Established in 1856, the Florida Historical Society is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the rich history and culture of our diverse state. Publishing is at the heart of our mission. The Florida Historical Society began publishing our academic journal, the Florida Historical Quarterly, in 1908.

Since 1925, the Florida Historical Society has been publishing books. Our first book was this one, History of Jacksonville, Florida and Vicinity 1513 to 1924 by T. Frederick Davis. A Jacksonville resident and businessman, T. Frederick Davis was Treasurer of the Florida Historical Society from 1929 to 1935, and donated all proceeds from this book to be used "in the advancement of educational knowledge bearing upon the history of Florida."

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of our publishing books about Florida history and culture, the Florida Historical Society Press has produced this facsimile of History of Jacksonville, Florida and Vicinity with the support of Jacksonville resident Emily Lisska, Past President and current Treasurer of the Florida Historical Society.