Deborah Straws book makes visiting the Keys a wonderful natural approach. This is not a book for high end, hotel and restaurant types - if you are looking for recommendations to such. But for those of us that want to view and explore the beauties of nature, this book is number one. No, not meaning it is a camping book. Instead, it is a book for those wanting to explore the Keys - stay where you may but use this book as a source of great and fun ways to see the natural aspect of the Keys.

If Deborah Straw ever leads a trip to revisit her Natural Wonders of the Florida Keys, I would like to know about it. In her book, she brought back many wonderful memories to me of my three years living in Key West, and traveling all over the keys with my family. It was many years ago, in the 50s, when the keys were more alive with flora and fauna than colorful humans who habitate there now. She made it come alive for me again. I read the book in a night, and am rereading it again. Yes, I think she would be a wonderful guide. Take me there, Deborah.

I liked this book so much I've already given it as a gift. It's aimed at those of us who simply want to enjoy wildlife in its natural surroundings without experiencing too much physical discomfort. In an appealing, conversational style Deborah Straw imparts a wealth of information including the history of each Keys area, tour opportunities, camping facilities, parks, wildlife refuges, etc. For example, in the Key West section you learn about walking tours, a glass bottom boat, the beaches, and how to get easily from Miami to Key West without taking an inconvenient car. You can feel in every page the author's deep love and respect for animals of all kinds. She has definite opinions with regard to their treatment and protection, and this compassionate current runs throughout. She tells the would-be visitor about the climate by season, and she even includes warnings about what NOT to do. And, she looks out for the cost-conscious travelor. At the end of the book is a short reading list and a good index. I haven't been to the Florida Keys yet, but when I go, I'll definitely take along this book.

True Secrets of Key West is WONDERFUL! I lived in Key West for years and was always annoyed by all the books people wrote that didn't know the REAL story. Books that claimed to be the real story...but they changed the names, dates and circumstances. This is one that got it right AND it was very funny to read. I give True Secrets of Key West my highest recommendation.

True Secrets of Key West is GREAT! I lived in Key West for years and was always annoyed by all the books people wrote that didn't know the REAL story. Books that claimed to be the real story...but they changed the names, dates and circumstances. This is one that got it right. I give True Secrets of Key West my highest recommendation.

Read this book prior to or contemporaneously with a trip to Key West. It gives you the full scoop on all of the santized facts from your tour guides. This book added a new dimension to our visit and was funny to boot. While it is somewhat hard to locate, it is well worth the effort. Also check out the website maintained by the authors.

I must have read this book when it first came out in 1984, and it was one of my favorites. Now, reading it again later (for a Children's Lit class), I can see why. It's a bit sad, but a wonderful book.

I liked this book a lot. It was sad when Jeff and the dog named Foxy almost got killed in a car accident. It was happy too. Like when he found it. It was also iteresting that the kid Jeff could sneak out of the hospital. This time I actually liked reading it because it was like a adventure.

It is a very good book and has a great ending. My favorite part is when Jeff finds Foxy, after being lost, and fixes her up and makes her happy.

I'm usually a "nibbler" at books, reading a little now and a little later, whenever I have time, but with Cetacea I kept reading practically without pause. This was an interesting, informative book with exotic locales, well-developed characters, dramatic tension, and realistic dialogue. For the duration of the story, I felt as if I were in it -- seeing, feeling, hearing it all. Besides the gripping story line, Theresa Foley has called up an intriguing image of Key West that makes me want to visit her island at the southeast tip of the United States and perhaps do some dolphin-watching, myself. This is one of those enjoyable books that I'm sharing with my friends!

Cetacea was a real page-turner for me: I found myself holding my breath while cheering and fearing for the dolphins. The variety and depth of Ms. Foley's characters, the richness of her story line, and her knowledge of diving, dolphins, and dialog make this book a fine showcase of her exceptional writing skills. Cetacea truthfully captures the flavors and eccentricities of living and working in the Southernmost City-90 miles from Cuba, while skillfully and passionately blending equal amounts of suspense, ecological awareness, and mysticism. An impressive and hopeful message is conveyed to the reader in a very palatable form. I sincerely hope that Ms. Foley is working on a sequel.

