Explores the role, development, and nature of the atlas and discusses its impact on the presentation of the past.

Since 1732, when Georgia was created out of South Carolina territory, the boundary between the two states has been disputed. This controversy reignited in the 1970s, culminating in a suit filed by Georgia in the U. S. Supreme Court to ascertain the location of the true boundary line between the states. De Vorsey's book grows out of this controversy and is a detailed examination of the historical geography of that boundary. After reviewing the events that led to the 1977 litigation, De Vorsey provides a detailed analysis of Georgia's original charter and the 1787 Treaty of Beaufort--two documents crucial to an understanding of the dispute. Using documentary and cartographic resources, he reconstructs the geographical conditions that existed at the time the documents were drafted and investigates how eighteenth-century Georgians and South Carolinians perceived these conditions. In the course of his inquiry he discusses the tremendous natural forces that have sculpted and re-sculpted the unstable shorelines and islands formed by geologically youthful delta sediments. He considers, too, the impact of man on the environment as he attempted to control nature and improve navigability on the Savannah River. The study concludes with a discussion of the particular areas of the Savannah River's shores and islands involved in the Supreme Court litigation.

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor. The WPA Guide to Georgia describes the rich historical and cultural background of America’s Peach State. With varied and interesting photos, the guide gives readers a real taste as to what sweet southern living was like in the 1940’s, all the way from the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains down to the roaring Mississippi River valley.