Since it first appeared in 1956, Mrs. Vanstory's rich narrative of the barrier islands from Ossabaw to Cumberland--and the mainland towns along the way--has become the standard popular history of Georgia's golden coast. Thoroughly revised and with over forty new illustrations, this edition traces the crucial and colorful role these islands have played from the sixteenth century to the twentieth. Home, at one time or another, to the American Indians, the French, the Spanish, and the English; to buccaneers, friars, and priests; to Puritans and Scottish Highlanders; to slave traders, planters, soldiers, statesmen, and millionaires, these islands are as rich in history as they are in natural beauty. Georgia's Land of the Golden Isles now takes the reader through the years from General James Oglethorpe to President Jimmy Carter, unfolding the stories of the lives that have touched, or been touched by, the golden isles of Georgia.

"Written in a lively, accessible style by Jingle Davis and lavishly illustrated with photographs by Benjamin Galland, Island Passages is a solid work of public history that presents a carefully researched document of Jekyll Island, Georgia, from its geologic beginning as a shifting sand spit to its present-day ownership by the state of Georgia. While many books have been published about Jekyll, most focus on specific eras or episodes of island history. Davis and Galland's book makes an important contribution to the island's literature because it synthesizes all these aspects into a comprehensive and beautifully executed history"--Provided by publisher.

Drawing from a wealth of information, particularly from primary sources such as diaries, letters, plantation records, etc., the author has recreated the story of James Hamilton Couper and his times into an exciting, interesting, and readable account. The work begins with an introductory chapter. The Georgia Coast, a land of sluggish rivers, murkey blackwater swamps, and studded with a string of islands, is the home of a special breed of people. The are as wild, reckless, exciting, beautiful, and contradictory as the land itself.Bagwell examines the Couper heritage, from kings, war, and intrigue in Scotland to their firm establishment on the Georgia Coast. As colonial times move into antebellum, the Coupers progress, especially with James Hamilton Couper of Hopeton Plantation. On his grand tour of Europe, many on that continent commented on the abilities and potential of this young man.Couper made quite a name for himself in the area of politics, plantation management, scientific agriculture, archaeology, and architectural design. In the sinking of the Pulaski, he was hailed the hero of the occasion. The publication of this volume will be a valuable addition to the history and culture of the South, especially Georgia and its coast.