Florida Books

This short book captures the essence of the island. I own property on the island and the trip out of Carrable, past the shrimp boats and the mystical quality of the island are captures in this lovely poem, Donovan's graphic work is also a delight and rings true to the quality of this enchanted place.

An excellant street guide that is very easy to read.

Earle Bowden: Drawing From an Editor's Life. More than Forty Years of Editorial Cartoons, Caricatures and Illustrations, Pensacola News Journal, 1950s-1990s

Art and text by Jesse Earle Bowden
Father & Son Publishing, Inc., November 1996 publication
8x11, 472 pages, softback, $19.95
1,250 drawings

It's rare for a newspaper editor to draw his own editorial cartoons. But Editor Emeritus Jesse Earle Bowden of the Pensacola News Journal has been his own cartoonist for 55 years.
The politics, personalities and many editorial page crusades of the News Journal Editor and vice president, chairman of the editorial board and cartoonist--more than 1,250 cartoons and caricatures from more forty years at the drawing board--spill over 472 pages of this historic graphic treasure. The journalist/illustrator presents drawings from his sportswriting /cartooning years of 1950s to more than thirty years of his editorial-page cartoon commentary from the early 1960s to the 1990s.
Among the many humorous and satirical images are the strong symbolism of the American heritage and patriotism and the native Floridian's devotion to the region of his birth. Here are graphic symbolism of Bowden's many editorial dreams and two-barreled approach to his editorial persuasiveness. His editorials and editorial cartoons demonstrate his convictions about Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola's historical preservation movement, the Pensacola bayfront and downtown redevelopment, preservation of Scenic Highway, University of West Florida and quality education, the cultural arts and the many emotion-charged battles to reform Escambia County government.
Bowden's cartoons demonstrates his love of history; he has opened his many scrapbooks of pen-and-ink memories--some drawings never before published--from the presidency of John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton, from the Florida governorship of Haydon Burns to Lawton Chiles. The cartoon images chronicle the history of the people in the public arena of political change in Florida's First Place City, the western Panhandle, Tallahassee and in Washington.
Along the way, meet many Pensacolians, Floridians and national figures--ably caricatured--from Bowden's sketchbooks who peopled the cartoons that have appeared on News Journal sports, news and editorial pages since 1953.
Bowden includes many News Journal personalities from the eras of Publisher Braden Ball and Editor Marion T. Gaines in the 1950s to Publisher Denise Bannister's years of the 1990s.
Besides his text for a historic timeline of the four decades--the books show the busy left hand of Bowden--the other serious interest of the journalist, author of eleven books and teacher of writing at the University of West Florida. Partially retired in 1998, Bowden continues as a News Journal editorial page columnist and cartoonist.

I live a short distance from many of the homes that are profiled in this book and hope to use some of what I saw in my dream home. Very professional and glossy images (about 5 per home). The book appears to be a portfolio for the builders that are profiled within and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The only thing that is missing from this great book are the floor plans to these magnificent homes. This did not take away from the rating, because these homes are totally customized to their owners and do not have the cookie cutter look that many mansions in Central Florida have. The builders that are profiled state often how they like the challenge of designing a home that the owner will enjoy for a lifetime.

This book is a must for architects, designers and decorators. The authors tuly went out of their way to pick and choose spectacular looking high-end luxury homes. A must on your coffee table.

This is a book written for the lay person. It explains the geologic processes that made petroleum and hid it in layers of deep sands and porous rock. It describes the art, science and luck involved in finding oil and natural gas, along with the evolution of techniques for extracting it from underground structures that would rather not give it up. It acquaints the reader with the sometimes complex deals that organize land owners, speculators, drillers and producers around a common goal. It also introduces the lingo of the oil business.

Works about the history of technology risk focusing on technology to the exclusion of all else, limiting their audience and making them tedious. Not so with this one. Cockrell weaves a rich tapestry of concepts and chronology around the characters, producing an engaging and eminently readable account of every major oil find in Mississippi, Alabama and northwest Florida.

The stories of the oil industry people are likely to remain with the reader far longer than the history, geology and technology. These independent spirits, wild with enthusiasm, chased their dreams, sometimes for decades. Some got rich; some died trying. It is clear from how Cockrell tells their stories that has great affection for them.

A glossary, references and an index are provided.

Precise detailed listings, excellent index, should be in every rock-hounders back-pack. However, it's only failing are the rather crude maps. The maps would be more helpful if they included topographic elevation bars. But, all in all, a very delightful reference tome.

Printed on heavy stock, water-resistant paper and featuring stunning full color photography throughout, East Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers is a field guide wildflowers found in a region of the United States including Southwest Georgia, Northwest Florida, Southern Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and parts of Southeastern Louisiana. An introduction and overview offers maps, information about floral diversity, and tips for using the guide, yet the bulk of East Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers is devoted to single-column entries of individual blossoms. Each flower's entry includes a color photograph, extensive text description, information on its bloom season and habitat range, and more. A glossary and index round out this superb quick-reference field guide.

Compiled by Corey Sandler, Walt Disney World Universal Orlando 2003 is a fact-filled, guide for vacationers determined to enjoy the best of what the Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, Epcot and more have to offer. Pricing comparisons for tourists on a budget, day-trip itineraries, hints on the least busy days and weeks in the year to go, and much more round out this recommended resource. Also including SeaWorld and Central Florida attractions, as well as several pages of money saving coupons, the Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando 2003 travel guide is a welcome and very highly recommended resource for planning a truly memorable holiday or summer vacation experience.

I recently took my kids to Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida. It was a first trip for all of us so I had no idea what to expect. This book proved to be crucial in planning every aspect of our vacation. It shows you how to get the best deals on everything from hotels and plane tickets as well as the best times of the year, the best days and even the best time of day to visit every attraction. I must have refered to the book at least 20 times a day for the best places to eat, overviews of each ride and the maps.
Overall, we saved a lot of money, but the most important thing is that we saved so much time. In knowing where to go, what to do first and which rides were best for my children, we spent very little time waiting in lines or for a table at a restaurant. In fact, during most of our time at the theme parks, we found ourselves going in the opposite direction as everyone else.
I am so grateful to Corey and Janice for all their hard work and thorough research. It was like having my own private tour guide for my vacation!