Books

The Crystal Ball Chronicles: Lena Clarke’s Twisted Tale of Love, Deception, and Crime
Ginger L. Pedersen, Janet M. Naughton

Ambitious young reporter Kate Brennan thought she had found a tranquil paradise. Instead, a fateful meeting with Lena Clarke, the spinster postmistress of West Palm Beach, Florida, entangles Kate in Lena’s mysterious and delusional life. Clarke’s obsession with snakes, foreign spies, and the supernatural led to one of 1921’s most bizarre crime sprees.

This true crime story recounts Lena Clarke’s downfall following the tragic death of her most trusted confidant. As officials closed in on Clarke’s scheme, she fled and hid out in a hotel room where she unleashed a night of terror.

In the spirit of In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, this haunting tale from Florida Authors and Publishers Association and Historical Society of Palm Beach County award-winning authors G.L. Pedersen and J.M. Naughton will appeal to true crime and mystery novel fans of all ages.

Pandemic in Paradise: Florida Stories from the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic
Ginger L. Pedersen, Janet M. Naughton, and Louise Aurelien

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic has affected the whole planet. Florida’s story of living in the pandemic is told by its people, young and old alike, through essays, stories, photographs, art pieces and poetry. These items came from everyday people living and vacationing in Florida, with over 60 contributors. This book illuminates Floridians’ perspectives on this historic event.

The Blessed Isle and its Happy Families By Byrd Spilman Dewey

Byrd Spilman Dewey, Florida’s Pioneer author, captured the adventures of the Blessed Isle cat and dog families in her whimsical 1907 book The Blessed Isle and its Happy Families. The many memorable cats and dogs at Ben Trovato, the Dewey’s lakeside estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, have their tales told by their muse and resident caretaker. The dogs Foozle and Van, along with Catsie, Roi, Deedie, and all the Blessed Isle cats, adventure in the sometimes dangerous wilds that once covered old West Palm Beach. Upon the thickets of sand pine, oak, and palms, the Dewey pets enjoyed their personal paradise with Byrd and Fred Dewey.

Overdue in Paradise: The Library History of Palm Beach County By Janet DeVries Naughton, Graham Brunk, Ginger L. Pedersen, Shellie A. Labell, and Rosa Sophia 

For more than a century, Palm Beach County’s libraries have nurtured and shaped Florida’s unique history. From early residents’ efforts to bring literacy and a love of reading to the vast tropical wilderness of the nineteenth century, to modern-day book festivals celebrating the written word, Overdue in Paradise honors Palm Beach County’s individuals, social institutions, and municipal governments that created a culture of literacy in one of Florida’s largest and most prominent regions. Palm Beach County’s vast collections of books, media, and reference materials are both a cause and result of its cultural diversity, and have left an enduring legacy on residents and visitors alike. Overdue in Paradise: The Library History of Palm Beach County recounts the beginnings of many of South Florida’s earliest libraries.

From Pine Woods to Palm Groves by Byrd Spilman Dewey 

From Pine Woods to Palm Groves is a delightful tale of pioneer life in Palm Beach County. Byrd Spilman Dewey, Florida’s Pioneer Author, tells of her life in 19 century Palm Beach, before Henry Flagler built his resorts and made Palm Beach the playground of the rich and famous. The book tells of the Dewey’s first pioneer homestead, nestled in the sand pine woods. She describes her encounters with the Seminole Indians and surviving in the unforgiving South Florida climate. Their grand estate Ben Trovato, nestled in a palm grove, is then revealed, a stunning Victorian cottage on the shores of Lake Worth. Be enchanted by a long lost time in a wild and new paradise called Palm Beach. Also includes the bonus story The Tale of Satan.

Legendary Locals of West Palm Beach by Janet M. DeVries Naughton and Ginger L. Pedersen

From West Palm Beachs beginnings as service town to Palm Beach, Standard Oil tycoon Henry Morrison Flaglers resort village, the city has evolved into a trendy art, cultural, and shopping mecca. Palm Beach Countys largest city serves as county seat and center of business, government, and commerce. Taming Americas last frontier saw the industriousness of pioneers and settlers such as Marion Gruber, the Potter brothers, George Lainhart, and Max Greenberg guide the Cottage City of yesteryear to todays gleaming metropolis. Meet many of West Palm Beachs pioneers, civic leaders, educators, business leaders, and entrepreneurs. Learn about the heroes, celebrities, philanthropists, and even the villains who have contributed to the mosaic of West Palm Beach.

Bruno by Byrd Spilman Dewey

This classic tale of a beloved dog takes place in Florida’s early days. Join Bruno on his adventures as he explores the wilds of South Florida with his human friends, Judith and Julius. Bruno will win your heart as he has with countless others for more than a century. This illustrated edition of Bruno has been authorized by the estate of Byrd Spilman Dewey and has been completely re-typeset and contains the bonus postscript story to Bruno, “Rebecca” not found in any other edition of Bruno.

The Collected Works of Byrd Spilman Dewey

Compiled for the first time, Florida pioneer author Byrd Spilman Dewey’s books, short stories, magazine articles, newspaper articles and essays bring back a forgotten South Florida paradise of more than a century ago. This volume includes her national best-seller Bruno, and books From Pine Woods to Palm Groves and The Blessed Isle and its Happy Families, along with her shorter pieces of fiction and nonfiction. Read the enchanting tales of the Dewey’s life in their beloved South Florida and the Lake Worth Country with their menagerie of cats and dogs that graced their Florida homesteads.

Pioneering Palm Beach: The Deweys and the South Florida Frontier by Ginger L. Pedersen and Janet M. DeVries Naughton

Palm Beach’s sunny and idyllic shores had humble beginnings as a wilderness of sawgrass and swamps only braved by the hardiest of souls. Two such adventurers were Fred and Byrd Spilman Dewey, who pioneered in central Florida before discovering the tropical beauty of Palm Beach in 1887. Though their story was all but lost, this dynamic couple was vital in transforming the region from a rough backcountry into a paradise poised for progress. Authors Ginger Pedersen and Janet DeVries trace the remarkable history of the Deweys in South Florida from their beginnings on the isolated frontier to entertaining the likes of the Flaglers, Vanderbilts, Phippses, Cluetts, Clarkes and other Palm Beach elite. Using Birdie’s autobiographical writings from her best-selling books to fill in the gaps, Pedersen and DeVries narrate a chapter in Florida’s history that has remained untold until now.