Each Christmas between 1988 and 1995, Barry Lewis travelled to South Beach, Miami, to trade the harsh London winter for a tropical paradise. There he photographed the diverse (and eccentric) people who made up the community: fashionistas, newly-arrived Cubans (following the Meriel exodus in 1980), Jewish retirees from New York, drag queens and the gay population who flocked to Ocean Drive for the party scene. Lewis' images are accompanied by quotes from the subjects.

“For such a sun-stoked place, Miami sure is shady . . . this batch of dirty deep South Florida fiction might just send you packing . . . your own heat.” —SunPost Don’t let the fabulous weather, the beach bodies, and the high-end boutiques fool you. There is a darkness to Miami that can hit just as hard as a hurricane. If by day, the streets are lined with tourists, at night the gangsters, drug dealers, and desperate come out to play. It’s this Miami that has captured the imagination of some of the city’s best writers. Miami Noir includes stories by James W. Hall, Barbara Parker, John Dufresne, Paul Levine, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Tom Corcoran, Christine Kling, George Tucker, Kevin Allen, Anthony Dale Gagliano, David Beaty, Vicki Hendricks, John Bond, Preston Allen, Lynne Barrett, and Jeffrey Wehr. “For different reasons these stories cultivate a little something special, a radiance, a humanity, even a grace, In the midst of the noir gloom, and thereby set themselves apart. Variety, familiarity, mood and tone, and the occasional gem of a story make Miami Noir a collection to savor.” —The Miami Herald “Murder is nothing new in Miami—or any other big city, for that matter. But seldom has it been so entertaining as it is in the 16 short stories included in Miami Noir.” —Palm Beach Daily News “This well-chosen short story collection isn’t just a thoughtful compilation of work by some of South Florida’s best and upcoming writers. Each Miami Noir story also is a window on a different part of Miami-Dade and its melting pot of cultures.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel

To create this engaging and accessible volume, Biondi interviewed 101 residents, from maids and taxi drivers to burlesque strippers, convicted criminals, and famous actors and comedians. Their memories and hundreds of black-and-white archival photos bring Miami Beach's history to life.

Includes subject area sections that describe all pertinent census data products available, i.e. "Business--trade and services", "Geography", "Transportation," etc.

These vibrant photographs capture the unique and somewhat tragi-comic character of the most well-known of all British package holidays: the Butlin's 'jolliday'. Lewis, who worked at Butlin's in the 60s, returned to the Skegness camp in 1982 when the original vision was beginning to fade. Billy Butlin created his holiday attraction in the 1930s, when British workers were granted paid holidays for the first time and families were drawn by the promise of individual chalets, a theatre and a swimming pool.