You don't have to know Key West to enjoy this novel by an exciting new novelist because the drama beginning on page one quickly encaptures you. One of these "I couldn't put it down" books. Ms. Foley takes an allegation of training dolphins (cetacean) to kill and writes an intriguing mystery involving national and international politics mixed with adventures of the sea, including sailing and diving, plus a love story to capture your heart. Ms. Foley's skill in developing the characters is exceptional and the dialogue allows you to easily enjoy the story as it unfolds throughout the book to a climatic unexpected ending. Clearly the potential for a movie or TV special.

The Conch That Roared is a must-read book if you're traveling to the Florida Keys or are just an armchair reader! Why? This is the only book available which gives the visitor/reader a taste of the real flavor of Key West...and I'm not talking just key lime pie and conch fritters (both recipes and more are included in the back of the book).

Author Gregory King must have visited every bar up and down the the scenic area... from Key West, past Key Largo and to the Last Chance Saloon as well as the politico's to write with such flair and flavor. He captured the essence...the soul and spirits of those citizens who declared war on the United States.

This is a great gift to give to someone visiting the Key West. Include a bottle of Cuban rum (which presently is illegal), two cheap glasses, and Coke, as well as Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. 1/2 pund of minced conch, or an equal amount of clams. This will make a great going-away gift as well as provide ingredients for wonderful Key West entertaining when your friends return.

Put on your favorite Jimmy Buffett album and read the book.The characters in King's book are delightful and colorful enough to make a movie. King did a wonderful writing job of introducing them all to the rest of us! Thanks for taking a bit of history and bringing it to life for the rest of us conch-heads!

I was getting so tired of stories on Miami. I had almost decided that Florida was now permanently off my personal "place to visit" list. That was before this delightful story, TRUE story, THE CONCH THAT ROARED arrived at my place. The well researched (and well illustrated) book took me on a magical if not bizarre journey to the end of Highway 1 in an explanation of how Key West became the Conch Republic and proceeded to seceed from the Union. Obviously author Gregory King is not only well verse with the place but also a most erudite interpretor of its story. He has made me want to drive (at least once) to Key West and experience what makes these folks so special. A word of warning though: you might have to use the recipe in the back of the book for Key Lime Pie to munch while reading this story. Or maybe drinking the Cuba Libre would be more appropriate?

Key West secedes from the Union, declares its independence -- and it's not fiction, it's history. King captures the quirky heart and spirit of Key West and reports from the insider's view the events that led to revolution. I was in Key West to celebrate the secession anniversary a few years ago. This book brings the story to life with a lot grins along the way. It is fun to learn the strategic thinking and ingenuity that went into the battle with the US government -- a credit to Key West islanders and a tribute to the American way! Pick it up, put on Jimmy Buffet and enjoy the ride.

I found this book to be an excellent review of diving sites in the Fla. Keys. Not only did it describe sites but the drawings describing dives from boats was excellent! I cannot say enough about how well this book is presented and it should be an invaluable resource for all of us who dive in the Keys

This is the best diving book about the Keys in this website. It is a fascinating look at many of the bigger reefs in the Keys. We used this book as a reference source for creating our website. It is filled with beautiful photos, all taken on the reefs described therein. It has diveplan maps to follow, history, fish descriptions, and many other helpful facts relevant to divers.

As a beginning diver, I found this book to be very informative. It lists practically every reef in the Florida Keys. I especially like the reef maps which show what there is to see at what depth. Then after each reef map, there are photos of what there is to see at that site. It is a paperback, but it has glossy pages and great photos. I thought it was an excellent book - at a value price!

This is the best book for snorkeling I've ever found. The other books are so vague, they don't tell me much of anything. This one describes all the neat places to walk in from the beach and go snorkeling, how rough or calm the area is, how to get to various snorkeling beaches once I get there, whether the kids can safely swim in each area. It also has all the resorts that have snorkeling off their beaches, which is really nice for people traveling with small children and the airlines and travel stuff we need.

My wife and I found this book to be one of the best, Snorkeling guides we have ever used. We find all of the Huber's books to be informative, thorough, accurate, and fun to read as well. We love it! We buy new ones every time they update them with new info.

My wife and I, both avid snorklers, picked up a copy for our trip to the British Islands and found some really neat new spots. This is a terrific resource.

Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones produce the best lighthouse travel guides available. This one is no exception.

First, this book is chocked full of Bruce Roberts' beautiful photographs of the lighthouses in this region. The photographs are nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Combined with the revised and updated information on each makes this regional lighthouse guide a requirement you won't want to be without whether you're visiting the region or a life-long resident. The text contains full, rich descriptions of each lighthouse, too.

