Couple to sign books on South

Authors Jack Bass and Nathalie Dupree have captured the spirit of South Carolina in their latest books, and the couple is bringing it to Aiken this weekend.

Bass, professor emeritus of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston, recently released "The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern South Carolina" through the USC Press; the latest work of his wife, celebrity chef Nathalie Dupree, is "Nathalie Dupree's Shrimp & Grits Cookbook." Dupree is a founder of the New Southern Cooking movement.

The couple will have a joint book signing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Aiken Office Supply on Whiskey Road. Bass will give a presentation on "The Palmetto State" followed by a second joint book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Aiken County Historical Museum.

"He's a terrific writer, and she's a wonderful cook, so we're excited about having them," said Margaret Holley, owner of Aiken Office Supply. "We've had a lot of people asking about them, and people have been buying their books already. It would be a great Christmas gift."

Elliott Levy, Aiken County Historical Museum executive director, said, "We are honored to have Nathalie's husband here - the famous cookbook writer and her husband. Jack does history very well, and we're looking forward to having a large, excited group of people come to the museum to see them."

For more information about the book signings or to reserve copies of Bass and Dupree's books, call Aiken Office Supply at 648-8339 or the Aiken County Historical Museum at 642-2015.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.