Robert Morgan concludes his foreword by writing; “[Ruscin’s] deeply researched, vivid account brings this history alive as no one else has. From Indian trails to stagecoach, steamboat, railroad and jet airplanes, this is an account of the Southern Appalachian region as only he can tell it.” Stan Shelley writes, “Too many local histories are really folklore put into print. Not this one. Here we have tediously researched, accurate history recorded with pleasing prose and a sense of story.” Ruscin retired from his California advertising firm in 2004 to live in Henderson County, North Carolina. Since then he has written several books on local history.
Charleston, South Carolina: History Press, 2016. 271 pages with notes, bibliography, index, many photos, and a foreword by Robert Morgan. Trade paperback.