I have many lighthouse books and all of Bruce Roberts' and Ray Jones' regional guides. I've read them all and used most of them while traveling. I've found them to be first rate, an excellent choice for people who want everything lighthouse between two covers. A joy to look at and informative to read.

There are directions and other info for finding and visiting lighthouses. They do not always show all lights for a given area. The photos are all color. I own 3 of these books. There are not many other guide books out there so if you are looking for guide books these are good to have. Since there are so many books in this series I thought I'd help people find them easier. This is the series.
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American Lighthouses
California Lighthouses
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Western Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Southeastern Lighthouses - I own this one
Southern Lighthouses
New England Lighthouses
Mid Atlantic Lighthouses
Gulf Coast Lighthouses

Overall this book is quite good, I think it is geared more toward people living in Florida than people like me who are planning a trip. I wish it had more travel info and maps. I also wish it had more pictures than it does, so you could see the places it talks about which would help out a lot.

As a person who has spent a good deal of time in many of the places listed in "Exploring Wild South Florida: A Guide to Finding the Natural Areas and Wildlife of the Southern Peninsula and the Florida Keys" I can say that it is a thorough, accurate, and informative guide to the South Florida area. This book is specifically made for the person who likes to explore areas that are still predominantly in their natural condition. If you are looking for a landscaped park to hike through then you will be disappointed. If you are looking for places where you are likely to see endangered species, the only air conditioning may be a breeze, and you may see very few people (if anyone) during your hike then this is the book you are looking for.

Some places are truly remote and you may be on your own finding your way around (like the Florida Everglades) and some are less remote and may even have boardwalks through the forest to make your trip easier. The book starts with an extensive overview of everything you need to know about southern Florida - weather, what to wear, animals and plants to be cautious of, information on the various park systems, and anything else that you might have a question about when planning a trip.

One of the nicer features of the book is a section on the various habitats that you are likely to encounter in south Florida. The author does an excellent job of explaining estuaries, coral reefs, cypress stands, mangroves, marshes, hammocks and other habitats. She covers what qualifies them as a specific habitat, what you should look for and expect in each of them and general educational information on each of them.

She then covers special wildlife and unwanted pests before moving into the Federal Lands part of the book that actually starts the information on each site. When she gets to the specific sites she provides all the information that you will need to plan a trip there. She covers the local habitats you might find, wildlife, facilities, and complete contact information (worth the price of the book by itself).

A highly recommended read for those who think camping equipment should not involve the word Winnebego.

My title sums the book up rather well. If you are going to South Florida with viewing nature and wildlife as one of your goals, you'll find the book extremely useful. If seeing the show at the Alligator Farm and the Seaquarium fills your need for nature, you probably won't need the book. Assuming you do use the book, you will appreciate the amount of detail it includes, though you'll probably wish for better maps and more illustrations! Despite this, highly recommended if you really want a book of this type.

another well-written bio on the one and only ernest hemingway. key west was/is a colorful place and so was ernie. i enjoyed this one. damn near felt like almost being there and enjoying a beer with ernie.

Of the many books about Hemingway, this is one of the most enjoyable I have yet found.

I discovered it when I was living in Eanes Lane, about 2 houses away from the Hemingway House, in Key West.

This book is one of the few that is really able to convey the atmoshphere of the place--imagine how quiet it must have been down there in the 30's, before A1A connected the Keys and EVERYBODY could get down there; Think of the parties Papa threw for his pals who came to visit; the sometimes beautiful, sometimes brutal weather; the sunsets, the fishing, the original Sloppy's.

I lived in Key Wierd for a couple years, and love it, but Papa's days MUST have been THE days! --Imagine bar hopping with Dos Passos or being able to sail over to Havana--the music! The nightclubs! The beaches! The Girls!--I digress, but you get the point. The recent release called "Hemingway's France" does very well describing the atmoshere of his Paris days. "Papa, Hemingway in Key West" does the same justice to the very productive and legend-shaping time he spent in Key West.

As well, there are several pages featuring a very good selection of photos from those days; including a couple black and white reproductions of great Waldo Peirce paintings in his typically loose, energetic style.

This is one of my favorite Hemingway references, and I turn to it repeatedly.

This is the first book review I've ever written, and it is because I know Hemingway fans will really enjoy Mr. McLendon's book.

The best book I have ever read on the life and times of Hemingway. Extremely insightfull into the man and his life after key west.