Many a book has been written about Key West, but there has never been anything like Stetson Kennedy's "Grits & Grunts," a portrait of the Key West that was. Neither a history (though you will learn a lot about Key West's unique past) nor a guidebook (though you will learn more about Key West than any guides offer), "Grits & Grunts" is a treasure trove gleaned from the rich multiculture that came to full-flower on "The Rock" during the first half of the twentieth century, "when Key West was Key West."

You'll find an abundant sampling of the inimitable art of Mario Sanchez, whose carved bas-relief paintings of Key West street scenes are in great demand around the world, as well as many never-before-published photographs. The overflowing Key West songbag is also here in all its abundance, from lullabies to traditional ballads, as well as games and folktales.

This is a new release of the original 1946 edition.

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

South Florida summons tropical vacationland images--gleaming beaches, exotic foods, colorful costumes, and grand hotels. Yet beyond this facade teems a rich folklife that is the subject of this alluring book.

The three collaborating authors present south Florida folklife from the 1930s to the present in four parts: the Everglades and Gulf Coast, the Miami megalopolis, the Keys, and the seasonal residents and tourists.

Together, these create a mosaic of contrasts. South Florida embraces extravagant wealth and heartbreaking poverty, constant evolution and solid tradition, tropical peace and devastating storms, settled generations and the newest Americans. It is a folk region identified not by physical or political boundaries, but by its hot, sultry climate and the many people who interact with the land and with one another.

"South Florida Folklife" explores the area for the first time from a folklorist's perspective and firmly establishes it as a microcosm of the United States, an enticing example of the human diversity that characterizes life in this country.