Phinizy Spalding (1930-1994), a professor of history at the University of Georgia and emerged as the nation's leading scholar on James Oglethorpe. He wrote more than twenty books, articles, and chapters about Oglethorpe and colonial Georgia. He was also an influential leader in historic preservation efforts in Athens and across Georgia.

Harvey Hardaway Jackson III born February 25, 1943) is the Professor of History at Jacksonville State University. He is the author of a number of works on Alabama and Georgia histor, including The WPA Guide to 1930s Alabama and Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State.

"James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785) is generally credited with being the founder of Georgia and a dominant force among the Trustees overseeing the colony. Despite the attempts of historians and biographers to understand him and his role, many questions remain unanswered. Our view of him is typical of our view of many key figures in the history of settlement. We have considerable information about their public actions; less about their private lives; and but little to assess individual values, motives, abilities, and personality.

"The editors of this volume believe that the essays will answer some of the questions that continually come to the surface when Oglethorpe's name is mentioned. These essays leave impressions of Oglethorpe, and they supply a sharper perspective as the volume's title declares. Every essay adds some dimension to the man." —William and Mary Quarterly

"The editors of this informative [work] are to be congratulated." -- Journal of Southern History