Overview

The extraction of raw turpentine and tar from the southern longleaf pine-along with the manufacture of derivative products such as spirits of turpentine and rosin-constitutes what was once the largest industry in North Carolina and one of the most important in the South: naval stores production. In a pathbreaking study that seamlessly weaves together business, environmental, labor, and social history, Robert B. Outland III offers the first complete account of this sizable though little-understood sector of the southern economy. Outland traces the South's naval stores industry from its colonial origins to the mid-twentieth century, when it was supplanted by the rising chemicals industry. A horror for workers and a scourge to the Southeast's pine forests, the methods and consequences of this expansive enterprise remained virtually unchanged for more than two centuries. With its exacting attention to detail and exhaustive research, Tapping the Pines is an essential volume for anyone interested in the piney woods South.

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9780807173886

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Reviews

This is, quite simply, a fascinating book. It is deeply researched, vast in chronological scope, and Outland is clear and engaging whether discussing colonial mercantile policy, forest ecology, or gum collection.--American Historical Review Outland has produced a work that should stand as the reference for naval stores questions for years to come. Well written and extremely well organized, Tapping the Pines contributes much to our understanding of an ever-more-complicated South.--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society Tapping the Pines is a richly detailed and melancholy reminder of the environmental and human costs of this forgotten southern industry.--Mississippi Quarterly

[Previous praise] This is, quite simply, a fascinating book. It is deeply researched, vast in chronological scope, and Outland is clear and engaging whether discussing colonial mercantile policy, forest ecology, or gum collection.--American Historical Review [Previous praise] Tapping the Pines is a richly detailed and melancholy reminder of the environmental and human costs of this forgotten southern industry.--Mississippi Quarterly [Previous praise] Outland has produced a work that should stand as the reference for naval stores questions for years to come. Well written and extremely well organized, Tapping the Pines contributes much to our understanding of an ever-more-complicated South.--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

Author Information

A farmer in Rich Square, North Carolina, Robert B. Outland III holds a doctorate in history from Louisiana State University.

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