New book on Florida's courthouses gives a glimpse into the state's past.

Historic Florida Courthouses is a new book, by former newspaperman Hampton Dunn, written "to help native Floridians, newcomers, wanna-be Floridians and others interested in the state, to remember our colorful past, and not to forget the struggle to develop a wonderland from the rugged wilds of four centuries ago."

The book is more than 67 pictures of 67 courthouses; it's really a concise rundown of the history of the state's 67 county units going back to the state's territorial days, according to former appellate Judge Robert T. Mann, who also is professor of law emeritus at the University of Florida.

"There's drama, there's happiness and joy, there's sadness and disappointment -- colorful history of forbearers who pioneered a rugged, almost impenetrable wilderness and turned it into a glittering showcase for all the world to see," Mann said in the book's forward.

The author, Dunn, is self-described. Florida cracker who was born in Citrus County, the former managing editor of the Tampa Daily Times and past president of the Florida Historical Society. Dunn also has been a news...