Journey back Inside The Blanket Fort as we celebrate a “Southern Illinois Summer” with titles that show off the beauty and history of our region!
This week we'll provide an overview of some of the books that we will be talking more in depth about in the coming weeks. Originally published in 1963 and 1968, respectively, Legends & Lore of Southern Illinois and It Happened in Southern Illinois bring together a selection of these articles, preserving a valuable body of significant local history and cultural lore.
20 Day Trips in and around the Shawnee National Forest by Larry P. and Donna J. Mahan serves as an easy-to-use guidebook highlighting 20 exciting day or weekend trips within and near the forest. w
Land Between the Rivers, a perennial classic since it was first published in 1973, provides an uncommon portrayal of American life in a distinct region situated between the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Illinois Trails & Traces: Portraits and Stories along the State’s Historic Routes partners the deft writing of Gary Marx with vivid photography by Daniel Overturf to illuminate ever evolving patterns of travel and settlement.
Illinois Wine & Wineries: The Essential Guide, Clara Orban has created the ultimate companion to help you explore Illinois wine-making.
Snake fans won’t want to miss Snake Road: A Field Guide to the Snakes of La Rue–Pine Hills by Joshua J. Vossler. Twice a year, spring and fall, numerous species of reptiles and amphibians migrate between the LaRue–Pine Hills’ towering limestone bluffs and the Big Muddy River’s swampy floodplain in southern Illinois.
The State of Southern Illinois: An Illustrated History, by Herb Russell offers fresh interpretations of a number of important aspects of Southern Illinois history by focusing on the area known as “Egypt,” the region south of U.S. Route 50 from Salem south to Cairo.
The Natural Heritage of Illinois: Essays on Its Lands, Waters, Flora, and Fauna by John E. Schwegman is an engaging collection of ninety-three essays on the lands, waters, plants, and animals found in Illinois.
And, in A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers, Fred Delcomyn document his journey restoring his backyard to tall grass prairie revealing the incredible potential of a backyard to travel back to a time before the wild prairie was put into plow rows.