Here’s Stanley Segal in his auto garage of his Segal Safety Cabs getting in shape in Miami Beach.
This photo is from ‘Miami Beach Memories: A Nostalgic Chronicle of Days Gone By’ by Joann Biondi.
You can get your own copy by clicking here or below.
Here’s a cigar factory in Ybor City known for making a well-known cigar at the time, the Julia Marlowe. The two cars are Westcott cars.
This photo is from ‘Yesterday in Florida Annual Edition: Volume 2, Issues 9-14’.
You can purchase a copy by clicking here or below.
The Sea and the Stars by Robert Wilder
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Robert Wilder stepped a bit too far in his prose involving detailing so much Daytona Beach and Florida history. I LOVE Florida history and volunteer and work hard to keep the memories alive. However, I have to judge this book involving story telling and this one gets stuck in the sand.
The history in this book should be the primary reason for reading the book. The thing of that is that some of the history is incorrect or left out in context. It is a book of fiction, but I feel if he wanted to drape a story over Florida history, he might as well follow a bit more closely instead of bending to the needs to tell the story. Especially a story that was otherwise so lacking.
The story is a problem. You follow a person in his life that has a specific goal in mind. Unfortunately, that is all you follow. As other events happen the book keeps the focus on the obsession of the character. The only deviation are the many pages of memories of Florida’s past. So there are really two obsessions and the book moves back and forth between the two . To someone who doesn’t care about Florida’s history, this book will be terribly boring. A good editor should have pulled Wilder’s chain about the direction of the book.
There was an obvious disconnect with the cover of the book. The hardcover jacket fits, but the paperback is ludicrous after reading the novel. Obviously the cover art was requested by the publisher to sell the book despite the contents.
Seems to me the truth of this story is that the reader is reading Wilder’s life experiences in Daytona Beach growing up. At least, I hope so. That’s what got me through the book. After reading the very unsatisfying ending, it’s the best I can hope I got from the book.
The Sea and the Stars by Robert Wilder
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Robert Wilder stepped a bit too far in his prose involving detailing so much Daytona Beach and Florida history. I LOVE Florida history and volunteer and work hard to keep the memories live. However, I have to judge this book involving story telling and this one gets stuck in the sand.
The history is great and should be the primary reason for reading this book. The thing of that is,is that some of the history is off or missing. It is a book of fiction, but I feel if he wanted to drape a story over Florida history, he might as well follow a bit more closely instead of bending to the needs to tell the story.
The story is a problem. You follow a person in his life that has a specific goal in mind. Unfortunately, that is all you follow. Much else happens and the story drags. Making the reading even harder is the pages of Florida history in between. A good editor should have pulled Wilder’s chain. I’m having trouble imagining someone not interested in Florida history getting through this book.
Seems to me the truth of this story is that the reader is reading Wilder’s life experiences in Daytona Beach growing up. At least, I hope so. That’s what got me through the book. After reading the very unsatisfying ending, it’s the best I can hope I got from the book.
This photo is form a 1960 Florida Department of Agriculture brochure, ‘This is Florida Land of Sunshine’, promoting tourism in the state.
The Commissioner of Agriculture at the time was Lee Thompson, who states in the brochure that Florida produces more citrus than Arizona, Texas and California combines.