{"product_id":"wicked-st-augustine-9781467145374","title":"Wicked St. Augustine","description":"\u003ch2\u003eWicked St. Augustine: The Hidden History of Vice in America's Oldest City\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\nWhen Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine in 1565, his New World survival kit included gambling, liquor and ladies for hire. For the next four hundred years, these three industries were vital in keeping the city financially afloat. With the cooperation of law enforcement and politicians, St. Augustine's madams, bootleggers and high-rollers created a veritable Riviera where tourists, especially the wealthy, could indulge in almost every vice and still bring the family along for a wholesome vacation picking oranges and gawking at alligators.\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDiscover St. Augustine's Underground Economy\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\nThis meticulously researched historical account takes you beyond the standard tourist attractions to reveal the establishments that kept St. Augustine's economy thriving for centuries. From Colonial-era gambling dens to Prohibition speakeasies, from high-society bordellos to the occasional opium den, this book documents the city's complex relationship with vice industries.\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat's Inside\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\nHistorian Ann Colby guides readers through locations hidden in plain sight, revealing how St. Augustine balanced its reputation as a family-friendly destination with its role as a playground for wealthy tourists seeking entertainment beyond the alligator farms and orange groves. The book examines the intricate networks between madams, bootleggers, casino operators, law enforcement, and politicians that allowed these industries to flourish openly for generations.\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePerfect for History Enthusiasts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\nThis paperback edition appeals to readers interested in Florida's untold stories, American vice history, true crime, and the social dynamics of tourism in the American South. The book provides documented evidence of how St. Augustine's underground economy operated alongside its wholesome public image from the Spanish colonial period through the mid-20th century.\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eColby, Ann:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Ann Colby has been a Florida resident since 1960. She grew up in Orlando, attended the University of Florida, received her bachelor's degree in religion in 1973 and graduated from the University of Florida Law School in 1976. After serving as a local government counsel for forty-two years in the Central Florida area, she retired in 2016 with her husband, Bill MacLeod, to St. Augustine, a city she visited many times over the course of her life in Florida. She now spends her time doing historical research on arcane topics, working for Central Florida Pug Rescue, acting as a tour guide for the many northern friends and relatives who visit her and otherwise doing exactly as she pleases.","brand":"History Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493595910418,"sku":"9781467145374","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_86a443ac-8fcf-483b-af9c-6b183b36f94a.jpg?v=1730653433","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/wicked-st-augustine-9781467145374","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}