The Florida Keys: A History & Guide is a smart， stylish handbook to one of the most unique locales in America. The Florida Keys--an unlikely sprinkling of coral and limestone islands that curve southwest from the tip of Florida--have always been engagingly different. Here， author Joy Williams， whose novels and short stories have won wide literary acclaim， shares with us all of the region s idiosyncrasies and delights.From the diving and fishing meccas of Key Largo and Marathon to the funkiness and sophistication of Key West to the remote outpost of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas， The Florida Keys serves the traveler as a witty and informative companion. Sensitive to and knowledgeable about the natural beauties of the Keys， Williams covers the exquisite underwater world of North America s only living reef and the eerie and delicate serenity of the "backcountry" of Florida Bay. The Florida Keys also provides fresh， up-to-date advice on the practicalities of where to stay， eat， and wander. Here is the quirkiest， most candid， and most literate guide to the Keys.