Take a fascinating stroll with William E. Dunstan through the pages of Budding as a Young Scientist, the third volume of Adventures of a Southern Boyhood, his exhilarating memoir of epic beauty and power. Join him in exploring Elizabeth City, his magical and mysterious hometown in northeastern North Carolina. The author and his captivating friends seek spellbinding adventures, stumble into bizarre shenanigans, and form memorable bonds during the remarkable period after the traumatizing Second World War. They tell and retell vivid stories about their hometown, the hub of a region haunted by romance, legend, and murder. Meanwhile young William dreams of becoming a second Thomas A. Edison and engineers a series of colorful experiments, including a dazzling wall of fire, earning him the playful nickname Mad Scientist. He writes with candor and wit and offers reader unexpected glimpses of the spellbinding people shaping his boyhood world.