Jackson, MS: Hederman Brothers Printing (2008)

First Edition. Signed. (paperback original)

Near fine in decorated wrappers.

Most observers of Mississippi politics have faced the dilemma of not knowing whether to laugh or cry in light of some happening on the public scene. While the authors have certainly shed their share of tears over the years, they have also enjoyed more funny stories and humorous anecdotes than they could ever remember. And they have learned that the best political stories, while good for a laugh, also yield nuggets of wisdom and insight.

The authors heard and read plenty of good stories as they did the research for their first book: Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006. That book was named the outstanding book of Mississippi history in 2006 by the Mississippi Historical Society and the best book of nonfiction in Mississippi published in 2006 by the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.

Since the publication of that book, the authors have heard plenty of other stories as people have offered funny or poignant recollections to them. Rather than let these tales disappear from memory, Jere Nash and Andy Taggart thought some of them should be compiled and preserved. The result is Mississippi Fried Politics: Tall Tales from the Back Rooms.

But you will find more than simply clever stories in this newest book by liberal Democrat Nash and conservative Republican Taggart. Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and The Jackson Clarion-Ledger, the authors spent hours in collections of old photography. They wanted to see if they could find some photographs that told stories through pictures in the same way the other stories in this book used words to convey a tale. Indeed, they did.
And the more Nash and Taggart talked about the stories they wanted to include, the more they remembered other episodes of Mississippi s political history they thought others might want to remember editorials, speeches, and votes in the Legislature.

This compendium doesn't pretend to be comprehensive; Mississippi political lore could fill a good sized library. Instead, the authors offer a holiday collection of significant moments -- mostly true -- they thought worth preserving. The reader is likely to agree with their assessment.