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

Joy Williams (Author), Robert Carawan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Florida Keys: A History & Guide | Publication Date: September 23, 2003

The Florida Keys: A History & Guide is an engaging handbook to the unique coral and limestone islands that curve southwest off the tip of Florida. Acclaimed novelist and Florida resident Joy Williams traces U.S. Highway 1 from Key Largo to Key West, combining the best of local legend—colorful stories you won’t find in other guidebooks—with insightful commentary and the most up-to-date advice on where to stay, eat, and wander. Along the way, you will:

• explore the exquisite underwater world of North America’s only living reef

• discover the beautiful bridges that span the Keys, the forts, and the distinctive “conch” architecture of Key West

• experience the eerie serenity of Florida Bay’s “backcountry” and the unique ecology of the Keys

• visit the Key West cemetery and learn about the lives of some of the Keys’ eccentrics—writers, madmen, and entrepreneurs with various delusions

• find the best (and avoid the worst) cafés, inns, and other establishments that the Keys have to offer

Here is the most thorough and candid guide to the Keys, one of the most surprising locales in America. With insight and style, Joy Williams shares with us all of the region’s idiosyncrasies and delights.

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 an engaging handbook to the unique coral and limestone islands that curve southwest off the tip of Florida. Acclaimed novelist and Florida resident Joy Williams traces U.S. Highway 1 from Key Largo to Key West, combining the best of local legend?colorful stories you won?t find in other guidebooks?with insightful commentary and the most up-to-date advice on where to stay, eat, and wander. Along the way, you will:

? explore the exquisite underwater world of North America?s only living reef

? discover the beautiful bridges that span the Keys, the forts, and the distinctive ?conch? architecture of Key West

? experience the eerie serenity of Florida Bay?s ?backcountry? and the unique ecology of the Keys

? visit the Key West cemetery and learn about the lives of some of the Keys? eccentrics?writers, madmen, and entrepreneurs with various delusions

? find the best (and avoid the worst) cafés, inns, and other establishments that the Keys have to offer

Here is the most thorough and candid guide to the Keys, one of the most surprising locales in America. With insight and style, Joy Williams shares with us all of the region?s idiosyncrasies and delights.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; 10 edition (September 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812968425
• ISBN-13: 978-0812968422
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one is the last., March 14, 2006

By 

D. Matzkin (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This 10th edition is Joy's last. In an Afterword written in 2003 and laden with sadness and disappointment, she says, that the commodification of Key West and the total takeover of the Keys by the tourist mongers, have killed it for her. The book, however, remains as good a guidebook as they get. It's ironic that its demise is an unfortunate consequence of the success it helped promote.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the Gold Standard, May 25, 2008

By 

Marsh Muirhead "Author of 'Key West Explained... (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

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

Joy Williams' tenth, and apparently last, edition of "The Florida Keys - a History and Guide" maintains its Gold Standard status as the best Florida Keys and Key West guide ever written, and one of the best guide books ever, period.

Why? Joy discusses the Keys, and Key West in particular, as one would recount one's long affair with a lover -- the initial attaction and beauty, the magnetic strangeness and appeal, some history and anecdote, fascinating facts and details, humor and sadness. Yes, the Everglades, the Keys, and Key West have become polluted, commercialized, and Key West something of a parody of itself. But this is also true of the mountain west and all our other favorite places--but not a reason to quit going there. It is still wondrous and strange, beautiful and fascinating.

Visitors who discover Key West now will love the place, but will come to dislike it as time and tides morph and erode both it and themselves. And Joy's book should be required reading before they go.

Marsh Muirhead -- author of "Key West Explained -- a guide for the traveler."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Florida Keys : A History & Guide Tenth Edition, February 24, 2006

By 

sandytiger (DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

an excellant compendium of information; easy to use and well researched; enjoyable reading; loved the added value of flora and fauna information (did not find in other books)