The Florida Keys: A History & Guide, Ninth Edition [Paperback]

Joy Williams (Author)

Book Description

Series: Florida Keys: A History & Guide | Publication Date: June 6, 2000

The Florida Keys: A History & Guide is a smart, stylish handbook to one of the most unique locales in America. The Florida Keys--an unlikely sprinkling of coral and limestone islands that curve southwest from the tip of Florida--have always been engagingly different. Here, author Joy Williams, whose novels and short stories have won wide literary acclaim, shares with us all of the region's idiosyncrasies and delights.

From the diving and fishing meccas of Key Largo and Marathon to the funkiness and sophistication of Key West to the remote outpost of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, The Florida Keys serves the traveler as a witty and informative companion. Sensitive to and knowledgeable about the natural beauties of the Keys, Williams covers the exquisite underwater world of North America's only living reef and the eerie and delicate serenity of the "backcountry" of Florida Bay. The Florida Keys also provides fresh, up-to-date advice on the practicalities of where to stay, eat, and wander. Here is the quirkiest, most candid, and most literate guide to the Keys.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the best guidebooks ever written.”—Condé Nast Traveler

“A magnificent, tragi-comic guide.”—Condé Nast Traveler

“From Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas, novelist Joy Williams has captured the local nuances of the Keys, providing a galaxy of information, including the history of each islet. Flora and fauna, gingerbread architecture and buried treasure—every hamlet, hangout, hotel and eatery is candidly appraised. There’s plenty to see and do in the Keys, and here’s the lowdown from a native.” —The Literate Traveller

“Interwoven with the tourist details are nature lore and historical nuggets guaranteed to change the way you look at the social and ecosystems of the Keys.”—BookPage

From the Inside Flap

The Florida Keys: A History & Guide is a smart, stylish handbook to one of the most unique locales in America. The Florida Keys--an unlikely sprinkling of coral and limestone islands that curve southwest from the tip of Florida--have always been engagingly different. Here, author Joy Williams, whose novels and short stories have won wide literary acclaim, shares with us all of the region's idiosyncrasies and delights.

From the diving and fishing meccas of Key Largo and Marathon to the funkiness and sophistication of Key West to the remote outpost of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, The Florida Keys serves the traveler as a witty and informative companion. Sensitive to and knowledgeable about the natural beauties of the Keys, Williams covers the exquisite underwater world of North America's only living reef and the eerie and delicate serenity of the "backcountry" of Florida Bay. The Florida Keys also provides fresh, up-to-date advice on the practicalities of where to stay, eat, and wander. Here is the quirkiest, most candid, and most literate guide to the Keys.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 9th edition (June 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037575556X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375755569
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,473,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting Off the Beaten Path, August 4, 2001

By 

Lori (Monmouth Junction, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Florida Keys: A History & Guide, Ninth Edition (Paperback)

In the last three and one-half years, my husband and I have vacationed in the Keys 9 times (mostly in Key West) and have thoroughly enjoyed our experiences. We usually fly into Fort Lauderdale and drive down Route 1 through the Keys, never exploring the many side roads we have encountered. I recently had minor surgery and was out of work for a few weeks, so I went to the library to find some reading material to keep me occupied, and this was one of the books I checked out. I read it from cover to cover, often showing my husband a passage mentioning something we hadn't yet learned or discovered on our own. We finally got an explanation for the mysterious white blimp we have seen flying over Cudjoe Key. Both of us were delighted to find some of our favorite restaurants (Banana Cafe, Mangoes, Mangrove Mama's and Finnegan's Wake) and bars (Captain Tony's and Schooner Wharf) accurately described. Montego Bay on Big Pine Key isn't mentioned, but we'll forgive the author for the oversight. (Maybe she's not a Green Bay Packers fan. The owners and most of the clientele, us included, are.) We have stayed in several guest houses, but have always returned to our favorite, Westwinds, which is the first the author lists in her chapter reviewing the Guest Houses of Key West. In 7 weeks we will be in the Keys again, and this time we are taking this book along to help us "get off the beaten path," Route 1, and enhance our travels through "Paradise."

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The organization is very user friendly., June 7, 2000

By 

J. Hauer "me" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Florida Keys: A History & Guide, Ninth Edition (Paperback)

Before my last trip to the Keys, I picked up two books: this one and the Insider's Guide to the Keys. The Insider's Guide was less opinionated and had more "tourist" information but it was harder to find what you were looking for.

This book is organized is such a manner that it's very simple to find out the history of each Key as you drive down the Overseas Highway from Florida City to Key West. You'll read about the attractions, the places to stay and the restaurants Key by Key. That's very helpful. There's no flipping from chapter to chapter just to find out about the attractions in one place, dining in another, water activities in yet another place and accomodations elsewhere.

I also liked the opinions that the author expressed. For example, her takes on the Conch Tour Train, the Little White House, Mallory Square and the Key West Aquarium were right in line with our experiences. We happily skipped some other attractions based on this book and we don't believe we missed out on a thing.

If anything, there are some interesting things we saw in the Keys that weren't touched upon in this guidebook. How could the author leave out Robbie's Marina where for $1 you can "SEE the Tarpon" and for an additional $2 you can "FEED the Tarpon"? This "attraction" was mentioned to me at least a dozen times by various people I talked to, including a stranger at the post office in Virginia!

I really enjoyed this guidebook and only wish that it was even more comprehensive.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best tour guide ever written, July 24, 2004

By 

krebsman (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Florida Keys: A History & Guide, Ninth Edition (Paperback)

Key West, the only city in the continental US that NEVER has frost, offers an offbeat combination of rednecks, bohemians, fishermen, Cubans, gays, retirees and artists in a delightfully laid-back setting once you get off the bustling tourist Mecca, Duvall Street. (Both Hemingway and Tennessee Williams had homes in Key West. It's now a popular residence for country singers.) In this delightful book, writer/Key West resident Joy Williams has provided both a work of literature and an extremely practical tour guide, making it ideal for both the active tourist escaping winter and the armchair traveler curled up by the fireplace. In addition to the colorful history of the keys (with Williams' own humorous commentary), the book contains practical information on what to see, what to do, where to eat, and where to stay. Williams' descriptions of the local businesses provide some of the book's zaniest observations. (She points out the most interesting items to be found in the stores, from tourist traps to boutiques to convenience grocers.) I've been to Key West four times now and I always carry this book with me. Although the book focuses on Key West, it does give information all the other major keys, as well as the Dry Tortugas. This book is guaranteed to enhance your Key West experience. Five stars!