{"product_id":"visions-of-the-black-belt-a-cultural-survey-of-the-heart-of-alabama-hardcover","title":"Visions of the Black Belt: A Cultural Survey of the Heart of Alabama - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRobin McDonald\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eValerie Pope Burnes\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eRobin McDonald\u003c\/b\u003e (Photographer)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eVisions of the Black Belt\u003c\/i\u003e, Robin McDonald and Valerie Pope Burnes offer a richly illustrated tour of the Black Belt, the fertile arc that represents the cultural efflorescence of Alabama's heartland. Like knowledgeable friends, McDonald and Burnes guide readers through the Black Belt's towns and architecture and introduce the region's great panoply of citizens, farmers, craftspeople, cooks, writers, and musicians. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A constellation of Black Belt towns arose during Alabama's territorial decades, communities like Selma, Camden, Eutaw, Tuskegee, Greenville, and many more. \u003ci\u003eVisions of the Black Belt\u003c\/i\u003e recounts their stories and others, such as Demopolis's founding by exiles from Napoleon's France. As an escarpment of clouds scuds across an indigo sky, the ruins of Alabama's lost capital of Cahaba reveal the secrets of its lost squares. Also on this picturesque tour are the Black Belt's homes, from artless cabins wreathed in fern to ozymandian manses wrapped by stately columns, such as Kirkwood and Reverie. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Among the emblematic houses of worship lovingly photographed in \u003ci\u003eVisions of the Black Belt\u003c\/i\u003e is Prairieville's St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, noted for its \"carpenter gothic\" style. Also reflecting the region's history of faith are poignant graveyards such as Greenville's Pioneer Cemetery with its homespun memorials of seashell-and-concrete and the elegant marbles clad in ebon lichen of Selma's Live Oak Cemetery. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In photos and text, McDonald and Burnes bring to life the layers of history that shaped the Black Belt's tastes, sounds, and colors. Their gastronomic discoveries include the picant crawfish of the Faunsdale Bar \u0026amp; Grill and GainesRidge Dining Club's famed Black Bottom pie. They bring the sounds of the Black Belt to life by presenting a wide range of musicians and musical events, from bona fide blues and soul masters to Eutaw's Black Belt Roots Festival. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Including two maps and more than 370 full-color photographs, \u003ci\u003eVisions of the Black Belt\u003c\/i\u003e offers a timeless message of faith, determination, and the rich simplicity of living in harmony with the rhythms of the land and nature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished in Cooperation with the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center, Camden, Alabama\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWriter and photographer \u003cb\u003eRobin McDonald\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eHeart of a Small Town: Photographs of Alabama Towns\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cb\u003eValerie Pope Burnes\u003c\/b\u003e is an assistant professor of history and former director of the Center for the Study of the Black Belt at the University of West Alabama. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 264\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 11.2 x 11.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 15, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51757829947680,"sku":"9780817318796","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/b97895aef70fabd5e17f104ea21972b6.webp?v=1780112777","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/visions-of-the-black-belt-a-cultural-survey-of-the-heart-of-alabama-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}