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Title: Ribbon of Sand: The Amazing Convergence of the Ocean and the Outer Banks by John Alexander, James D. Lazell ISBN: 0-8078-4874-3 Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr Pub. Date: May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: 5 Star Subject, 3 Star Writing
Comment: Anyone who has visited the Outer Banks -- and many who have only seen them from the famous 1970-era Apollo space shot -- knows that the islands are unique, fragile, and someday going to be overrun, either by trashy tourism or, eventually, nature. Alexander and Lazell hope, but are hardly convinced, that nature will get the chance to run its long course. Beyond the fascinating subject, the authors' chapter by chapter analysis of the forces that compete on the Banks -- sand, wind, land, forest -- is a clarifying approach to writing about the science of the Banks. In separate chapters, Alexander and Lazell then effectively show how the forces combined to impact Blackbeard's last battle and the Wright Brothers efforts to fly. The final chapter, Convergences, is like reading a decade-early preview of the impact on the islands of Hurricane Isabel. I would call Alexander and Lazell prescient, but I suspect they themselves would be the first to admit they were simply documenting the inevitable future. Only problem with this excellent book is that the writing feels as if it was done either in turn or by compromise, and is often far less compelling than its subject matter. Still, Ribbon of Sand offers some science, some entertainment, and a whole lot of appreciation for this wonderful speck of the world.
Rating: 5
Summary: Engrossing
Comment: I purchased this book to learn more about the Outer Banks, which I have long wished to visit and where we will spend a week this summer. It is an amazingly interesting and informative book. Geology, geography, biology, weather, ecology, politics, and more are all discussed as is the importance of each in relation to the others. I found the book engrossing and would recommend it even if you are not going to this unique area of the world. Now when the kids ask me why there is a forest in the dunes I will be able to tell them and I will be much better able to appreciate the beauty of the place.
Rating: 5
Summary: Man and Nature on a Tiny Strip of Land
Comment: I picked this book up during a recent week's stay on Topsail Island (one of the southernmost of the Outer Banks). Having never read a book on natural history or the ecology, I was prepared for the paper-pulp equivalent of Sominex.
Never have I been more wrong in my preconceptions about a book. Ribbon of Sand captures PERFECTLY the true mystique of North Carolina's Outer Banks -- how a half-mile wide band of barrier islands survive both because of nature . . . and in spite of it. Each segment of the book ties together both human and natural history. How the wind the shapes the wonderfully high dunes near Kill Devil provided the Wright Brothers with the means to test their gliders and to develop the first airplane. How shifting tides and currents that continue to shape the Outer Banks both abetted . . . and spelled doom for Blackbeard the Pirate.
In short, Ribbon of Sand captured my imagination and instilled in me a greater appreciation for the fragile balance of nature and man on the Outer Banks. I very highly reccomend this book!
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Title: An Outer Banks Reader by David Stick ISBN: 0807847267 Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr Pub. Date: June, 1998 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Portrait of the Outer Banks by Torrey Kim, Robert V. Drapaca, Kim Torrey, Robert V. Drapala ISBN: 0966058631 Publisher: Aerial Perspective Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Outer Banks, 24th by Molly Perkins Harrison, Diane Buccheri ISBN: 0762726822 Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr Pub. Date: 01 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast by David Stick, Frank Stick ISBN: 0807842613 Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr Pub. Date: August, 1989 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Outer Banks Mysteries and Seaside Stories by Charles Harry Whedbee ISBN: 0895870061 Publisher: John F Blair Pub Pub. Date: October, 1985 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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