The following review appeared in the Fall, 2023 issue of Muscogiana
Mercer University Press is a fabulous academic publisher well known for punching above its weight, especially on topics related to Georgia history. We have been fortunate to review several of the Press’s titles touching on Columbus-area heritage over the past few years. Recently I received three of Mercer Press’s books for review in this space which have a broader focus—two statewide and one of the larger region of which it is a part. While all were originally released several years ago, I thought they nonetheless merited mention in this journal both as landmarks in state historiography and for their particular usefulness to the large number of researchers among our readership.
The Empire State of the South: Georgia History in Documents and Essays, was originally published in 2008 but is now in its fifth printing and has come to be recognized as an essential volume on state history. Compiled and edited by Christopher Meyers, professor of history at Valdosta State University, the book is a collection of nearly 130 edited original documents fundamental to Georgia history, ranging from speeches and constitutions to campaign songs. The documents are arranged in chronological order within each of sixteen chapters which cover the state’s past by era. Each chapter is introduced by a short introductory essay on the period of focus. Following the presentation of the featured documents—many of which are heavily redacted so as to showcase only the most essential portions—two in-depth essays by noted scholars of the given period are offered. These elaborate on key aspects of the period under study as revealed in individual circumstances selected for their representativeness. The scope is necessarily incredibly wide-ranging, including compacts made by Europeans with Native Americans, public opinion during the American Revolution, pivotal documents associated with secession and the Civil War, unrest during Reconstruction, major issues during the world wars, and the turmoil associated with the Civil Rights Movement. All of this is followed up with a variety of other reference materials, such as population tables illustrating the growth of the state over the years, a list of governors of the state, counties with date of organization, and official state symbols. A short assortment of images and maps iconic to Georgia history precedes the entire collection. By any measure, the book is a comprehensive collection of information that will be invaluable to researchers.
A similar Mercer University Press book, The Old South: A Brief History with Documents, focuses on a more specific period of time but encompasses a much larger geographic area. Longtime professor David Williams, author of more than ten books on state and regional history and possessing some expertise in Chattahoochee Valley history, edited the volume. It first appeared in 2014 and remains in print. Similar to Empire State, the heart of the book is a collection of a variety of original documents which illustrate major themes in several historical eras. As the book’s subject is the “Old South,” periods receiving attention range from the era of European exploration and first colonial settlements up to the Civil War. The South as a whole is included, but Georgia receives its fair share of attention in the volume. Each chapter is introduced by thorough essay on the era under discussion and its importance in regional history, and is followed by ten to fifteen documents which together tell a story of the human experience in that particular time period. A comprehensive bibliography with suggestions for further reading concludes each chapter.
The editors of the above volumes, Meyers and Williams, have also collaborated on a popular and widely acclaimed history of Georgia (Georgia: A Brief History, originally published in 2012) which has been published as a second “expanded and updated” edition by Mercer in the spring of 2023. A standard reference source on the state’s past by a variety of educational institutions for over a decade this revised version of the title contains only slight modifications to the original publication. Notably, this includes information on recent events such as the COVID epidemic and its impact on life in the state.
Given the book’s widespread acceptance as a reference text, one might easily assume that it is a dry, heavily subdivided textbook and not the story-driven narrative that it is in actuality. Meyers and Williams exhibit both their deep grasp of Georgia history and innate ability to weave a compelling story in the pages of A Brief History, moving from era to era with ease while demonstrating pace and purpose without being melodramatic. The state’s history unfolds as a cohesive, connected tale of human experience in their capable hands. This does not mean, however, that every subject or time period receives precisely the same amount of attention.
A Brief History is exactly what the title implies: an introductory summary of Georgia history and not a definitive academic treatise. Though a serious study by respected professors, the book contains no footnotes, instead featuring lists of essential books consulted in the writing of each chapter. Per their prerogative, depending on their depth of knowledge and interests, the authors take deeper dives into some subjects than others—their discussion of the development of the colony of Georgia and its role in the American Revolution is a particularly well developed summary, for example, while the chapter focusing on secession and Civil War features much less discussion of the actual military aspects of the war than one might expect yet provides one of the better synopses of the war experience on the home front to be found in print. A small selection of supplementary materials, such as a series of maps, charts, and graphs illustrating important trends in the state’s past, a listing of all of its governors, and data on population by census, is included.
All three books are excellent reference resources on their subjects. All are well deserving of your consideration if you have an interest in gaining a better understanding of Georgia history or are conducting any research in the state or wider region’s past.
JMB
The Historians Manifesto 
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