In 1513; Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first set foot on Floridas east coast. The land he discovered was a geographic anomaly so distinctive that astronaut Neil Armstrong said Florida was the first shape on earth he recognized on his return from a visit to the moon 456 years later. This unique state witnessed momentous events from the 1959 arrival of the first Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro to the 1981 launch of the "Columbia;" the first space shuttle. Join author and historian James C. Clark as he chronicles the history of the Sunshine State in this concise and captivating history.
#167301 in eBooks 2014-07-22 2014-07-22File Name: B00XRP2T68
Review
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. awesomeBy BradBob Grudin is one of my favorite authors. Ive read everything hes published and you should too. A long essay here about how good design-whether it be a chair or foreign policy-can tell the truth and increase quality of life. He threads a lot of different examples in; with a dash of autobiography as usual; and produces another high quality work that gets you thinking and stays with you...the mark of a truly good read.4 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Great writing... where are the picture?By Hugh J. CampbellThis was a first for me and it angered me enough to write a bad review for an otherwise very good book. The author/publisher decided not to or could not get the rights to the images used in the print edition. For a book about design; one that refers to images to make a point; to not include the images is unforgivable. For to not warn buyers of that fact in the ad is even worse.The writing itself is wonderful. Grudins observations are well thought out and his ideas challenge some of the current thoughts about architecture and design. It is well worth the read; just make sure you get the print version.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Designer; heal thyselfBy torontoThis is a well written disappointment. There are good things in it; but it suffers from what I call "banqueting speech syndrome" -- where someone stands up and tells personal anecdotes in aid of a general vague pontification to like-minded colleagues about how they are the centre of the universe; but for some reason the rest of the universe doesnt know it (speeches to the Association of Plumbers; or Meteorologists; or Design Professionals or Dog Walkers; etc). While there are interesting bits -- lists of design principles; some nice remarks on favourite objects (e.g. Wordperfect X3) etc. -- overall; "design" for Grudin is whatever he likes or grew up with. Like a lot of designers; he has deep faith in his own design intuitions: the rest of us are left grasping at straws (and not just any straws; but those special straws that resonate in a shaped way with a true world of farming; blah; blah; blah). There are occasional attempts at structure and order; Rikyu vs. Vasari perhaps?; but they get lost very quickly.It was particularly disappointing to find that this "Pulitizer Prize nominee" doesnt know the difference between "flaunting" and "flouting" (page 15).
