Customer Reviews

The New History of Florida (Florida Sesquicentennial)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The New History of Florida is the first full-length history of the Sunshine State in over twenty years. Micheal Gannon, professor of history at the University of Florida, assembled the very best historians working in Florida's past, and each has contributed a chapter on his or her speciality. Perhaps because these historians have worked together in an out of academia for years, there is an consistancy of tone usually not found in a collaborative effort. But this is no textbook history -- rather, each chapter sparkles with insights into Florida's past, from the paleoindians of 12,000 years ago, through almost four hundred years of colonial rule, to the urban and evironmental concerns of today. Nearly a hundred maps and illustrations accompany the text. Anyone interested in understanding one of America's cutting-edge states should read this book

As I told my wife yesterday, I never thought I would be reading a history book for pleasure but since I bought this great book, I cannot put it down. There are so many interesting stories in here, it is able to hold it's own with great fiction pieces and has captivated my interest for my adopted home state.

From the last ice age to the present, it is all in here. Did you know that when Ponce de Leon was sailing along "La Florida's" coasts in the early 1500s there were 350,000 natives living here? By the late 18th century they were all gone, either dead from European diseases or sold into slavery.

This is an extraordinary compilation of work by some of the best historians in Florida. Each of the 22 chapters is written by specialists of the particular topic covered. Over the years, I've encountered their works individually. Now their stories are in a cohesive volume which is, from beginning to end, a fascinating and eye-opening learning experience. The book puts Florida history in chronological order with seamless transitions to each new chapter. Instead of learning little snippets of Florida history from scattered sources, you can read this book to help piece it all together in context. Then the little snippets make more sense. This book is well-written and avoids the cumbersome, self-important language of specialists. If you want to know about Florida's history, begin with this book. If you already know details of Florida's history, this book will bring your knowledge up-to-date with new scholarship.

Overall this was a wonderful history of the Sunshine State. Having have lived in Florida for 10 years (dating from 1990 through 2000, and being a University of Florida alumnus) I had the chance to witness a lot of economic, cultural, and developmental change. The final chapter of this book was more along the lines of what I was looking for...a history of modern Florida (1920-2000). While I did enjoy the book and it was very informative, I was hoping to hear more about recent events. Development and change in the State of Florida has happened at such a rapid rate since 1950 that about three quarters of this book seemed to be about another place! I guess what I was hoping for was more detail about land development and the growth of cities: Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and the fall of the Everglades.

A New History of Florida has been a vital contribution to Florida history, especially in light of the extreme age of Charlton Tebeau's classic book on the state's history. The essays from a variety of scholars add much needed insight and perspective on Florida history from ancient times to the present, including most of the major trends of the twentieth century, when Florida really came into its own as the state it is today.

Neverthless, this book has its shortcomings. First, the format tends to give an uneven, disjointed effect if reading this book like a textbook.

Second, it contains material that can be found from other more extensive works. This is a good start for someone looking to increase their knowledge of the state, but only a start.

This book is easy to read for a history book. It has just the
right amount of information to make it useful, but not too much
extra "stuff" to turn you off. I have found it useful and
surprising interesting!.
Ruth Snyder

Gannon and the other writers offer a diverse but focused selection of monographs each focused on a specific area of Florida's history, culture, politics, and evolving demographics. This is a gold mine of information and insight on how and why Florida is the haven and destination for so many. From the Palioindians to the French, Spanish, English, and Americans of the past to today's retirees, Hispanics, Asians, and Europeans the call is still heard to come to the Sunshine State.
Consisting of 22 articles, each deals with a specific topic, time frame, and issue. All are written by academics although the footnoting is kept to a minimum. However, even with the differing writing styles Gannon has done a first rate job of editing to keep the narative flow of ideas consistent while minimizing repetition.
All-in-all this is an excellent overview of Florida - its history, development, evolution, and struggles!!

When you have a host of great scholars giving you the history of Florida, you know you are getting the latest-greatest research into Florida's past. I have enjoyed reading this book, learning the intricacies and details of how this state evolved to where it is today.

If you want to know the history of Florida, I don't think you'll find a better, more thorough book. And if you'd like to also read a great fictional account of "old Florida," I highly recommend "A Land Remembered," as it brings out the "Cracker" era of Florida in a wonderful way.

The New History of Florida is a great read for those seeking more information about the history of Florida. The book is divided into twenty-two chapters each written by a different scholar in their field. There are bits of overlap in some of the chapters, making it a bit duplicitous, but not overly so. It does provide valuable insight on topics from the original inhabitants of the state, to becoming a US territory, to a brief modern history. This book doesn't tell the complete story of Florida, but it puts a lot of the pieces together.

Overall this was a wonderful history of the Sunshine State. Having have lived in Florida for 10 years dating from 1990 through 2000, I had the chance to witness a lot of economic, cultural, and developmental change. The final chapter of this book was more along the lines of what I was looking for...a history of modern Florida (1920-2000). While I did enjoy the book and it was very informative, I was hoping to hear more about recent events. Development and change in the State of Florida has happened at such a rapid rate since 1950 that about three quarters of this book seemed to be about another place! I guess what I was hoping for was more detail about land development and the growth of cities: Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and the fall of the Everglades.