I rise today to ---

 

Actually I descend today to sing the praise of the book shop underground.

It is The FLORIDA History Shop.

It is exhaulted for ---

 

For it is bright and light, although dwelling under the earth.

For it is resplendent with alligator, fish, shell & many things of strange Florida, being the shop of the Museum of Florida History.

For the books it offers tell of the achievements mentioned in the guide, "The African-American Heritage Trail. "

Or the books tell of the Legend of the Little People that dwell in the trees, in the book, "Legends of the Seminoles."

 

For the books on the shelves of The History Shop  offers Civil War and Seminole War stories & they tell what the dickens went on here in the Revolutionary War. Was Florida even here then?

For the books on the shelves of The History Shop aswer the trick question: What dinosaurs roamed Florida?

For the books on the shelves of The History Shop have color and verve and words splling out, in the voices of poets.

For Susan S. & her staff,  Chelsea, Paige & Karin & Johan & others are reverent about readers, letting them sit on 

turquoise padded benches to turn pages & become engrossed in the events aboveground of 100 years ago.

For there is a token required to leave the parking garage & The History Shop dispenses this with joy, whether a purchase

is made or not.

For The History Shop is situated between a Florida mastodon  & an ancient Florida canoe. And no other bookshop in the world is situated, thusly.

 And now, having risen to praise The History Shop, www.floridahistoryshop. com, I will climb above ground & walk away with a treasure, for those interested in the curious outline of Florida,  "A History of Florida Through New World Maps," edited by Dana Ste. Claire, with annotations by Peter A. Cowdrey, Jr.

 

- jga 11.6.2009