4th in the Rivers of Florida series (already available "Suwannee River Guidebook," "St. Johns River Guidebook, "and" Hillsborough River Guidebook)." The Caloosahatchee flows from near Lake Okeechobee for 75 miles to its outlet at Fort Myers on the southwest Gulf coast of Florida. Its an important link in the south Florida waterway and in Everglades restoration.

Anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world for a while is invited to sit back and enjoy a leisurely trip down one of the best-known and most beloved rivers in the country. Flowing more than 230 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, the Suwannee may well be the last unspoiled river in the Southeast.

Complete with travel information and tips for those exploring the area by water or by land, this comprehensive guide describes the history, major towns/cities along the way, wildlife, and personages associated with the river. As you journey down the river, you'll stop by places like White Springs and Branford, Old Town and Fowler's Bluff. You'll see manatees, jumping fish, alligators, and many species of birds.

You'll also be introduced to some of the most important people and groups in Florida's history, including the Timucuan and Seminole Indians, Spanish missionaries and explorers, Stephen C. Foster, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and William Bartram, as well as the organizations and agencies that have fought to preserve and protect this magnificent river and its watershed.

"The Suwannee River Guidebook" will open your eyes to a part of Florida you may be surprised to learn still exists, one largely untouched by developers and full of natural wonder.

The alligatorFlorida's most feared, maligned animal. From the time European settlers first stepped onto Florida soil, the alligator has been a target of dread and revulsionand the hunter's gun.

Collected here are true (and tongue in cheek) accounts of alligators and the people who have hunted them, been attacked by them, and tried to save them from extinction. Journey through the Everglades with 1800's Seminoles, experts at stalking and killing gators. Go along with a "Northern girl" as she shoots "my first alligator in my glove and veil." And learn how modern alligator hunters go about their business, which hasn't changed much in the last hundred years or so.

If you like tall tales, you'll love Henry, the alligator-turned-head-waiter who becomes despondent when a pretty New York girl spurns his lovesick advances. Or Algy, the gator who survives a broiling in a furnace by his owners, who happen to think he's already dead and won't mind the heat.

-- Twenty of the most notorious Florida pirates from the 1500s to the present
-- Meet Sir Francis Drake, Black Caesar, Blackbeard, Jean Lafitte, Jose Gaspar
-- Piracy continues today, though the cargo is more likely to be drugs or other contraband instead of gold and silver
-- A lively read for adults and older children

-- Sunken treasure, prison ships, Nazi submarines, the Bermuda triangle
-- Stories of thirty of the most interesting of the thousands of Florida shipwrecks
-- Each shipwreck story has a map pinpointing its location and a full-color painting by renowned artist William L. Trotter

In Apalachicola Bay, author Kevin McCarthy takes us through the history of the bay's sites and communities. Come along and discover With vibrant color paintings by William Trotter, Apalachicola Bay will let you savor some authentic Florida history and see what makes this "Forgotten Coast" memorable for residents and visitors alike.
- The cities and communities of Franklin County--Apalachicola, Carrabelle, Eastpoint, Lanark, and St. James Island--which have retained the charm of old Florida as they adopt to changing times
- The area's barrier islands--St. Vincent, St. George, Dog Island--which are true ecological treasures and harbor exotic Sambar deer, endangered red wolves, 300-pound loggerhead turtles, as well as more than 200 bird species and 400 plant species
- The Apalachicola River, Apalachicola National Forest, and Apalachicola National Estuary Research Reserve--rich natural environments that have made it possible for people to live around the bay since as long as 10,000 years ago and which are remarkably well-preserved today
- Sities such as Fort Gadsden, Cape St. George Lighthouse, and Crooked River Lighthouse, as well as Apalachicola's historic homes and buildings, which reflect the area's rich history as a port, military-training area, and a center for cotton-packing, logging, and the harvesting of sea products
- The area's distinguished historic personalities, such as physician John Gorrie, who Invented a refrigeration device in 1844 that would lead to air-conditioning, and botanist Alvan Chapman, who in 1860 catalogued the flora of the southern United States

-- Long before the first European explorers set foot on Florida soil, numerous Native American tribes hunted, honored their gods, built burial mounds, and coexisted with one another in pockets of settlements across the state
-- Explores the importance of archaeology in preserving the past for future generations, how archaeologists do their work, and even how young people can gain hands-on experience on a real dig
-- The different types of Indian mounds -- burial mounds, shell middens, and platform mounds -- and their uses are explained, as well as Indian languages and reservations
-- Provides detailed descriptions of 185 sites on the Native American Heritage Trail that mark important historical events, as well as a calendar of important dates that highlights the history, culture, setbacks, and successes of Florida's Native Americans
-- A clearly written narrative for anyone interested in Native American studies
-- For classroom use: one free teacher's manual with the purchase of three books

-- Though only 110 miles long, Georgia's coast is a wealth of historic beauty
-- Georgia is a unique combination of wartorn history and genteel character
-- Stories of Civil War soldiers, pioneers and settlers, Native Americans, seafarers and pirates (including Blackbeard), and even a ghost or two
-- St. Simons Lighthouse, one of America's oldest continuously working lighthouses and home to the ghost of keeper Frederick Osborne, whose footsteps can be heard in the tower at night
-- Jekyll Island Club, a posh retreat established in 1886 by some of the wealthiest families in America, including the Astors, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts
-- Fort King George was called the Invalid Regiment because many of its soldiers were either sickly or victims of foreign campaigns
-- Each site is illustrated with a full-color painting
-- A great gift for lighthouse or art enthusiasts

- Profiles more than 50 African Americans during four centuries of Florida history in brief essays
- Traces the role African Americans played in the discovery, exploration, and settlemtn of Florida as well as through the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement
- From Estevanico the Black, who first stepped on the shores of Florida in 1528, to Carrle Pittman Meek, elected to the United States Congress, African Americans have been setting examples of courage and perseverance
- Topics include Fort Mose (first free black community in North America), Black Seminoles, T. Thomas Fortune, turpentine camps, baseball, the Battle of Olustee, and Zora Neale Hurston
- Provides a detalled description of the 141 sites on the Florida Black Heritage Trail
- Particularly appropriate for school-age readers
- For classroom use: one free teacher's manual with the purchase of three books

This is an illustrated history of one of the greatest cities in antiquity: Antioch on the Orontes or, simply, Antioch. From the time of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC through the time of the first Christians to the incursions of many conquering armies (Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Persians, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, and Turks) into the 21st century, the city has seen thousands and thousands of residents and visitors spend much time in this city at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. But it has also suffered tremendous damage in the loss of life and property from earthquakes and other natural phenomena. Today the modern Antioch, called Antakya, is a provincial capital next to a volatile country (Syria) that continues to attract hard-working people who want to live in harmony with their neighbors, no matter what their religion or political beliefs are.

-- Thousands of Irish Americans travel to Ireland each year to explore the land of their ancestors
-- Touring the island's lighthouses is a fascinating way to see the whole island and learn the country's history
-- Eighty lighthouses under the authority of the Commissioners of Irish Lights dot the 2,000 miles of Irish coastline
-- Thirty of the most interesting lights are featured with detailed histories and fullcolor paintings by noted maritime artist William Trotter
-- For Irish Americans as well as history and lighthouse buffs