Books by Books & Books
A Collector’s Edition of the Florida Classic
“When they ask us flats guides what books about Florida we recommend, we tell them A Land Remembered, by Patrick Smith, and Last Train to Paradise, by Les Standiford.” --Capt. Sid Bryant, Bud & Mary’s Marina
“A flawless marriage of scholarship, historical commentary, and art.” St. Petersburg Times
“A gorgeous, meticulously designed edition.” Connie Ogle, Miami Herald.
“A terrific story…truly irresistible.” Chicago Tribune
Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
An oversized, limited commemorative edition of acclaimed South Florida author Les Standiford’s gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West extension of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway, originally published in 2002 and now in its 20th printing.
This edition, commemorating the completion of the Over-Sea Railroad, January 22, 1912, includes a linen cloth cover, special heavy stock, silver foil stamping, a double gatefold, a hand-tipped map, and 150 new and vintage photographs and illustrations. Curators and historians at the Library of Congress, the Monroe County Library in Key West, and at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach assisted Creative Director Petra Mason with image sourcing, as did staff at The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York. Many of the images in this edition have never been published before.
Available hand-signed by the author.
Les Standiford is the bestselling author of twenty books and novels, including the John Deal mystery series, and the works of narrative history The Man Who Invented Christmas, a New York Times Editor's Choice, and the New York Times Best Seller, Bringing Adam Home. He is the director of the creative writing program at Florida International University in Miami, where he lives with his wife, Kimberly, a psychotherapist and artist.
Below is a sampling of the photographs in the book.
