Florida

Florida history trumps the simple narrative of a beach read. St. Augustine’s story doesn’t begin with sixteenth-century Spaniards and Miami history didn’t begin unfolding with Henry Flagler and his railroad. Natives began arriving in the Sunshine State during the last ice age, millennia before snowbirds began migrating down to Mount Dora. From the legend of Hogzilla to the first slice of key lime pie, from Pensacola down to Key West, our catalogue of Florida history books teems with fascinating tales and innovative characters who saw swamp and envisioned paradise. [View all Florida books]
4 products
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base
$24.99
Cover image for Naval Air Station Jacksonville, isbn: 9781467111058
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Cover image for The Blue Angels, isbn: 9781467117470
The Blue Angels
$24.99
St. Petersburg's Maritime Service Training Station
St. Petersburg's Maritime Service Training Station
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

MacDill Air Force Base

9780738587752

$24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%

MacDill Air Force Base--through global war, regional conflicts, and counterinsurgencies--has repeatedly answered the clarion call to arms and proven itself to be an unrivaled military juggernaut within America's strategic arsenal.

MacDill Air Force Base was first recognized as a suitable location for an airfield by US Army aviators flying mock warfare maneuvers over Tampa in May 1938. Satisfying the US War Department's geographical requirements for providing air defense of America's southern Atlantic coast and supporting air operations over the Caribbean, the site was approved in July 1939 to become the location for the Army Air Force-planned Southeast Air Base. It was later renamed MacDill Field in honor of Army Air Force aviator and pioneer Col. Leslie MacDill. The base was formally dedicated on April 16, 1941, and B-17 Flying Fortress and B-26 Marauder combat crewmen began training in the business of making war. From bomber and tactical fighter wings to combatant commands and aerial refueling squadrons,

MacDill Air Force Base

Naval Air Station Jacksonville

9781467111058

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Naval Air Station Jacksonville was commissioned on October 15, 1940, and has trained tens of thousands of naval aviators throughout its long history.

Located along the banks of the St. Johns River, the site and the weather conditions make the base a premier aviation facility. Initially conducting primary and seaplane training, it expanded to training pilots in almost every type of aircraft the Navy has flown. The Navy's elite precision aviators, the Blue Angels, were formed at the base in 1946. Today, as a master anti submarine base, it remains home to 15 aviation squadrons; some 115 tenant commands and almost 20,000 military, civilian, and contract employees work at the station daily.

Cover image for Naval Air Station Jacksonville, isbn: 9781467111058

The Blue Angels

9781467117470

$24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%

Join author Evelyn L. Wheeler as she recounts the origins and  history of the Navy's Flight Demonstration Team: The Blue Angels.

Every year, more than 11 million people attend air shows that feature the Blue Angels, who call Pensacola, Florida, their home. The Navy's Flight Demonstration Team, with its six gleaming blue-and-gold F/A-18 Hornets, never fails to thrill the crowds. Flying from heights of over 15,000 feet and dropping as low as 50 feet, the shows are nonstop, high-energy, heart-stopping excitement. The Blue Angels were established in 1946 by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach. The Blue Angels pilots and flight crew visit 50,000 people a year in schools, hospitals, and other community events, in addition to performing for those who attend their air shows.

Cover image for The Blue Angels, isbn: 9781467117470

St. Petersburg's Maritime Service Training Station

9780738542508

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
During World War II, the U.S. Merchant Marines suffered the highest percentage of casualties, although it was the second smallest service. The young maritime servicemen knew these realities because they were trained to survive an enemy attack and keep their ships moving regardless of the cargo. For 25,000 merchant seamen, the journey began in St. Petersburg, Florida, selected as a training site for its comfortable climate and strong relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Maritime Training Station was an economic shot in the arm that saved St. Petersburg from the
extended hardships of the Great Depression's later years. Local merchants such as Bell Bakeries, the Swift and Company, and the Frazier Brothers routinely delivered bread, vegetables, and fruits to the station; as World War
II reached a fever pitch, local hotels, such as the Vinoy and the Soreno, served as boarding houses for the maritime service.
St. Petersburg's Maritime Service Training Station