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.

Quoting extensively from diaries, memoirs, letters, and essays, author Tracy J. Revels lets Florida’s women speak for themselves about their experiences during the Civil War. These women come from diverse backgrounds,from different social classes, and levels of education.

When Florida Breezes, or Florida New and Old was first published in 1882, residents of the state, and Tallahassee in particular, were not happy. Many of them bought the book by Ellen Call Long, just so they could burn it, reducing the number of copies in existence.

Stetson Kennedy (1916-2011) was a life-long activist for social justice, environmental stewardship, and the preservation of traditional cultures. He wrote six published books, contributed to dozens of other volumes, and composed thousands of articles as a journalist and freelance essayist. Stetson used acerbic prose, down-home Southern humor, double entendre, and colorful idioms to engage his readers and to skewer those who would malign or exploit others.

Box Broken Open is the story of Jacksonville architect Ted Pappas who was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as Mid-Century Modern architects and proponents of Brutalism. Pappas often unites ancient tradition with contemporary vision.  

2022 Samuel Proctor Award Winner

John Wayne Mixson served as a Florida state representative, Florida lieutenant governor, and briefly as the 39th governor of Florida. The results of his work while filling these roles continue to positively impact the state of Florida and its citizens.

Author Sid Riley was a political columnist, managing editor, and part owner of The Jackson County Times newspaper. For this book, Riley conducted extensive oral history interviews with John Wayne Mixson, and his wife Margie Mixson.

This fascinating “sketchbook” of Florida history and culture focuses on the rural Red Hills of north Florida. Comprised of what is now Madison, Jefferson, and Leon counties, this region is home to a rich heritage that includes prehistoric people and megafauna, Native Americans, Spanish settlers, British soldiers, and Southern Plantations dependent upon the work of enslaved people. Celt and African traditions became incorporated into the Southern folklore of the area, including colorful traditions and ghost stories.

“This is a must read for every railroad buff. It adds to the literature on Henry Bradley Plant and the machinations of late 19th century transportation barons. Plant led an interesting life—as a Confederate and a Yankee—juggling the demands for business success with an ever-changing political milieu. Plant’s achievements rivaled those of Henry Flagler in making modern Florida.” - Nick Wynne, The Florida Historical Society

The deadly hurricane of 1928 claimed 2,500 lives, and the long-forgotten story of the casualties, as told in Black Cloud, continues to stir passion. Among the dead were 700 black Floridians - men, women, and children who were buried in an unmarked West Palm Beach ditch during a racist recovery and rebuilding effort that conscripted the labor of blacks much like latter-day slaves. Palm Beach Post reporter Eliot Kleinberg has penned this gripping tale from dozens of interviews with survivors, diary entries, accounts from newspapers, government documents, and reports from the National Weather Service and the Red Cross. Immortalized in Zora Neale Hurston's classic Their Eyes Were Watching God, thousands of poor blacks had nowhere to run when the waters of Lake Okeechobee rose. No one spoke for them, no one stood up for them, and no one could save them. With heroic tales of survival and loss, this book finally gives the dead the dignity they deserve. The new, updated edition of this important book is published by the Florida Historical Society Press.

John T. Foster Jr. makes a compelling argument that the birth of tourism in Florida did not begin with the railroad barons of the 1880s as is popularly believed, but with abolitionist writers of the Reconstruction era, following the C ivil War. Progressive Northerners were lured to the state with colorful descriptions of desirable weather and abundant natural beauty. It was with these forward-thinking writers that Modern Florida was born.