Book excerpt: Factual and entertaining, compact and easy to follow, A Walking Tour of the University of Georgia takes the reader on a leisurely tour of the campus, its history and heritage. When the Georgia legislature chartered the nation's first state university in 1785, the town of Athens was a wilderness. The first university classes, in 1801, were held in a log cabin, and no permanent structure was built until Franklin College--now Old College--was completed in 1806. Since that time, the university has expanded vigorously. The buildings of the University of Georgia--spread over several miles and encompassing many architectural styles--range from the federal style of Demosthenian Hall and the classical design of Brooks Hall to the glass dome and marble of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. F.N. Boney's A Walking Tour of the University of Georgia guides the reader through the entire campus, offering easy-to-follow maps, photographs, and histories of most structures, as well as information about former students, college life, and the city of Athens.