The coast of southwest Florida, with its shallow waters, inlets, and mangrove islands provides the setting and backdrop for a variety of pirates, privateers, and independents. The history of this region and Florida as a whole is influenced largely by the illegal activities of piracy. Piracy has a long and rich tradition in this area dating from before the formation of America through the infamous prohibition era. Educators, authors, and pirate enthusiasts James and Sarah Kaserman recount the stories, legends and myths that surround piracy in Florida. Telling the tales of Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham, Civil War smugglers and prohibition rum runners, the authors provide a compelling narrative of the historically dangerous waters around Southwest Florida and beyond.

Blackbeard, Jose Gaspar, Jean Lafitte—the names conjure up a romantic, swashbuckling figure with a black patch over one eye, a cutlass in his teeth, and a brace of pistols tucked into his waistband. Actors such as Errol Flynn did much to create that devil-may-care attitude glamorized on the silver screen, but in fact, real pirates were not so admirable; for the most part they were cruel, greedy, dastardly brigands, many of whom were slave traders or smugglers in addition to being pirates. Still, we continue to be fascinated by their lives and exploits, perhaps because they led such adventurous lives full of bravery, recklessness and daring. It is certainly more enjoyable— and safer—to read about pirates than to encounter one. This book chronicles the lives and times of 20 notable Florida pirates, from the English privateers of the 1500s to present-day drug smugglers and “yachtjackers." Pirates have always found easy prey in the seas around Florida; not only did the treasure-laden ships on their way back to Europe have to sail close to Florida's shores to catch the currents east, but the treacherous Florida Reef foundered many a ship, making easy pickings. Most of what we know about pirates comes from Navy records, newspaper accounts, or eyewitness statements from those whom the pirates spared. This book distills the most interesting facts from many sources into a book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in a different perspective on Florida's history.

The author of Eerie Florida shares more dark tales from across the Sunshine State in this illustrated guide to local legends and haunted sites. Author Mark Muncy and photographer Kari Schultz have crisscrossed Florida from Key West to the Emerald Coast, hunting down stories of ghosts and reports of paranormal activity. Their previous books, Eerie Florida and Freaky Florida provided armchair explorer and amateur ghost hunters a literal roadmap to the state’s spookiest sites. Now they present an all-new installment of Florida weirdness in Creepy Florida. Check in at The Biltmore in Coral Gables to spot the ghost of slain Fatty Walsh roaming the thirteenth floor. Sit down for a meal with the spirit of Ethel Allen at Ashley's Restaurant in Rockledge. Visit haunted graveyards, museums, parks and battlefields. Hear macabre stories of spectral pirates, gangsters, witches and madmen. From phantasmagoric packs of Madam McCoy's girls in Pensacola to the ghostly clacking of Hemingway's typewriter in the Keys, Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz lead brave readers along Florida’s border with the great beyond.

For hundreds of years, colorful characters and criminals used the myriad coves and inlets along the Treasure Coast for illicit commerce. From the early days of privateer Henry Jennings to the notorious Prohibition exploits of the Ashley Gang, these sandy shores have been a refuge for those looking to trade on the dark side of the law. Legendary tales of Don Pedro Gibert, Spanish Marie and Al Capone all contribute to the lore of a region that is home to buried treasure and family crime empires. Join historians Patrick and Patricia Mesmer on a journey through the Sunshine State's shadowy past.

A history of maps in the Florida Keys.