Perfect for anyone who loves to look at charming old houses and imagine their histories, this book offers a selection of what are probably the most historically interesting, aesthetically appealing, and photogenic of the nineteenth-century houses in the Key West historic district. It includes full color photos, as well as a variety of charming anecdotes about old Key West gleaned from interviews with descendants of the families who built houses there.

Key West was an industrial town and many of its houses were for workers who had little to spend on housing. The shotgun houses are simple,...