For the best overview of Florida’s history relating to settlers and cow heritage, the Florida Cow Culture Preservation Committee recommends A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith. This epic story is well-written, historically and culturally accurate, entertaining and easy to read. It has everything: adventure, action, comedy, and more than one love story. We also recommend The Florida Cowman written by Joe Akerman, Jr. and published by the Florida Cattlemen’s Association.
Several publishers, including the Pineapple Press and the University Press of Florida, have an excellent selection of Florida-related books, including Cracker history. Many museums also offer an excellent selection of Florida books.
A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith
The Great Florida Cattle Drive, Unbroken Circles by Nic Stolzfus
Live from the Devil by Wyatt Blassingame
Florida Cow Hunter: The Life and Times of Bone Mizell by Jim Bob Tinsley
Florida’s Frontier: The Way Hit Wuz by Mary Ida Bass Barber Shearhart
Before The Timber Was Cut: The Life and Memoirs of a Florida Cracker by Gilbert Tucker
The Trouble of It Is by David Newell
If Nothin’ Don’t Happen by David Newell
The Barefoot Mailman by Theodore Pratt
Cracker: Cracker Culture in Florida History by Dana M. Ste. Claire
Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship by Deb Bennet
Old Tales and Trails of Florida by Myrtle Hilliard Crow
The End of The Oxcart Trail by Maria Stone
Florida Cowman: A History of Florida Cattle Raising by Joe Akerman, Jr.
Pioneer Daughter by Margaret Garnett Harris
Tellable Cracker Tales by Annette Bruce
More Tellable Cracker Tales by Annette Bruce
Jacob Summerlin: King of the Crackers by Joe Akerman Jr. and J. Mark Akerman
Crackers in The Scrub: Adventures And Stories About Florida’s Cracker Cowboys by Miles H. Plowden
Cracker: Florida’s Enduring Cowboys by Jon Kral and Carl Hiaasen
Tales of Florida Crackers, History, Hunting, and Humor by Ann Taylor
Riders of the Suwannee: A Cracker Western by Lee Gramling
Judge Platt: Tales From a Florida Cattleman by Lester “Judge” Platt; Foreword by Doyle E. Conner
A Bend in the Straight and Narrow: A Woman’s Journey into the Heart of the Florida Frontier by Sarah A. Younger