The South Carolina Encyclopedia

The South Carolina Encyclopedia has enjoyed vast success, selling more than 19,000 copies and staying on the top of the Midlands bestsellers list for more than a month. The Digital South Carolina Encyclopedia now serves as a one-stop resource for school children, teachers, members of the general public, and academic researchers.

Purchase the SC Encyclopedia from USC Press

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Purchase the SC Encyclopedia Guides from USC Press​

The South Carolina Encyclopedia was a joint effort by SC Humanities, the USC Institute for Southern Studies, and The University of South Carolina Press to produce the first comprehensive reference source of the people, places, events, things, achievements, and ideals that have contributed to the ongoing evolution of the Palmetto State. Consisting of some 2,200 entries, hundreds of illustrations, and more than one million words, the Encyclopedia is an authoritative and entertaining one-volume compilation of essays on topics ranging from politics to the arts, from Hilton Head to Caesars Head, and from the Lords Proprietors to Hootie and the Blowfish. More inclusive and detailed than any existing work of historical scholarship, the Encyclopedia catalogs in unprecedented detail the diversity of people and experiences that have made South Carolina the unique and engaging place that it is today.

In October 2016, a digital version of the South Carolina Encyclopedia launched. A joint initiative of South Carolina Humanities, the USC University Libraries, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the South Carolina State Library, the USC Press, the USC Center for Digital Humanities, and Southern Studies, the Digital South Carolina Encyclopedia builds on the 2006 print version edited by Walter Edgar. With more than 1800 entries — now enhanced with images, documents, and videos from various repositories around the state — the digital encyclopedia serves as a one-stop resource for school children, teachers, members of the general public, and academic researchers.

In 2013, three guides to The South Carolina Encyclopedia were published by the University of South Carolina Press as ebooks. Edited by Dr. Walter Edgar, The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the Counties of South CarolinaThe South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the American Revolution in South Carolina, and The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the Governors of South Carolina are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other ebooksellers. In addition, Palmetto Profiles: The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the South Carolina Hall of Fame, edited by Dr. W. Eric Emerson, and The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to South Carolina Writers, edited by Dr. Tom Mack, were published in March 2014. Both guides are available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover formats.