Majesty of the Mississippi Delta, The (Majesty Series)
Mention Mississippi plantation homes and images of slaves, King Cotton, and the Civil War immediately come to mind. While not ignoring these issues, Fraiser (Mississippi River Country Tales) focuses here primarily on the architecture of the homes, churches, and monuments that are still found in the Mississippi River Delta region, stretching from Port Gibson to Holly Springs. These architectural masterpieces were built with both comfort and practicality in mind; comfort is seen in the columns, porticos, and balustrades, while practicality is evident in the structural efforts to cope with withering summer heat and humidity and a river prone to deadly flooding. Fraiser presents the right mixture of history and folklore to make the book readable by anyone interested in architecture, while Freeman's exquisite photographs capture the antebellum beauty, which endures to this day and makes this area of Mississippi a favorite with tourists. Public libraries in the region will definitely want to add this to their collections, but it is also suitable for libraries of all sizes because of its reasonable price, insightful text, and stunning photographs. Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc P.L., CACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.