Texas Books

My Dad traded Horses and Ben green is the real deal and is a superb storyteller.All of Ben Green's 5 books are excellent reading. Enjoy stories of a time and place that is woefully gone.

I loved the book. Ben Green gives a wonderful peek into an era gone by. He uses the lingo of the day and the stories are wonderful to anyone interested in horses and days when there were more horses than cars.

This is such a fun book to read that it is hard to put down. The reader learns so many "tricks" of horse trading through Ben Greens stories. It is so enjoyable you will want to buy his other books also.

This was an excellent book. I greatly enjoyed each and every adventure that Ben K. Green takes you through in the book. In a time where everything is done the easy way it is great to be able to look back and see how things realy used to be done. Through this book you are able to get a very clear picture of the old west. I loved reading about all the different ways the horse traders thought of to skam each other and somehow they both thought they were getting a good deal. I thought this book was great and was not able to put it down once I picked it up. I can't wait to read more by Ben K. Green.

This book had me gripped from the first paragraph. It is very interesting and well written. I am very interested in the paranormal and this book is a wonderful find for me. I highly recommend this book to everyone. You will find it very hard to put the book down once you start reading.

SPIRITS OF TEXAS AND NEW ENGLAND reads like good conversation! De Los Santos enters the realm of the paranormal with an absorbing collection of real-life stories that make readers feel as if they are sitting listening to an exceptional storyteller. The stories retold by De Los Santos are engaging and full of truthful twists of human nature and show that when in the face of the paranormal, we often become quivering masses of uncertainty. In addition, these stories demonstrate that regardless of time, gender and geography or the circumstances of contact with the supernatural, people's experiences of being human are very much alike. The family members provide some of the liveliest and most vivid stories and De Los Santos includes helpful explanations of paranormal activity. He's a writer with insight and scope.

I recommend Spirits of Texas and New England for several reasons. First off, De Los Santos documents the supernatural experiences of himself, his family, students, and friends. The personal experiences make for a compellingly intimate read that is assured to offer the reader paranormal cases that he or she has not heard. Secondly, unlike other books that I've read on the subject, this work offers explanations on recurrent supernatural themes. Take for example De Los Santos' hypothesis that adolescents encounter ghosts more frequently than adults because their emerging sexuality lowers their defense to other entities and also endows them with an increased awareness of a spirit's presence.

To sum up, what I love most Spirits of Texas and New England is that it's simultaneously elucidating and relatable. It contains everything from everyday ghosts, to inner voices, psychic knowledge, phantom phone calls, astral projection, extraterrestrials, and possession. This is a varied and wonderful book. Highly recommended!!

This book was receommended to me by a friend and I am glad that I gave it a shot. The stories here are realistic even though they are quite strange and about a mysterious world that many of us never give a second thought about. I thought the story about his grandmother calling on the phone was creepy but very heartwarming too. But there are pages after pages of similar events retold by his friends and family. I never thought there were ghosts in Texas because you never hear about them that much. New England is always full of weird stuff, but I was surprised how much happens in Texas too. Well written.

Gregg Cantrell has tackled a sacred cow and come out unscathed. His new book, Stephen F. Austin, Empresario of Texas is a meticulously researched and carefully written profile of a man we only thought we knew.

Our knowledge of Stephen Fuller Austin, is gleaned largely from the work of Eugene C. Barker. His 1925 tome, Life of Stephen F. Austin, painted this renowned figure as "The Father of Texas"...and rightly so. However, the Austin we see in Barker's work is a flat two-dimensional character lacking much of the humanity needed to explain the heroism behind the hero.

Though technically accurate, Barker provided little to help us understand the motivations behind Austin the man or of the dynamic forces that led to the making of a republic.

In Stephen F. Austin, Empresario of Texas. Gregg Cantrell brings to life the real Stephen F. Austin with all of his strengths and foibles. We learn in some depth how Austin was destined for greatness, a direct product of his father's influence. His father, Moses Austin, at one point was quite wealthy and wielded a powerful hand in creating his son in his own image. He wanted him to be a gentleman living in the world of high finance. Who Stephen F. Austin was and the way he thought all bear the mark of Moses Austin's influence.

When the younger Austin grew into manhood, his father put him in charge of various business ventures within the Austin empire. Stephen's training paid off as he showed himself to be adroit at business. Unfortunately, an economic depression and several bad business dealings (mostly initiated by the elder Austin), left the family buried in overwhelming debt.

