Closer to Havana than Miami, the island city has resisted categorization throughout its history - other than to accept accolades of "southernmost" and "unique." Over 200 images, a brief text and informative captions help the reader follow the ups and downs of the island city from its purchase by John Simonton in 1821 to 1950, when it began to go "modern" with plate glass and concrete block construction. Gathered from many sources, many of the images are snapshots from family albums - treasures that show lighter and brighter days of island living. Some are photographs of the famous who visited or lived here part-time: Thomas Edison, Frederick Douglas, Henry Flagler, Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway, President Harry Truman. Others show the infamous: Manuel Cabeza tarred and feathered, and killed by the Ku Klux Klan; the bizarre Karl Von Cosel, who stole Elena Hoyos' body and lived with it for seven years. Whether one has a vested interest in Key West or is just interested in seeing what life used to be like in this "odd and novel place," Key West Images of the Past makes for fascinating and entertaining reading.

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