The Key West Reader: The Best of the Key Wests Writers 1830-1990
The Key West Reader is a spectacular collection... So many diverse writers sharing one thing in common, the Island of Key West, where each, in his or her own way, left their mark.It is consistently readable and a constant source of fascination that this tiny island city could be the source of so many fine pieces opf writing...Particularly notable is the rare essay "Who Killed the Vets," Ernest Hemingway's first-hand account of the 1935 hurricane (still the strongest in recorded history) which washed out Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad and killed thousands.  --Island LifeWe have here a significant achievement... a moving tribute to the power of language and to a rare place in the geography of the American Consciousness - a very special confluence of geography, climate, and culture coalesced into language working at its hioghest levels.  --Les Standiford, Florida International University