Florida Books

Gregory Hansen's study of Richard Seaman is a fascinating book that takes us into the world of a little-known artist. The book's analysis of Seaman's place within Florida history and culture is very intelligent and insightful. What makes the book so enjoyable to read, however, is that Hansen allows his subject to speak. Seaman's tall-tales are entertaining for any reader. Hansen displays a real affection for his subject that is unusual and refreshing for a study from a university press.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3SOIFO1PIE4VE Watch a short video with Ryan Erisman, the author of Florida for Boomers. Learn what all went in to writing the book, and why it was even written at all!

Florida s truly a beautiful state that has rightfully earned its place as one of the most popular tourism destinations in America. "Florida for Families" is a excellently compiled guide for anyone who want to bring the whole family to Florida, cataloguing the many family-friendly experiences that only the Sunshine State can offer. With entries on aquariums, zoos, nature reserves, hiking, and so much more to bring joy without breaking the bank, "Florida for Families" is a must for any family planning a Florida visit.

This book is a handsomely ring-bound collection of 8.5" x 11" cards with illustrations and maps of the old Spanish forts and missions of Florida. Old U.S. forts are also included. You will have to drive all over Florida to see these places, but if you're into history you won't mind and this is the tool to guide you. Each card describes the location and history of each historical site and can be removed from the ring binder for easy photocopying. A bibliography is included.

This was the perfect review tool.The material was condensed and well organized. I attribute my success to the use of this book.

The author has researched nine cities in Florida in depth. I would advise anyone looking to relocate there to read this. It descibes the educational, medical and cultural scene quite well; it also provides tips for those new to the heat and humidity capital of NA.

This is just a note to let you know that this book is not out of print. The publisher is Centennial Press in Miami. The phone number is(305) 854-8087. Address is 1601 South Miami Avenue, Miami, FL. 33131. I am the author. Thanks.

Howard Kleinberg

As a resident of Florida, I recently experienced Hurricane Jeanne rampage over the Atlantic Coast line. The photos included in this 118 page book are similar to those shown in our newspapers.

The book was researched and written by 3 experienced scientists, including 2 professors from Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech). It is written on a non-technical level and includes several eyewitness accounts of hurricanes.

I like this book very much because it is one of the few bound publications on this topic that I've found. Besides history of storms, it also gives hurricane preparedness guidelines and what to do after such storms are over.

Beautiful pictures. Interesting commentary. Obviously written by people who truly know and love nature, and who are on intimately familiar terms with the peculiar environments of the Florida Keys.

Clyde Butcher is one of a small group of large format landscape photographers who keep their lenses focused on the diverse beauty surrounding us in this expansive country. This is beauty that only a few will ever witness firsthand out in the wild.

He is certainly one of the very few large format black and white photographers to make Florida his primary subject. It is the real Florida that this artist wants to record, the Florida of the Everglades and Big Cypress National Parks. We should all be grateful, because this photographer set out on this journey by way of the tragedy of the death of his teenage son from an auto accident; and this father's sleepless nights led him out into the wee hours and for days to the last remaining protected wilderness so that he could be alone with his camera and his thoughts.

His images are stunning for the range of grayscale tones that he is able to capture, as well as for the their composition and detail and pinpoint clarity from foreground to background. Only the large format view camera with its 8 by 10 negative can make such a record.

You see every facet of bark, every leaf, every ripple of sand and shimmer of water surface and tangle of mangrove. Butcher loves the skies and the endless cloud formations that loom like mountains on the Florida horizon. He carefully executes his shots waiting for the precise right moment to capture the subtle changes in daylight from early morning to late afternoon.

How he is able to venture waist deep into the waters of the Everglades or the Loxahatchee to get a shot is daunting to say the least. He doesn't shy away from snakes or alligators. This is a photographer who will risk danger for the sake of his art.

The book contains some of his best work and it has some of my favorite images like his photographs of the lesser known and undeveloped Florida Keys. It is this very urgency that you feel when looking at his photographs, that this was the way Florida once appeared when Ponce de Leon set foot here in 1513.

His photographs, like the one used for the book jacket cover, have a deep focal point and he uses perspective the way a painter might, to draw the viewer inside. He balances with visual weight, the darker tones of a palm tree forest with the lighter tones of clouds and midtones of sky and juxtaposes these against an angle of beach running along an edge of water. It feels as if you could run naked through this picture splashing water down these empty beaches and jumping over piles of drifwood.

What Butcher has accomplished has been to bring this beauty out of the mangrove swamps and away from the desolate and remote beaches and onto the walls of galleries and into this book so that we can appreciate this precious resource. And just maybe it will help in the effort to preserve what remains of what is perilously in danger of vanishing.