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

-- 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

-- 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

-- 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