local history

i'm looking for good florida history books- especially those pertaining to native populations, explorers and settlers, the founding of urban centers, and latin american populations. any suggestions?

Yes....

Tales of Old Florida.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1555212255/ref=nosim/librarythin08-20

Terry

Also try this..../

http://www.librarything.com/tag/Florida+History

Places to start:

I recently read these two. They have some of what you want, and they are good jumping off points

Florida : A Short History by Michael Gannon (2003) -- Not many references unfortunately. But, it's short and provides a quick outline

The swamp : the Everglades, Florida, and the politics of paradise by Michael Grunwald (2006) -- Zillions of references. Also has moderately detailed shorts on what is known of the native populations, and the original western explorers. Lots on the Seminoles, settlers and Urban centers. Not much on Latin Americans.

Haven't read this, but it sounds like the right topic.
Indians of Central and South Florida, 1513-1763 by John H. Hann (2003)

Thanks very much for the suggestions!!!

The River of the Golden Iris by Gloris Jahoda gives decent coverage to the history of Tampa Bay from the Calusa settlements forward. The Everglades by David McCally covers South Florida geology and geography and its effect on human settlements and vice versa.

I am looking for a good reference book on Florida's wild edible plants.

Start with Handbook of Florida Edible Wild Plants and Those That Are Poisonous by A.M. Michalowski. There's also Florida's Incredible Wild Edibles by Richard J. Deuerling

thanks for the geology tip, it's definitely something i'm interested in!

Historic Plantations of Northeast Florida: A Pictorial Encyclopedia has some good stories about early settlers but for Native American ino I would be tribe specific. The Timucua and Apalachhee tribes have the most written about them. Browse the Florida sections of local libraries for what looks the most interesting. Spanish Pathways in Florida may
help. Florida has a longer history than the US so, I suggest researching by time period or use a book like the one written by Gannon. Florida, The Long Frontier may be a more enjoyable read.

Last year I picked up a facsimile edition of Bernard Romans' 1775 A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida. A book by no means politically correct, but interesting in its broad scope and dated opinions.

I'd recommend The Immigrant World of Ybor City: Italians and Their Latin Neighbors in Tampa, 1885-1985 by Gary Mormino and Come to My Sunland: Letters of Julia Daniels Moseley from the Florida Frontier, 1882-1886 by Julia W. Moseley.

Was just given two that may be of interest to you:

Cracker: The Cracker Culture in Florida History by Dana Ste. Claire

When Steamboats Reigned in Florida by Bob Bass

Palmetto Country by Stetson Kennedy

The St.Johns A Parade Of Diversities By James Branch Cabell And A.J. Hanna

Two books often very overlooked....

#14 - Interesting sounding pair of books. The St. Johns : A Parade Of Diversities appears to be out of print. But Palmetto Country was reprinted in 2009 by the Florida Historical Society Press.

Totch Peter Matthiessen provided the forward and I suspect the editor to make this an interesting book. The authors older brother was a friend of Lucious Watson. Good source for illegal operations in the Everglades like drug running and moonshining. The Depression sent the family back to a Pioneer way of life even though it was written in a time period after what I consider Pioneer

Ghost towns of Florida by James R. Warnke focuses on a handful of towns. He put in a note about Indians killing Huguenots at Indian Key, but it was the Catholics doing the killing and the place called Matanzas is much further north. I would double check any facts from this book, but it did have a couple of interesting items.