Book excerpt: Charleston is a city apart; a world unto itself. Seated serenely on the coast, buffered from the Atlantic by wild, sandy barrier islands and held in the cradle of the Carolina Lowcountry, Charleston is regarded as America's most polite city; a cultural capital of Southern hospitality and charm. Graced with beautifully preserved historic buildings and ancient moss-draped trees, Charleston, South Carolina and the Lowcountry: A Photographic Portrait, unveils a whole new view of the many facets of one of the loveliest gems in the American treasury.