Robert S. Brandt

Nashville-based Robert Brandt is the author of books and articles on Tennessee history, travel, and outdoors. His first work of fiction, Painted Trillium: A Novel of the Civil War, is a compelling story of deprivation, survival, and rebirth told through the unlikely intersection of the lives of Carrie Blaylock, a twenty-one-year-old Tennessee woman, and John Lockridge, a Union officer with a fiancée back in Ohio.

His second novel, Miss Blaylock's School for Girls, takes place two decades later. Carrie is then living the independent life she dreamed of, headmistress of her own school and in a contented yet unconventional relationship with Sam Marshall, a banker and Union army veteran. When Carrie has the surpise of her life at age forty-two, she vows to challenge convention and continue on with her school. Along the way she is drawn into the movement that earned women the right to vote, which culminated in Tennessee's ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

Brandt's Touring the Middle Tennessee Backroads was nominated for history book of the year by the Tennessee Library Association. He traveled more than 10,000 miles to put together fifteen diverse driving tours and five walking tours in Franklin and other charming historic towns. The rich style and breadth of stories in the book make it a favorite of armchair travelers as well as on the ground explorers.

His Compass American Guide-Tennessee is part of the Random House Fodors travel series. He teamed up with noted photographer Joe Allen, whose color photos give readers a beautiful picture of the Volunteer State. The Compass Guide also features archival photos and maps. Brandt's outdoor titles include Middle Tennessee on Foot: Hikes in the Woods and Walks on Country Roads; The Sierra Club's Tennessee Hiking Guide; and Natural Nashville: A Guide to the Greenways and Nature Parks.

Brandt's articles have appeared in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, the Tennessee Conservationist, and other periodicals. He is the author of five entries in the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, including those covering events that are the backdrop for the novel Painted Trillium.

A native of Norris, Tennessee, Brandt was educated at Centre College and Vanderbilt University Law School, where he served as an adjunct faculty member for twenty-five years. His awards include Conservationist of the Year by the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association and the Sarah Hines Award by the Sierra Club's Tennessee Chapter. He is active in the Land Trust for Tennessee, a statewide land conservation organization, and Greenways for Nashville. He is a retired judge and attorney.