Some Kind of Paradise; A Chronicle of Man and the Land in Florida

New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1989. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Good/Good. 416 pages. Endpaper map. Occasional footnotes. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliographic Note. Index. Some edge soiling. Minor corner creases on some pages. Mark Derr is an American dog writer who has published books on dogs, as well as the social and environmental developments of Florida. This work traces the history of Florida, emphasizing the period between Reconstruction and the Depression, illuminating the environmental and social changes of our southernmost state. Derived from a Publishers Weekly article: Ambitious, comprehensive and successful, Derr's study of the country's most-visited state combines ecological, demographic, economic information with political and cultural history. In his narrative of the area's exploration, colonization and development, the author also portrays the developers, migrants and foreign laborers who shaped the state, primarily for the benefit of winter residents, retirees and tourists. Chief among the 19th-century entrepreneurs were friends and rivals Henry Plant and Henry Flagler, master builders of cities and resorts, whose vast rail systems opened up the peninsula and fostered exploitation of all kinds, including plantation slavery. The panoramic narrative is animated by anecdotes, novel details and flavorful images of Florida's motley settlers. Derr cautions that the outcome of the current war between developers and environmentalists will depend on ``controlled'' growth and wise administration of the state's resources.