreciate the history and residents of the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina, one of the South's great cultural destinations, which has endured periods of grandeur, occupation, a devastating earthquake, fires, hurricanes, and the challenges of Reconstruction. Original.