By 1820, Moses Austin saw a possible way to get his head above financial water. He became the first Anglo to get permission to colonize Spanish Texas. Unfortunately, he died before realizing his goal. His deathbed request was that Stephen bring the colony to fruition. Under a sense of instilled familial loyalty very characteristic of the young Austin, he reluctantly abandoned his own course to obey his father's wishes.

When Mexican independence became a reality, Stephen F. Austin skillfully navigated through the waters of the diplomatic intricacies to which he had been thrust. He began to see that building his colony was a way to repay the enormous debts the family had accumulated and to restore a measure of honor to his father's name. He would make his fortune through land. He threw himself wholeheartedly into the work of colonizing Texas and it soon became clear that it was not just another business venture but a mission. This mission would eventually be to create an independent Texas by any means.

Austin earned the title "Father of Texas" by overseeing every aspect of the colony and the lives of those under his care. He became a fierce advocate for the rights of his colonists and worked tirelessly for many years (many times to his own detriment) to ensure the success of the colony.

His was not an easy task. The central government in Mexico was in a constant state of turmoil. Cantrell shows us that one of Austin's biggest strengths was his ability to forge alliances with the powers at the heart of Mexico and the Tejano elite of Texas. Men like Don Erasmo Seguín and Lorenzo de Zavala had the deepest respect for Stephen F. Austin and shared his vision of Texas. He even earned the respect of those who opposed him.

Throughout the book, Cantrell discusses Austin's struggle with his personal demons. All through his life, Austin was plagued with self-doubt and self-pity. He also experienced bouts of deep depression. His physical stature was not great and sometimes even frail due to chronic illness. What set Stephen F. Austin apart was that he pushed himself to the limits of human endurance and set his own interests aside many times for the good of others. Therein lies his heroism. He persisted when lesser men would have quit.

Our tendency with heroes is to deify them and negate their humanity. Cantrell pulls no punches in revealing the full human nature of Stephen F. Austin. It was surprising to this reader to learn Austin's attitudes toward blacks and toward Catholics. Though in theory, Austin opposed the institution of slavery, he himself owned slaves. He fought diligently for his colonists to keep their slaves and not to free slaves already living in Texas. He feared that if blacks were freed, their number would increase. His vision was for a Texas populated predominately by whites.

He looked upon Catholicism as gross 12th century ignorance, a yoke of oppression that retarded Mexico's progress into the 19th century. Austin seldom voiced these feelings except to a few close friends. It would not have faired well in his diplomatic relations.

Stephen F. Austin was indeed human. He wasn't perfect. He made mistakes; but until his death at age 43, he never faltered in his devotion to Texas.

Stephen F. Austin, Empresario of Texas brings a clear understanding of the events that led to the Texas Revolution. If you have ever wondered why there was an Alamo, Goliad or San Jacinto, then you should read this book.

The narrative is clear and well written and it held my attention from page one. I highly recommend this book.

This biography is written so well, and the story so interesting, it could be a novel from James Michener. If you are interested in Texas history, Southwest history, Mexican history, or Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny, this book is a must read. I'll be VERY suprised if you don't like it.

Comments about the personal development of historical figures are sometimes ignored in favor a list of achievements. Cantrell includes details of how Moses Austin encouraged his son to be a big thinker. The Austin family's "can do" attitude is certainly reflected in in Stephen's life.

This is the first biography of "The Founder of Texas" since Eugene Barker's magisterial work published in 1925. A wait of nearly 75 years for a modern follow-up is tolerable when the results are as good as this.

Austin was a complicated figure; much of his life played out in contradictions: born a Southerner, he was educated in the Northeast; an eloquent and persuasive spokesman in the public arena, he found it difficult expressing his emotions to those closest to him and never married; abhorring slavery, he fought for the right of slavery to exist in Texas; a cultivated man, he spent most of his life on the coarse and harsh frontier; he longed for peace and stability in his life, yet lived during extremely chaotic times; driven to "put his house in order," he claimed his only mission in life was "to redeem Texas from its wilderness state." His father inspired his son to dream big dreams and take on the challenges and responsibilities required to make them realities; when Moses Austin died before being able to colonize the 200,000 acres he acquired in Texas, he left it to Stephen to accomplish. And he did. Austin was not perfect and made mistakes (and enemies); possibly his biggest mistake was going to Washington to petition recognition for Texas at the time that the Alamo fell and, even more importantly, when Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto six weeks later. Recognizing the significance of that victory not only for Texas but for himself, he hastened to Texas from Washington as quickly as possible. He lost the presidency of the Republic to Houston. A sickly man most of his life, he died of fever in December 1836, only six months after his return.

