The Fleet Society’s first publication, “Treasures of a Lost Fleet” was officially released for sale on March 16, 2017 at the 2nd International Conference on the 1715 Fleet recently held in St. Augustine, Florida. The publication was limited to 100 copies, all numbered, with the first 25 signed by the authors. By mid-April, the entire stock was sold out. The book was well received and many nice comments were sent to us on the website.
Fleet Society member Rick Beleson (San Francisco, California) purchased a number of these books for the purpose of donating copies to various non-profits such as libraries and Historical Societies. While at the Conference Rick presented a signed copy to Jessica Stika, from the BAR (Bureau of Archaeological Research), who was one of our presenters on Day 2 of the Conference. She is the Director of the State’s Conservation Lab in Tallahassee.
That evening, after the Conference, a reception was held at the St. Augustine Historical Society, our partner in the Conference. There, Rick presented a book to Dr. Susan Parker, former Director of the Historical Society.
At Rick’s request, I personally presented on his behalf, books to the Indian River Main Library in Vero Beach, the North Indian River County Library in Sebastian, the St. Lucie County Library in Fort Pierce and The Center for Historical Archaeology in Melbourne. Thank you, Rick, for your generosity in this regard.
Due to the success of our first publication, another book is being considered. As is our practice, the topic is a secret. But we believe that it will be every bit as good as our first book. I would like to thank everyone who made our first venture into the print market a success, especially my co-Directors, Ernie Richards and Phil Flemming.
Incidentally, if you missed out on getting a book, you can still purchase one from Fleet Society member Steve Hodges. Steve had the foresight to buy a number of these books to sell to his customers at the West Bay Trading Company in Vero Beach. He is selling them for $65.00 plus shipping. He can be reached at 772.532.5113.
Submitted by Ben Costello, Director
