Bland Simpson has blended history, observation, and personal narrative in his books to chronicle the people and places of eastern Carolina. Here, for the first time, he brings his distinctive voice and way of seeing to bear on the entirety of his home state, to create a portrait of the Old North State with care and humour.

"Bland Simpson, the celebrated bard of North Carolina's sound country, has blended history, observation of nature, and personal narrative in many books to chronicle the people and places of eastern Carolina. Yet he has spent much of his life in the state's Piedmont, with regular travels into its western mountains. Here, for the first time, Simpson brings his distinctive voice and way of seeing to bear on the entirety of his home state, combining storytelling and travelogue to create a portrait of the Old North State with care and humor"--