Customer Reviews

Tampa Cigar Workers: A Pictorial History

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Some members of my mother's family left Spain for Cuba and finally settled in Florida...Tampa and Key West. I recently gifted my 64 year old cousin with this book after recent surgery. He is a cigar aficionado and the only magazines and books in his home seem to be about cigars. I gave him this book and one on cigars and upon his opening this book there was no stopping the conversation about our family. It was a wonderful 2-1/2 hour visit and it certainly cheered him up. When I called the next day his wife said he hadn't put the book down yet.

Our family is rich in history in Tampa. I was born in Ybor City and still visit there frequently even though I am about two hours away. Its still home. My grandmothers, grandfathers, great aunts and great uncles were all cigarmakers. My grandmother Elisa Simon was still handrolling cigars in Ybor City when she passed away in 1989. Even though most of the older generation in my family are all gone, books like this still bring the memories rushing back.

This book is indeed priceless. I think its the best gift I have ever given anyone judging by its reception. I'm glad I chose it.

These kind of books are usually full of great photographs with very little explanation of what they display. I was expected the same with this book, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a good amount of actual context and content along with the photographs.

This is a great read + a perfect coffee table book for anyone interested in Tampa / Ybor City history. It serves as a perfect companion piece to another recent history of the area, the more informative Frank Lastra's Ybor City: The Making of a Landmark Town.