This month marks the 150-year commemorative of the Civil War and according to renowned Civil War historian Shelby Foote, we can’t truly understand our nation unless we first understand this event in our history. I’m not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be, but this book might be a good place to start.
Gone: A Photographic Plea for Preservation combines Foote’s short story “Pillar of Fire” with the hauntingly gorgeous images of Nell Dickerson, noted photographer and daughter of Mississippi cotton farmers. Dickerson began exploring abandoned antebellum homes and documenting them after Foote, her cousin-in-law, encouraged her to do so. The book is about the photographer’s passion for buildings long neglected and forgotten.
Available on Amazon or directly from the artist, Gone is sure to be a great addition to the library of any Civil War buffs or just folks who are interested in architecture and images of the past. Dickerson’s book tour includes stops in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. I can’t wait to get a copy of my very own. I only wish it were an audiobook so I could be lulled to sleep by the gentle cadence of Mr. Shelby Foote’s southern drawl. Thankfully my southern beau does a wonderful impression.
