<DIV>Although you won't find it on any map, the tropical island has its origins somewhere and everywhere. Sung into existence by Jimmy Buffett and popularized on the radio, Margaritaville is both mythical and real--a place where human curiosity, passion, and humor delicately intertwine.<br> <i>Tales from Margaritaville</i> brings an extraordinary gifted southern writer to the world of fiction. The imaginary island of Snake Bite Key, the wonderfully colorful inhabitants of Heat Wave, Alabama, the Wyoming cowboy who takes his horse on a journey across the US to the sea, and the other gypsy souls and restless dreamers who set off to find their own elusive islands are all part of the magic of Margaritaville. Six of the short stories in this book have been recorded in Jimmy Buffett's 1989 MCA album, "Off to See the Lizard," and these songs and stories, bearing identical titles, were written simultaneously and are intimately connected.<br> Many of the details in this book are drawn from personal experience: A young Jimmy Buffett meets up with his fictional pop hero, Freddy Fishstick, and their talk as they drive down the Florida Penninsula is an inside look at the absurdities of concerts, touring, recording, and life on the road. A third generation sailor, Jimmy Buffett has traveled throughout the world, and his four autobiographical stories, "Son of a Son of a Sailor," carry reader along on adventures through the Yucatan, St. Barts, Martha's Vineyard, Key West, and Cuba. His trip to meet Gregorio Fuentes, the model for the old man in Hemingway's <i>The Old Man and the Sea</i>, is especially dramatic and touching.<br> Jimmy Buffett has the rare ability to create powerful, memorable stories of hilarity, wit, and substance.<br></div>