<DIV>From the lavish parties, the yachts, and the innovative architecture to the sultry summer days, the mosquito bites, and the hurricanes, Muriel Murrell captures in a series of charming vignettes the early days of Miami. Her remembrances are populated with a fascinating mix of eccentric millionaires, artists, shysters, heiresses, and mobsters, some of whose names are recognizable today, and others whose names have disappeared into history along with the gracious winter homes once lining Brickell Avenue. Part memoir, part history, "Miami, A Backward Glance reminds us how the Magic City rose from the swamp, developing from a pioneer town to a luxury resort to an important crossroads of the Western Hemisphere.</div>