William Gilmore Simms (1806–1870)

Excellent collection of stories by a forgotten antebellum Southern regionalist whose frontier humor looks forward toward Mark Twain. My one quarrel is that the editor fails to provides dates for the individual stories, which would have been useful as an addition to her (relatively short at sixteen pages) introduction.

Simms was a slave-owning South Carolinian and staunch secessionist and as a result his work (which included a novel rebutting Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin) fell show more down "memory hole" after the Civil War. show less

This is a masterpiece! The first full-length book I've read entirely on a computer screen (downloaded from The Gutenberg Project) is a 'remake' of Othello set in antebellum South Carolina and Alabama. It made me laugh out loud with one elaborately prepared witticism which reminded me of a similar triumph in Henry James' The Tragic Muse - and there is plenty of other comic relief - but, it is, of course, a terrible and very moving tragedy of human pride, misunderstanding and weakness. My eyes show more are still wet from the inspired ending of this splendid novel. show less

First e-book read, downloaded free from Googlebooks. Originally published in 1835 this inspired romance, set in South Carolina during the conflict for American independence was widely read in antebellum years and has many qualities which make its popularity understandable: lots of vivid action, superbly wrought scenes of conflict, effective melodrama, noble characters, nefarious characters, comic characters and many insightful and uplifting authorial observations. Simms possessed immense show more patriotism and talent and does not deserve to be ignored just because he was on the losing side of the Civil War. The version I read is full of typographical errors but I discovered that the first 20 chapters have been posted on Wikipedia and seem to be error free. show less

3770. The Yamassee, by William Gilmore Simms (read 20 July 2003) This 1835 work by a well-known Southern writer is generally considered his best novel, and I found it moved fast and full of melodrama. It is laid in South Carolina in 1715, when the Yamassee tribe and other Indians revolted. Simms has a regard that historical fiction not change facts, a good trait. The book is very much written in the style of early 19th century works, reminding one of Scott and even Dickens. The attitude to show more Indians is quite balanced, but there is a patronizing and demeaning attitude to black slaves, including a silly scene where a slave begs not to be freed. Overall I was glad I read the book, though. show less