Charleston Style

From the stately elegance of the Georgian era to the exuberant eclecticism of the twenty-first century, the houses of Charleston, South Carolina, are defined by great architecture and elegant design. This book offers an insider's view of the beautiful houses, gardens, and decorative arts that comprise the city's unique charm. This richly illustrated volume opens with an overview of Charleston's decorative arts and architecture, followed by sections entitled Elements of Charleston Style, Period Charleston, Eclectic Charleston, and, finally, Quintessential Charleston. Also included is a source guide to designers, shops, and manufacturers. This book will inspire and educate readers about the specifics of Charleston's style and the historic and contemporary spirits that infuse it. Susan Sully is a best-selling author whose publications include The Southern Cottage: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Florida Keys; Casa Florida: Spanish Style Houses from Winter Park to Coral Gables; New Orleans Style: Past and Present; Charleston Style: Then and Now; and Savannah Style: Mystery and Manners. A graduate of Yale University with a degree in art history, Susan lectures frequently around the country and contributes articles to many newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Southern Accents, Metropolitan Home, Art and Antiques, Town and Country Travel and Coastal Living. She lives in New Orleans.

Some 125 color photographs mark a charming tour through eighteen of Charleston's most legendary houses, discussing how a wide variety of styles blend beautifully to become a distinct, and sometimes eccentric, regional style with unique features such as huge piazzas. 10,000 first printing.

"Archive Style successfully and beautifully reconciles, or rather intertwines, two viewpoints hitherto considered incompatible—the logic of the archive and the issue of individual style. Robin Kelsey shows, with great historical rigor, how the styles of illustrators Schott, O'Sullivan, and Jones emerged from the very necessities of survey work and from personal resistance to the social and political structures framing such work. Archive Style, visual history at its best, is a landmark study of nineteenth-century American visual and scientific culture."—François Brunet, Professor of American Art and Literature, Université Paris-Diderot-Paris 7, France "In this stunningly original book Robin Kelsey takes a fresh look at nineteenth-century survey prints and photographs. Insisting that the distinctive pictorial style of these pictures emerged in response to particular historical needs, he makes the case for a truly interdisciplinary approach to images. He combines an art historian's attention to artistic innovation with a historian's concern for the larger ambitions of the government surveys, to argue that aesthetic style is the product of both individual talent and larger cultural constraints."—Martha A. Sandweiss, Professor of American Studies and History at Amherst College "Robin Kelsey's Archive Style is by far the most stimulating, imaginative, and far-reaching study of nineteenth-century American visual culture I have come across in recent years. Drawing upon a wealth of research as well as recent advances in critical theory, Kelsey persuasively reconstructs the historical conditions that in large measure determined the production and reception of survey imagery."—Alan Wallach, Professor of Art and Art History and Professor of American Studies, The College of William and Mary

The Allure of Charleston celebrates this historic city’s eighteenth- and nineteenth-century styles and demonstrates how they continue to be employed and updated by design professionals today. Anyone who loves houses and interiors loves Charleston. The Allure of Charleston shows why by delving into the architecture and interiors of the past and present. Exploring the question of what makes Charleston so distinct, Sully demonstrates why the language of its architecture, interior design, and gardens is so versatile and enduring. Examples of Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival architecture and of rooms containing an array of English, European, and American decorative details convey the complex harmony that characterizes the city’s houses. Featuring historic masterpieces including Drayton Hall, the Nathaniel Russell House, and Middleton Place, this volume also offers a look at present-day residences, among them a new house built faithfully to colonial style, a charming eighteenth-century dwelling with modern updates, a stunning Georgian town-house with a contemporary addition, and a sophisticated Federal home. The Allure of Charleston also includes a visual lexicon presenting the individual elements—wrought iron gates, garden statuary, pastel plaster walls, refined porcelain—that comprise the city’s style, making this exquisite book both informative and inspiring.

The saga continues with Dr. Burels children moving west. His son James ledthe Mississippi-bound wagonsfrom South Carolina into another untamed frontier. Their first Christmas in Attalaville, Mississippi, was a grand celebration of their newfound life, only to have the New Year bring tragedy. Mississippis Golden Years brought prosperity to the pioneers as landowners and independent farmers. Too soonthe Civil War swept across their land leaving King Cotton reeling and survivors coping with shattered lives. Sympathetic eyes of the world watched as they searched for ways to survive the aftermath of total war. Lisbeth Burel struggled with the heartbreak of losing the war, her husband James, and her youngest son. Bracing to survive post-war defeat and economic ruination, Lisbeth and her oldest son learned to cope with the nagging pain and hatred of a useless war. With the burden of the world on William Rileys back, he turned to God and self-reliance to get them through the bleak future. Recovery was slow, and families joined hands to plant new fields of cotton, corn, and sorghum cane. Thirty years of worry and hard work turned William into an old, sick man long before his time. On a cold October morning, the stooped and frail man shuffled toward the sugarcane mill and furnace. Assuring the old family recipe and tradition continued, he taught his grandson how to cook molasses to be as smooth as silk. A couple months later Williams family celebrated the biggest Christmas since the war. Sadly, two days later the celebration was marred as his thirteen proud children mourned the loss of their Pa. After the war, William Riley took great pain to instill the belief that they, and their kind, were the moral fiber offering the best hope for rebuilding the New South. And they were.

Ever since Charleston first gained a reputation as a bastion of southern living in a modern metropolitan setting, its style and grace have been clear to all visitors to this unique city. Charleston's roots go all the way back to its days as a powerful colonial port, and Charleston Past and Present represents the finest residences from the early seventeenth century to more modern times, as well as their histories. This newly formatted edition maps the city's charm through its exquisite and sometimes eccentric architecture, decorative arts, and garden designs, featuring full color photography by John Blais of nineteen southern homes and estates. With a delightful foreword by acclaimed novelist Josephine Humphreys, it is the essential coffee-table book for the thousands who visit Charleston each year.

The Tenth Edition of Dance a While continues the 65-year legacy of a textbook that has proven to be the standard of all recreational dance resources. The authors have poured decades of experience and knowledge onto its pages, providing a wealth of direction on American, square, contra, international, and social dance. Each chapter is packed with expertly written instruction, coupled with clear and detailed diagrams and informative history, to provide students with well-rounded training on over 260 individual dances. The book also contains a music CD to allow for convenience when practicing outside of the classroom, helping to make it an invaluable resource for students of dance at all levels.