Lost in Wonderland - Paperback

by Augustus Mayhew (Author)

Lost in Wonderland's collection of essays explores the myths, social climate and architectural tableaux that make Palm Beach like no other place in the world. The island's uncommon mélange of English gardens, Tuscan loggias, Venetian staircases, Spanish patios, Bermuda roofs, and Georgian doorways, makes for an incomparable mirage-like grandeur attractive to both Old Money and the latest Kings of Wall Street. Author and lecturer Augustus Mayhew, one of Palm Beach's most popular columnists, offers twenty-one informative and insightful essays, previously published in the Palm Beach Daily News and the New York Social Diary, combined with more than two hundred historical and contemporary photographs, which chronicle the places and personalities that make Palm Beach a quirky blend of fantasy and reality. He presents a unique perspective on the shifting ground between Palm Beach's past as a seasonal resort destination, to its present status as an exclusive residential enclave with a social prism focused on mansions, condominiums and charity balls.

Author Biography

Augustus Mayhew was born in Camaguey, Cuba, where his grandfather was among the post-Spanish American War pioneers from New England. They settled La Gloria, the first American colony in Cuba. He grew up in Delray Beach and received a bachelor's degree in English Literature and History from Florida State University, having also studied at the International Study Center in Florence, Italy. Along with appointments to local, regional and state historic preservation organizations, he served as archivist and chairman of archives and collections for the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. He considers himself as much a cultural explorer as a social historian and historic preservationist. His essays and photographs appear regularly in the Palm Beach Daily News and the New York Social Diary.