Panther Tract

Hunting wild boar is a keenly held tradition in the Mississippi Delta. Fraught with danger, it challenges the hunter, observer, wildlife enthusiast, and landowner alike. Panther Tract is an insider's observance of extraordinary hunting, southern hospitality, camaraderie, and the love of dogs, horses, and hair raising excitement. The over 160 photographs are representative of a "day at the hunt," starting at dawn and ending well after dark. The tales center on vivid hunting experiences, both at Panther Tract, a large wilderness paradise in Yazoo County, owned by legendary southern gentleman Howard Brent, and in other locations in the Mississippi Delta. The narratives come from men, women, doctors, lawyers, judges, businessmen, politicians, farmers, sharecroppers' sons, and even a Hollywood screenwriter. Melody Golding's photographs focus on the Delta landscape and on the people and animals involved in the hunt. Portraits of the hunters, and their interactions with one another and their dogs and horses, fascinate. An award-winning photographer and an expert horsewoman, Golding brings a knowledgeable and critical eye to these images. The stories she collects range from traditional often humorous hunting tales to more serious accounts of the history of hog hunting in America. Hank Burdine, a Mississippi native and hunter who has written for many statewide publications, lends a broad vision to the history, statistics, and lore of hunting wild hogs. An appendix features hunt recipes by Chef John Folse and philosophy on the stewardship of harvesting the hog. A colorful and diverse assemblage of beautiful photographs and tales, this book reveals a treasured regional tradition.

A Founding Father, a patriot in the Revolutionary War, a delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention, and one of the driving forces behind the creation of the U.S. Bill of Rights, George Mason (1725-1792) worked passionately and diligently throughout his life, both as a private citizen and as a public servant, to ensure that government protected the inherent rights of the people. The Five George Masons, first published in 1975, provides a comprehensive overview of five generations of the Mason family, beginning with George Mason I, who fled England following the defeat of the Royalists at the second battle of Worcester in 1651, arriving in the Colony of Virginia in the early 1650s. Central to this volume, of course, is George Mason IV, who, while less celebrated than his fellow Virginians George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, was one of America’s outstanding thinkers, legislators, and writers; his ideals and legacy endure to this day. This second edition includes a new foreword as well as color photos and maps, while faithfully reproducing the original edition’s unique genealogical charts of the Mason family. In tracing the family history of the Masons, the book provides important context for understanding the life and work of George Mason IV, who wrote: "All men are by nature equally free and inde¬pendent, and have certain inherent rights." The Five George Masons serves as a uniquely valuable resource for histo¬rians, educators, genealogists, and all those interested in the history of Virginia and the early United States. Distributed for the George Mason University Press

In considering the pleasures and absurdities of her native culture, Julia Reed quotes another Southern writer, Willie Morris, who said, “It’s the juxtapositions that get you down here.” These juxtapositions are, for Julia, the soul of the South, and in her warmhearted and funny new book, South Toward Home, she chronicles her adventures through the highs and the lows of Southern life—taking us everywhere from dive bars and the Delta Hot Tamale Festival to an impromptu shindig on a Mississippi River sandbar and a coveted seat on a Mardi Gras float. She writes about the region’s music and food, its pesky critters and prodigious drinking habits, its inhabitants’ penchant for making their own fun—and, crucially, their gift for laughing at themselves. With her distinctive voice and knowing eye, Julia also provides her take on the South’s more embarrassing characteristics from the politics of lust and the persistence of dry counties to the “seemingly bottomless propensity for committing a whole lot of craziness in the name of the Lord.” No matter what, she writes, “My fellow Southerners have brought me the greatest joy—on the page, over the airwaves, around the dinner table, at the bar or, hell, in the checkout line.” South Toward Home, with a foreword by Jon Meacham, is Julia Reed’s valentine to the place she knows and loves best.

The fragmenting of habitats is endangering animal populations and degrading or destroying many plant populations throughout the world. To address this problem, conservationists have increasingly turned to biological corridors, areas of land set aside to facilitate the movement of species and ecological processes. However, while hundreds of corridor initiatives are under way worldwide, there is little practical information to guide their design, location, and management. Applying Nature's Design offers a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on corridors, their design, and their implementation. Anthony B. Anderson and Clinton N. Jenkins examine a variety of conceptual and practical issues associated with corridors and provide detailed case studies from around the world. Their work considers how to manage and govern corridors, how to build support among various interest groups for corridors, and the obstacles to implementation. In addition to assessing various environmental and ecological challenges, the authors are the first to consider the importance of socioeconomic and political issues in creating and maintaining corridors.