Florida Keys history books published by Dredgers Lane, LLC,

 Ernest Hemingway first came to Key West in 1928. From his first days on the island he came to know and love fishing and the sea. For the next twelve years the famed author called the island his home. His years in Key West became the most crucial and prolific years of his life. During that period he wrote Death in the Afternoon, Green Hills of Africa, numerous important short stories, To Have and Have Not, and began For Whom the Bell Tolls. He also created and became his own living legend, self-consciously constructing the swaggering image known to the world as Papa. 

 Begun in 1905 and built by Henry Flagler, the Florida East Coast Railway Key West Extension was called the Eighth Wonder of the World. This 100th Anniversary edition tells the story of the Overseas Railroad. It is illustrated with over 50 carefully reproduced vintage photographs. A masterpiece of railroad engineering, the Extension traversed magnificent concrete spans above Florida Keys waters from the mainland to Key West. It opened in 1912 and, for three decades, thousands of passengers enjoyed the breathtaking trip across brilliant seas and tropical islands. The devastating Labor Day hurricane of September 2, 1935, brought an end to The Railroad That Went to Sea. Today US 1 highway travels upon the route of the original railroad. 

 Because of its mid-Gulf location, its inherent beauty and its siren call to travelers, Key West evokes a relaxing image of calm. Yet thanks to wars, hurricanes, depressions, business booms and fame both negative and positive, the island has been anything but calm for over a century. With the arrival and departure of presidents, the military, cigar rolling, sponging and shrimping, Key West has witnessed and survived amazing change and upheaval. This quality pictorial book captures that excitement and uniqueness. It depicts the influences of the Bahamians and Cubans, the military presence, and the development of tourism. It offers history, great fun, and detailed photo captions written by two fine journalists. 

 The history of the Keys and the lives of those who settled them were molded by a nature that has been both harsh and gentle. Farming has come and gone, the excitement and wealth provided by the wreck salvagers is but a dim memory. The Railroad That Went to Sea was swept away by the elements. But the Florida Keys remain a fascinating archipelago that has shown amazing growth in recent decades. With historical footnotes and extended captions for its 200 photos, the book provides a glorious story of perseverance and beauty, of tragedy and glory. 

 A fifteen-year-old boy from New York, in 1839, finds himself thrust into a sea-going adventure in the Florida Keys. A popular book when first published in the 1860s, The Young Wrecker offers a wonderful depiction of nineteenth-century life in South Florida and in Key West. This book is close to perfect history for an area and era almost lost to historians. 

 When the battleship USS Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, Key West became the coordination point for events that would plunge the United States into war with Spain. The Maine's dead were buried in the Key West cemetery. Soldiers wounded in the fighting were cared for at Key West's Convent Hospital. And the island headquartered scores of journalists, photographers and artists who, at the same time, recorded a unique and lusty period in Key West history. With over 50 photographs and illustrations, many dating back to 1898, this book offers a revealing study of life on the island and the circumstances of war. 

 Salads, Sauces, Beverages, Meals, Jellies, Chutney, Pies and other Desserts - all made with Key Limes or Key Lime juice. 

 Tom Corcoran has been photographing Key West for more than forty years. This high quality book collects over 160 images of buildings, boats, street scenes, old signs, beaches and businesses. The sharp pictures and short anecdotes capture the unique spirit of Key West and celebrate a distinct period of change. To honor the launch of this book, sixty-five framed photographs were displayed at the Custom House Museum of the Key West Art and Historical Society.