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ASSATEAGUE, Chincoteague, Parramore, Smith's, Hog, Wallop's:
The names of Virginia's isolated barrier islands evoke their
beauty and wildness, their dynamic ecology. Drawing chapters
from the writings of novelists, naturalists, journalists,
and outdoorsmen, Seashore Chronicles presents the
history of these slender, constantly shifting landforms from
the 1650s to the present. Robert E. Lee surveys the
agricultural potential of Smith's Island, and a young Howard
Pyle describes the Chincoteague pony penning. William Warner
provides an impressionistic foreword and noted writer Tom
Horton adds a contemporary chapter on the islands' survival.
Eastern Shore residents Brooks Miles Barnes and Barry R.
Truitt have compiled a cyclical story of economic
settlement, of destruction and conservation, for those who
have visited the islands many times as well as for those who
have not yet experienced their alluring vitality.
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"Seashore Chronicles offers an introduction to the
Virginia Barrier Islands in the best tradition--through
stories, narratives that offer insights into the nature of a
landscape and the human community that arises within it. The
blend of history, personal accounts, and natural history,
and the range and diversity of voices make this book a
pleasure to read." --Jennifer Ackerman, author of Notes from
the Shore
"A thoroughly enjoyable book. . . . And, in its own
unique way, reading it is akin to taking a walk on the
beach. . . . There are delightful surprises to be found on
the next page and in the next chapter." --Will Molineux,
Newport News Daily Press
"A must-have for anyone interested in the Eastern Shore,
barrier islands anywhere, nature, fishing, history, ecology
and, perhaps most importantly, the fragility of our nation's
eastern door." --Bob Hutchinson, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
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