Back before the dude with the beard and the limited wardrobe took over, Havana was known as "the Paris of the Caribbean." At its zenith, during Prohibition, when bars strategically located near the piers would send out floating welcome wagons to meet steamships like the S.S. Florida. Peter Moruzzi's fascinating new book, Havana Before Castro, explores the city's halcyon days through vintage photos and memorabilia (among them: a Bacardi Rum ad featuring the company's signature bat airlifting a sozzled Uncle Sam to Cuba for a badly needed refill). It's more evidence that everything was better before you were born—if you're under 70, you'll need the book to know what we're missing.
$19.80, available at amazon.com