A brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times–bestselling author Dave Barry.
 
We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will.
Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state’s...

The fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to hit U.S. shores.
In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing...

Before 1947, when Marjory Stoneman Douglas named The Everglades a "river of grass," most people considered the area worthless. She brought the world's attention to the need to preserve The Everglades. In the Afterword, Michael Grunwald tells us what has happened to them since then. Grunwald points out that in 1947 the government was in the midst of establishing the Everglades National Park and turning loose the Army Corps of Engineers to control

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With the oldest records and physical remains of Europe in America and, at the same time, the newest, most futuristic imagery of technology and space travel, the story of Florida encapsulates the sotry of America itself, told here in short compass. It illuminates the incredible surface of the Peninsular and Panhandle state.

The deepest and largest known springs in the world are found here. The photographs are the result of hundreds of hours under water. This new edition is completely updated to serve as a guide to Florida's many spring parks and their inhabitants. Vital for canoeists, kayakers, divers, snokelers, and visitors.

Oh, Florida! That name. That combination of sounds. Three simple syllables, and yet packing so many mixed messages. To some people, it's a paradise. To others, it's a punchline. As Oh, Florida! shows, it's both of these--and, more importantly, it's a Petri dish, producing trends that end up influencing the rest of the country. Without Florida there would be no NASCAR, no Bettie Page pinups, no Glenn Beck radio rants, no USA Today, no "Stand Your Ground,...

"First published in 2002, "Wild Orchids of Florida" was the very first field guide for this orchid-rich state, and it inspired many to try their hand at orchid hunting. Due to its overwhelming popularity, native orchid expert Paul Martin Brown follows up with this newly revised and expanded edition, updated to provide the latest developments in orchid research. The new guide contains 200 new points of fact."--Provided by Publisher.

An illustrated history of Okaloosa County, Florida.

This book's background rests in medical technology. Mothers coo at squalling infants to distract from perceived illnesses. Doctors prescribe reduction of stress as a continuing method of medical treatment. Even the stoic U.S. Army orders rest and relaxation on a regular basis. Laughter is as healing as a doctor's prescription. The underlying basis for the essays contained between these covers is predicated upon truth and fact. Admittedly, veracity...