The vast unsettled lands of Florida in the 1850s are a magnet drawing men and women from all backgrounds toward the promise of fresh beginnings. Most of them are honest, hard-working citizens. But there is another element, as on any frontier: the violent, the greedy, the power-hungry. Will the honest homesteaders prevail over those who would destroy their dreams even before they can begin to build?

In the spring of 1771, John MacKenzie arrives in British-ruled St. Augustine after a year of fur trapping. He is quickly drawn into an adventure that involves defending a young woman indentured to the powerful and treacherous James Tyrone. MacKenzie and Becky Campbell set out across the untamed Florida wilderness, accompanied by a crusty sailor named Blackpool Bobby and Jeremiah, a black slave-hunter. As they move toward buried gold, Tyrone’s murderous trackers pursue all three, resulting in a showdown on the windswept sands of the Florida Gulf Coast.

Tate Barkley is back setting out to the vast and ominous swampland west of Orlando. Tate meets up with the odd and ornery little bald “perfessor" named Monk, who sells elixirs from his odd contraption of a wagon. Tate and Monk—and an odd assortment of other characters—follow a trail that draws them ever deeper into that vast forbidding swampland near the headwaters of the Withlacoochee River. This Cracker Western will have your spine tingling as it races on to the final all-out showdown

Cracker Westerns are rip-roarin, action-packed, can't-put-'em-down tales set in the frontier days of Florida. They are full of adventure, real heroes, and vivid, authentic details that bring Florida's history to life. Tree Hooker will take on anything—man, animal, or force of nature—that stands in the way of his cattle drives during the Civil War. He's a Confederate soldier trying to save his country from starvation. Assigned to lead a group of tough, sun-baked cow hunters, he sets out to supply the South with beef from the herds on Florida's plains. Plenty of others also want those herds. There are the Yankees, led by men like Major Dan Greenley. He's tired of the war and knows that it will end quickly once the Confederacy runs out of food. Greenley is new to Florida and still believes in fighting by the rules of civilized warfare. But he's also a fast learner. He soon realizes that there is no such thing as civilized warfare in the palmetto scrub. A few people try to keep their humanity despite being surrounded by the horrors of war. Doris Brava is one of those. A young widow surviving on her own in Yankee-occupied St. Augustine, she finds hope and love in an unlikely place—Greenley's arms. But hope and love can't shield Doris from the savagery that rules on the palmetto plains. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

Do you know: How many acres of Florida's remaining natural areas have become infested with non-native plant species? Where is Estero Bay? What is the penalty for violating federal manatee protection laws? What river disappears underground in O'Leno State Park and re-emerges above ground in River Rise State Park? Learn this and more in this fun-filled guide to the little-known facts of Florida.

Includes the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Society.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

"A fascinating account of how the city of Jacksonville met the major challenges of the last half of the 20th century, from those posed by race relations to downtown development to the environment. Crooks has provided a well-written, clear, and thoughtful analysis of the need for and movement to establish a consolidated government, and the early years of that government. His understanding of Jacksonville and of the times is impressive."--Joan S. Carver, Jacksonville University In the 1950s and '60s Jacksonville faced daunting problems. Critics described city government as boss-ridden, expensive, and corrupt. African Americans challenged racial segregation, and public high schools were disaccredited. The St. Johns River and its tributaries were heavily polluted. Downtown development had succumbed to suburban sprawl. Consolidation, endorsed by an almost two-to-one majority in 1967, became the catalyst for change. The city's decision to consolidate with surrounding Duval County began the transformation of this conservative, Deep South, backwater city into a prosperous, mainstream metropolis. James B. Crooks introduces readers to preconsolidation Jacksonville and then focuses on three major issues that confronted the expanded city: racial relations, environmental pollution, and the revitalization of downtown. He shows the successes and setbacks of four mayors--Hans G. Tanzler, Jake Godbold, Tommy Hazouri, and Ed Austin--in responding to these issues. He also compares Jacksonville's experience with that of another Florida metropolis, Tampa, which in 1967 decided against consolidation with surrounding Hillsborough County. Consolidation has not been a panacea for all the city's ills, Crooks concludes. Yet the city emerges in the 21st century with increased support for art and education, new economic initiatives, substantial achievements in downtown renewal, and laudable efforts to improve race relations and address environmental problems. Readers familiar with Jacksonville over the last 40 years will recognize events like the St. Johns River cleanup, the building of the Jacksonville Landing, the ending of odor pollution, and the arrival of the Jaguars NFL franchise. During the administration of Mayor Hazouri from 1987 to 1991, Crooks was Jacksonville historian-in-residence at City Hall. Combining observations from this period with extensive interviews and documents (including a cache of files from the mezzanine of the old City Hall parking garage that contained 44 cabinets of letters, memos, and reports), he has written an urban history that will fascinate scholars of politics and governmental reform as well as residents of the First Coast city. James B. Crooks is emeritus professor of history at the University of North Florida