“Writing this book allowed me the opportunity to travel around the South to visit and study some of the most incredible houses in this country,” said Lattimore. “I chose to write about several landmark structures while incorporating the stories of many lesser-known plantations. It was also important to me to write about a number of plantation homes that are no longer standing, and to explain that many obstacles exist today for preserving and maintaining these old mansions.”

Shire Publications, a division of the Osprey Publishing Group, is a leading publisher of history, heritage and nostalgia books in Great Britain. The initial printing of Lattimore’s book is 25,000 copies. It will be sold in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

Editors at Shire Publications approached Lattimore with an offer to publish the title after reviewing his books, “Rural Splendor: Plantation Houses of the Carolinas,” published in 2009, and “Across Two Centuries: The Lost World of Green River Plantation,” published in 2003. Both of those titles received the North Carolina History Book Award from the NC Society of Historians.

Lattimore is an award-winning journalist and author of more than 20 books that celebrate the people, history and traditions of the American South. He was named the North Carolina Historian of the Year in 2009, and serves as president of the Rutherfor d County Historical Society and as an Official Historian of Rutherford County. He is a former staff member of the Tryon Daily Bulletin.

For more information about the book visit these websites: www.shirebooks.co.uk, www.randomhouse.com, www.amazon.com, or check with local booksellers.