I Chased Her For Three Years Until She Caught Me—Part IV

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By Seth H. Bramson

As noted in the previous column, “Speedway to Sunshine: The Story of the Florida East Coast Railway” was published by Boston Mills Press in Canada, in 1984 and the 3000 hard cover copies sold out by August of 1985, that with no FEC Railway Society or internet. I had offered the book first to a no-longer in business company located in Washington State called “Pacific Fast Mail,” which was well known at the time for publishing mostly western railroad histories, all hard cover and very well done, and I was turned down quite nicely and apologetically by one of the principals who told me that he didn’t believe there was enough interest in the FEC to warrant them publishing it, and what a lucky break that was for me!

While I can’t remember Mike’s last name at this juncture, he did tell me, years later, that he and the company regretted that decision and as soon as the book was published knew that they had made a major mistake. They did and they had, but because we were still pre-computer my next book—the Revised and Enlarged Edition of “Speedway to Sunshine,” also hard cover with 4000 copies was not published until 2002, eighteen years later.

Before we talk (write) about my twelve years of teaching full time at St. Thomas University, it is important to note that in the interim years between the books I was, of course, maniacally and hysterically and fanatically continuing the collecting of FEC Railway and Floridiana, as I am, happily to report, still doing.

In October of 2002, when Boston Mills Press announced that the aforementioned revised and enlarged edition of “Speedway to Sunshine” was to come out in December of that year, that book—now note the disclaimer words—was the single best-selling railroad history book on the internet, copies going on eBay for—are you ready?!!–$380- a copy! When the new book came out in December, almost a month had gone by and I had not yet received my ten complimentary author’s copies, so I called John (again, JUNIOR moment, can’t remember his last name!) at Boston Mills to ask where my books where?

Strangely, he started to stammer and stutter and I said, “John, what is going on? What is the problem?” And he said, “Seth, I have something to tell you.” At that point, I was somewhat perplexed so I pressed him: “what is the problem?” I asked again. To which he shocked me happily by telling me that “Something happened that has never happened before in the history of railroad history book publishing.” By then, of course, I was really wondering what was going on, so I pressed him with, “C’mon, John, please tell me, why haven’t I gotten my books? What happened?” Thanks to John’s reply, I became a very happy camper!

“Seth,” he began, “I am really actually happy to tell you why we didn’t send your books.” “OK, OK,” I responded, please tell me already!” He did and the answer was incredible. “The book—all 4,000 copies—sold out in thirteen days! We’re printing 4,000 more.”
I did get my books and am delighted to share with you all that “Speedway to Sunshine….” with 11000 copies sold prior to the soft-cover edition being published five years ago, is now the—disclaimer words!—single best-selling regional railroad history ever published in America.
In 1984, as previously mentioned in an earlier column, I began teaching at St. Thomas University, and was there for twelve years, being downsized after a new president came in who proceeded to do a great deal of damage to the school. Thanks to him we lost the Dolphins, we lost the Orioles, and we lost the “Miami Nice” for-hire driver training program, which went over to Barry University in ’92.

I stayed at St. Thomas, continuing to teach regular undergraduate courses while teaching in the “Miami Nice” program at Barry (I have now been at that great school in some teaching capacity—“Miami Nice,” adult and continuing ed, graduate and undergraduate, since that time), working on my second master’s degree, an MS in hospitality management which I completed at F I U in ’92, finishing up at St. Thomas during the summer of 1996 and going to work at that horror show, that hell hole, that poster child for faculty unions, Johnson and Wales, for five years beginning in ’96 while continuing to teach at Barry.

That’s it for now, but next time, dear readers, we will discuss the FEC Railway/Miami Centennial in 1996 and the third book, “The Plant System of Railroads, Steamships and Hotels,” co-authored with my good friend, Professor Gregg Turner, which is now going for “big money” on ebay, along with the fact that almost immediately thereafter, as I like to say, “I had a late in life burst of creativity.”

Be good to each other and be kind. And even though I have met a terrific fellow by the name of Jeff Davies, who runs the various Historic Florida X and other lists as well as Fred Adler, who manages the NMB history list, I haven’t met several other wonderful list managers yet, including Lyn Augustine Chilton, Jack Catalano, JD Supe, Rich Kleylein, Brad Berkwitt, who runs this and several other great lists, and who, like the other folks named along with my beloved brother Bennett and I and several more who do a great job with their lists, feel and believe very strongly that UNlike a very few other lists run by people who not only encourage hatefulness, bullying and flaming, we and those mentioned simply won’t permit that kind of behavior, along with not allowing religion, politics or advertising, and those and this list are the ones you should be on and enjoy.

I know you will. “See you” in a few days.

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