Reflections of South Carolina, Vol. 2
May 17, 2014
Robert Clark and Tom Poland’s Book Debuts at the SC Book Festival May 17
“This is essential reading for all South Carolinians. Reflections of South Carolina is a gorgeous tour of our state’s endless treasured landscape. The words of Tom Poland and the photographs by Robert Clark will thrill you. It’s that good.” —Dorothea Benton Frank, New York Times best-selling author of ten novels
An advance shipment of Reflections of South Carolina, Vol. 2, the new book by photographer Robert Clark and author Tom Poland will be available at the South Carolina Book Festival May 17 in Columbia.
New York Times best-selling author Mary Alice Monroe wrote the foreword, “A State of Awe and Wonder.” Monroe wrote, in part, “I hope this book of reflections with Tom Poland’s words and Robert Clark’s photographs offers the opportunity to discover and learn more about South Carolina’s historical charm, her out-of-the-way vistas, her unsung secrets, her community festivals, her art, and her endangered species. And more, her proud history of stewardship and service. With knowledge comes commitment and an awakening of our moral imagination. This is our watershed moment.”
From the Appalachians to the Atlantic, South Carolina’s awe-inspiring beauty is revealed in this visually stirring and heart-warming tribute to one of America’s favorite vacation destinations. Rich with stunning photographs, this second volume of Reflections of South Carolina uncovers the geological, natural, and cultural grandeur the Palmetto State packs into 32,000 square miles.
On their new journey, photographer Robert C. Clark and writer Tom Poland set out on a path of discovery that reveals charming country stores, water-powered gristmills, enchanting meadows, and extraordinary people and places. From angles high and low, this keepsake book illuminates the state’s summits, swamps, shores, and islands that brim with life, beauty, and culture. Turn the pages and explore the mountain majesties, fruited plain, and shining sea—South Carolina holds so much of what makes this country “America the Beautiful.”
Reflections of South Carolina, Volume 2 documents the state’s surprising variety as well. You can stand atop Sassafras Mountain in August and yet feel fall’s chill or walk Charleston’s cobblestone streets in shorts in the middle of February. Clark and Poland advise visitors and residents alike to take their time exploring South Carolina and whenever possible to take the road less traveled—for the next turn might reveal an antebellum-era slave chapel, a farmer peddling honey and tomatoes, a mountain’s reflection in a sparkling lake, or a peach orchard exploding pink. What could be next? A praise house? An unforgettable character? Art on an abandoned boat? Discovery makes a great companion.
Volume 2 offers readers brief essays on South Carolina ruins, one of the state’s last drive-in theaters, barbecue, Congaree National Park, old country stores, the Lowcountry, Carolina bays, and more. The book takes readers on a tour described as a “love letter” from South Carolina to her people. Learn more and see more at the SC Book Festival May 17 when Clark and Poland appear on a panel, “Discover South Carolina.”
Robert C. Clark’s work has appeared in National Geographic books, Newsweek, Smithsonian, photographic awards annuals such as Print and Communication Arts, and magazines too numerous to list. He has collaborated on three previous USC Press books with Tom Poland—South Carolina: A Timeless Journey, South Carolina: The Natural Heritage, and Reflections of South Carolina—and one, University of South Carolina: A Portrait, with Chris Horn.
Tom Poland writes columns and features about the South and its people, traditions, lifestyle, and culture for newspapers and journals in Georgia and South Carolina. In addition Poland has coauthored Save the Last Dance for Me: A Love Story of the Shag and the Society of Southern Stranders, also published by USC Press.
Reflections of South Carolina, Vol. 2
Lavish hardcover book
10 x 12
248 pages
236 color photographs and 14 black and white images
$44.95t
eBook, $29.95t.
Release date: June 1
