{"product_id":"key-west-on-the-edge-inventing-the-conch-republic-9780813068961","title":"Key West on the Edge: Inventing the Conch Republic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow the unique island city came to be a major tourist destination\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlorida Historical Society Charlton Tebeau Book Award \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKey West lies at the southernmost point of the continental United States, \u003cbr\u003eninety miles from Cuba, at Mile Marker 0 on famed U.S. Highway 1. Famous for\u003cbr\u003esix-toed cats in the Hemingway House, Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's, Jimmy\u003cbr\u003eBuffett songs, body paint parade \"costumes,\" and a brief secession\u003cbr\u003efrom the Union after which the Conch Republic asked for $1 billion in foreign\u003cbr\u003eaid, Key West also lies at the metaphorical edge of our sensibilities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow\u003cbr\u003ethis unlikely city came to be a tourist mecca is the subject of Robert\u003cbr\u003eKerstein's intrepid new history. Sited on an island only four miles long and\u003cbr\u003etwo miles wide, Key West has been fishing village, salvage yard, U.S. Navy\u003cbr\u003ebase, cigar factory, hippie haven, gay enclave, cruise ship port-of-call, and\u003cbr\u003emore. Duval Street, which stretches the length of one of the most unusual\u003cbr\u003ecities in America, is today lined with brand-name shops that can be found in\u003cbr\u003eany major shopping mall in America.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeaving\u003cbr\u003eno stone unturned, Kerstein reveals how Key West has changed dramatically over\u003cbr\u003ethe years while holding on to the uniqueness that continues to attract tourists\u003cbr\u003eand new residents to the island.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Kerstein\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of government at the University of Tampa and the author of \u003ci\u003ePolitics and Growth in Twentieth-Century Tampa.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University Press of Florida","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50497378025746,"sku":"9780813068961","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f4693e91-57b1-4b06-a45a-a41ba85eaf5d.jpg?v=1730712425","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/key-west-on-the-edge-inventing-the-conch-republic-9780813068961","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}