Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies)
YA-In the past, much study was devoted to antebellum plantation houses and to the planters who erected them. The slaves upon whom these estates relied have only just begun to receive scholarly attention. Vlach uses interviews with former slaves, photographs, and architectural drawings from the 1930s and '40s to analyze how the black population fit into this environment. The author dispels the Gone with the Wind myth of sterile-white fiefdom and builds an accurate portrayal of plantations as dynamic places that were dominated by the master, yet still influenced by the slaves. This book should fascinate students of American history.Hugh McAloon, R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Frederick, MDCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.