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.  

John Bemrose came to America from England as an unaccompanied 16-year-old in 1831. He served in the US Army as a dedicated hospital steward during the Second Seminole War. This exciting memoir, available to the public for the first time, provides valuable new insights into Florida history and culture from An Englishman in the Seminole War.

“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.

What We Have Endured tells the story of the Seminole Wars through the eyes of Aheedja, a Seminole woman who suffers through nearly a half-century of brutal warfare, forced displacement, and painful deprivation. Determined to remain in the land of their birth, she and her people struggle against the unforgiving Florida climate and the overwhelming military might of the United States government. Written by noted Seminole War historians and a senior tribal member, What We Have Endured faithfully follows the history of America's longest and costliest war against a Native American nation. Although Aheedja is a fictional character, the sufferings depicted are typical of what many Seminole people experienced at the hands of a nation determined to drive them from their homes and destroy their way of life.

Cows in the Intracoastal Waterway? A bloodsucking night creature on the loose in Miami? The Virgin Mary on a cheese sandwich? Nationally known talk show host high on drugs? The mayor of one small town who banned Satan? The mayor of another small town who campaigned on a platform of "hot loins?" Yep! All this and more too! It's all in Eliot Kleinberg's Weird Florida II; In A State of Shock.

The voyages of Juan Ponce de León and his expeditions in Florida have long held a romantic and mythic place in American history. Speculation about his first landing in Florida, about the legend of the Fountain of Youth, and about Ponce de León.s reasons for setting sail to Florida have engaged chroniclers, historians, and even sailing masters for five centuries. In this volume, the Florida Historical Society has assembled articles by leading scholars who offer their perspectives on the voyages and trace changing views on Ponce de León as historians discover new information and reevaluate older works. This collection includes both new work and articles previously published in the FHS academic journal the Florida Historical Quarterly. The contributors include Eugene Lyon with Brandon Josef Szinável, J. Michael Francis, Jerald Milanich, Nara Milanich, T. Frederick Davis, Douglas T. Peck, and Amanda J. Snyder.

2019 David C. Brotemarkle Book Award Winner

This book delves into the life and legendary closet of Orlando fashion icon and philanthropist Harriett Lake (1922-2018). Through personal and vintage photos, lush photography exemplifying Harriett's signature styles, and quotes from the brassy, big-hearted grand dame herself, you will be awed by the magnitude of her wardrobe and magnanimity of this exceptional woman. This unique fashion biography begins with Harriett's childhood during the Great Depression, follows her service as a Marine during World War II, her flight from heartbreak to Miami Beach, and subsequent marriage. Harriett and her husband acquired wealth (and a closet full of jaw-dropping fashion) in Central Florida, thanks to the Disney World triggered 1960s real estate boom.

Stunningly illustrated with more than 800 impeccable photographs illustrating her 96 year life and highlighting over 200 of her favorite and most popular looks, the authors explain the connections between Harriett's life experiences and her fashion choices. Harriett oversaw the photo shoots herself, and expertly styled every look.

The authors are not historians or experts of any kind but they have traversed the waters of the river by air boat from the flood-plain and marshes southwest of Fellsmere which mark its beginning, and later by larger vessel to the point where its waters join one of the great oceans of the world. We have endeaved to show the river as we saw it and to provide accurate descriptions and information.