Know Before You Go
Many visitors to Tybee Island come to bask in the sun, relax and get away from the grind. To those folks we say - "Carry On". However some folks like to learn more about Tybee and Savannah, as well as bask in the sun with a good book.
The written history of Tybee and Savannah pre-date the founding of our nation. From the time James Oglethorpe founded what would later become the 13th colony until today, many local events and people have put their stamp on history. There are many Savannah area history and guide books, as a well as fictional accounts.
This is a list of a few of our favorites.
Tybee Island
Tybee's small size, 2.6 square miles, is probably why no one has written a guide book of the island. However, what Tybee doesn't lack, is history. Here are a few books to peak your interest.
Tybee Days: One Hundred Years on Georgia's Playground Island
by Ellen Lyle Taber and Polly Wylly Cooper
A Cultural History and Photo Journal
Tybee Island: The Long Branch of the South
by Robert A. Ciucevich
From Guale Indians and Spanish explorers to its glory days as the queen of south Atlantic beach resorts and beyond, Tybee Island's quiet charm hides a rich and occasionally violent history. Soldiers, rebels, and rumrunners all found their place in history here as great battles, fires, and hurricanes played out over time. Through centuries of change, Tybee has remained one of the South's most popular resorts.
Tybee Island (GA) (Images of America)
by James Mack Adams
Using numerous vintage photographs from the archives of the Tybee Island Historical Society, Tybee Island guides the reader through over two hundred years of history. Although much of its history is linked to nearby Savannah, Tybee is singular among Georgia’s coastal islands, and has a history and lore that is uniquely its own. This visual journey begins with the building of Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse, and continues through Tybee’s involvement in the Civil War. Also covered are the island’s later roles as a military installation, a popular coastal resort, and a residential community. Vintage photographs recall earlier days on Tybee, when the island was known as “Ocean City,” “Savannah Beach,” and, to some, “the best kept secret on the East Coast.”
Sand Between Our Toes
by Polly Wylly Cooper
The Tybee Island Family Photo Album
Incident at Tybee Island
by Rowan Wolfe
A nuclear device is missing. Al Qaeda is the prime suspect. So where and when are the terrorists going to detonate the bomb? Fact: On February 5, 1957, a B-47 carrying a nuclear weapon was involved in a mid-air collision off the coast of Georgia.Fiction: (or is it?) After the events of 9/11, the renewed Air Force search for the bomb takes on new meaning, but it soon becomes apparent that someone has beaten them to it. Flying passenger aircraft into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is one thing. A nuclear bomb in the wrong hands is quite another. Not wanting whole-scale panic, the decision is quickly made to mount a covert operation to find the stolen bomb and get it back.
Hiding Places: A Memoir from the Pirate Princess of Tybee Island
by Deborah Elizabeth Merriman
Deborah Elizabeth was a little girl who retreated to her hiding places where she found not only safety from abuse, but a place where her imagination took her into her own world of happiness. Her bicycle capers on Tybee Island took her to her favorite hiding places within the sand dunes where she became a Pirate Princess unnoticed within the sea oats, building forts and spying on unsuspecting passersby who strolled the shores. Her nocturnal senses came alive, especially when the moon provided an eerie passageway for her to explore the island without being hindered by authoritative figures.
Savannah
There are many more non-fiction and fiction books about Savannah that we could possibly list here. However here are a few to get you started.
Frommer's Portable Savannah
by Darwin Porte and Danforth Prince Cooper
Frommer's Portable Savannah is packed with all the facts, tips, and descriptions you need to have perfect vacation.
The Savannah Walking Tour & Guidebook
by Paul C. Bland
Freshly updated for 2019, this book is a "must have" for anyone planning to visit and explore Savannah. It is a comprehensive guidebook that contains images and information on over 90 significant points of interest in Savannah's Historic District. It also includes 4 carefully designed walking tours that will guide you to the various points of interest. Historic photos, drawings and maps allow you to step back in time while experiencing Savannah's beauty today. The tours span Savannah's history from its earliest days as a British Colony to the modern day setting of books and movies.
Savannah Historic District Illustrated Map
by Michael Karpovage
With walking shoes on and this birds-eye-view guide map in hand, you'll feel like you stepped back in time in Savannah's Historic Landmark District. Beautiful, functional, and informative, this is the only companion piece you'll need in a city where a historic building, monument or point of interest beckons around every corner. The map features pictorial depictions of popular landmarks so you know what to expect and how to get there. And, we’ve even included the free shuttle and ferry stops to get you around town quicker.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story
by John Berendt
Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction.
Savannah, or, A gift for Mr. Lincoln
by John Jakes
Georgia 1864: Sherman's army marches inexorably from Atlanta to the sea. In its path: the charming old city of Savannah, where the Lester ladies-attractive widow Sara and her feisty twelve-year-old daughter Hattie-struggle to save the family rice plantation. When Sherman offers the conquered city to President Lincoln as "a Christmas gift," Hattie and the feared general find themselves on a collision course that will astonish both of them.
Savannah Blues
by Mary Kay Andrews
Landing a catch like Talmadge Evans III got Eloise "Weezie" Foley a jewel of a town house in Savannah's historic district. Divorcing Tal got her exiled to the backyard carriage house, where she has launched a spite-fest with Tal's new fiancÉe, the elegant Caroline DeSantos.
Haunted Savannah: America's Most Spectral City
by James Caskey
Why is Savannah, Georgia the most haunted city in America? Historian and tour guide James Caskey answers this question and many more. This fully-revised and updated book details over forty of Savannah’s most infamous ghost stories, resulting in a paranormal compilation unlike any other. Discover the truth about Savannah’s haunted history as you explore spine-chilling tales about the Hostess City’s shadowy “Other Side,” as told by a master storyteller.