The Majesty of Charleston Hardcover - 2005

First line

Fashioned by three hundred years of rich history, Charleston resembles a prized, bejeweled pendant set in a necklace formed by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.

From the jacket flap

"This unusual city guide should appeal to students of history, interior design, and architecture as well as to travelers to Charleston."
--Library Journal

The architectural profile of Charleston, South Carolina, has had many face-lifts. Wars, hurricanes, and earthquakes have all left scars on its historic structures, but they still continue to exemplify the city's charm. Fortunately, Charleston's citizens have wisely abided by a desire to repair and maintain, as opposed to raze and modernize.

Inside this updated second edition, author and photographer Peter Beney captures, in more than 240 color photographs, the beauty that time has tried so hard to destroy. Many images were taken with special purpose-built cameras designed and constructed by Mr. Beney. A celebration of fine architecture, this book gives readers an invitation to see, behind closed doors, the history and renovations that have made Charleston one of the best-preserved, and most-visited, cities in the country.

The photographic tour includes famous residences like the Heyward-Washington House, the Nathaniel Russell House, and the Calhoun Mansion, as well as the Thomas Elfe House and the Joseph Manigault House. Mr. Beney also includes the raising of the Hunley submarine and its current home, the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. The Majesty of Charleston is an invaluable guide for house watchers on the streets of Charleston, as well as a delightful read for the armchair traveler.

Peter Beney has been an innovator in color travel photography since he began his professional career in 1951. Among his several books are The Majesty of Colonial Williamsburg and The Majesty of Savannah, both available from Pelican. Mr. Beney's work has appeared in more than one hundred volumes of Britain's Colour Library Books and he markets his images worldwide through his own photographic stock library and design studio.

Please visit www.pelicanpub.com for a complete listing of titles in Pelican's Majesty series.