The Inner Islands

“The Simpsons provide yet another memorable portrait of a region that’s endlessly fascinating. . . . [Bland Simpson is] a gifted storyteller with an evocative style. . . . Anne Simpson’s striking black-and-white photos complete the vision. . . . A keepsake.”—Our State

“Simpson writes with a graceful, elegant touch about those who once peopled the banks and islands and along the creeks and rivers of the vast region below the fall line. He does so with a sense of history, a reverence for traditions that once made Eastern North Carolina so distinctive and a prophetic concern for the change that is transforming his native land.”—Charlotte Observer

“Simpson’s love of these islands shines through on every page.”—Bloomsbury Review

“Well-rounded. . . . A perfect guide. . . . Highly recommended reading.”—Sea History

“In The Inner Islands, [Bland Simpson] shares his passion by taking readers on a rollicking cruise down the coastal sound country. . . . Simpson has a gift for painting vivid verbal pictures that help us see what he does, and our vision is made even clearer by the fine photographs of his wife, Ann Cary Simpson.”—News & Observer

“The Inner Islands is sure to be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by scholars, students, and anyone attracted to the story of forgotten and beautiful places.”—North Carolina Historical Review

“Simpson’s book is a love song to the ephemeral inner islands, the vanished lives they have harbored and seen pass, and the essential brevity and beauty of islands and man alike.”—Winston-Salem Journal

“The result of [Simpson’s] lifetime of exploring is this wonderful book that is part memoir, part geography lesson and part history lesson. To open Simpson’s book is to smell marshes of our coast, to smell oysters roasting and to get a new appreciation for the rich history of this part of our state.”—Durham Herald-Sun

“Part travel log, part history, part memoir delicately tinged with Elizabethan syntax, Simpson’s north-to-south trip through some of the state’s least known locales will make you want to rent a boat and travel from Machelhe Island to the Cape Fear chain.”—The Pilot

“Simpson’s words are elegant, and the descriptions multi-layered. . . . Whether you're a native of the Old North State or a more recent transplant, Simpson’s narrative should be required reading. You can’t beat the combination of one of our best writers with one of the most intriguing and vital parts of the state.”—Creative Loafing