Author Description

From the rear cover of this 214 page book: "Like Fire Island itself, this book is a treasure. It will be read in an afternoon (preferably on the beach or on your veranda) and remembered through a lifetime of joyous summers. If America is a melting pot, then Fire Island is a fragrant potpourri and spicy stew of conflicting value systems. Throughout its loud and raucous history, this 32 mile ribbon of sand, sky, sun, and wind, just two hours from Broadway, has survived pirates, slave-traders, do-gooders, world wars, ghosts, tidal waves, the Depression, Prohibition, hurricanes, shipwrecks, groupers, Robert Moses - and every effort known to man to make it ordinary. The whole story is here including a fascinating rundown on the character and characters of its eighteen communities; the tall tales and historical facts of its origins and growth from the coming of the white man to this afternoon's ferry; a word-picture summary of its incomparable geography which embraces stage-set towns and unspoiled wilderness; the rich and rowdy story that explains why generations of devotees come back year after year to revel in a way of life that is salubrious - depending on your point of view or where you land on the beach." Filled with dozens of photos and illustrations along with descriptive text, this book is indeed a treasure.