Gregg Cantrell's biography is a pleasure to read. Informative and compelling, it's a "Life" of Austin and not a "Life and Times." He captured my interest right from the beginning; not hesitant to indicate Austin's shortcomings, he also obviously respects the man. It's a solid, well written biography of an important figure in Texas (and American) history. Highly recommended.

Still is not simply a book of cowboy tintypes. This book has depth as it is filled with revealing portraits of cowboys created with an antiquated process that requires true craftsmanship. Because each tintype is crafted by hand (and beautifully done), they each have unique and unreplicable characteristics analogous to the portraits of the cowboys themselves. In additon to the craftsmanship, there's an impressive amount of these portraits with each subsequent one being just as interesting as the previous. Accompanying the portraits are several stories from the cowboys that add a more personal element to the book. Still is a beautifully executed book of tintype cowboy portraits that I highly recommend to anyone.

I have always been fascinated with old world photographic processes. After browsing through the book several times I was struck with the portraits themselves. While these portraits were recently done you easily get the feel that these cowboys are from a time gone by.

An incredible way of life incredibly captured by a talented photographer

Beyond the beautiful photographs the piercing eyes in these portraits tell it all.
These cowboys and cowgirls are serious about what they do and how they do it. Serious
about living life to the fullest on their own terms.
I must be honest and tell you I am not a big fan of cowboy photography or any photography
that romanticizes a culture or group of people. Pretty pictures are a dime a dozen and mean little
in the understanding of the people being photographed. Think current day celebrity portraiture.
These portraits show dedication to documenting a people and way of life long forgotten
by modern day Americans. I think you will feel the spirit of these people when you look
at these tintypes and read the stories of the cowboys in their own words. This book belongs in any serious collection of the American West way of life.

I ordered this book after hearing an interview with the author/photographer on NPR. Captured in the spirit of yesteryear, these photographs of modern cowboys are just beautiful!

This is a great book for anyone interested in history. Its appeal is not only to those who remember Saltillo but to anyone wanting to get a feel for the way people lived in a small town during the 1930s and 1940s. I particularly enjoyed the colloquialisms in many of the stories.

Stories of Saltillo, compiled by Tom Minter, is a collection of personal anecdotes of life in the 30s and 40s in a small northeast Texas town. The stories provide a glimpse into a now nearly vanished world where people worked hard, were grateful for what they had, believed in God, and exercised common sense. Places like Saltillo practiced the philosophy that in a village the proper raising of children was everyone's responsibility long before Hillary Clinton ever thought of it.

Children of that era could run and play and have adventures in the woods without fear of being abducted or reported to the authorities. An individual foolish enough to attempt to ravage the peace and innocence of such a town would have been dispatched with deadly efficiency by men whose ancestors had fought Mexican soldiers, Comanches, Yankees, and your everyday desperadoes. A trial was optional.

A man might live his whole life in Saltillo and pass away happily, having never seen a film or ridden in an automobile. But that same man had known something else, the tranquility and sense of belonging that came from living some place where people knew and cared how you and your loved ones were and would actually risk their own health and fortune to help in times of trouble. It is a story of a better America, less materially secure, but far wealthier in terms of values and decency.

Stories of Saltillo provides wonderful insight into what it was like growing up in a small Texan town back in the mid-20th century. The stories strike me as incredibly straightforward and down-to-earth. For anyone who was born or raised in the South, this book will most likely make you homesick!

The photos in this book are an amazing collection and provide particular visual insight; I also like the fact that each story was written by an individual who really lived it - not just from a third-party viewpoint.

This book is a great read for anyone nostalgic for a time when things moved just a little bit slower!

A true testament of our American culture and heritage.

Stories of Saltillo is a wonderful book and has lots of historical facts as well as some really cute stories. There is one about a family of entertainers that traveled by covered wagon and it has lots of pictures. You don't have to be from Saltillo to enjoy this book.

Tales of Old-time Texas is classic story telling at its best. J. Frank Dobie weaves you in and out of stories of the old-west in Texas. Cowboys, Indians, bank robbers, mythical beasts, gold, hidden treasures: this collection of stories has it all. Dobie writes down stories from the past as told to him. Makes you ready to get your maps of Texas out and go prospecting.

It is for good reason that J. Frank Dobie is known as the Southwest's master storyteller. With his eye for color and detail, his ear for rhythm of language and song, he movingly spins tales of Texas collective heritages. This is a collection of 28 stories filled with vivid characters, exciting historical episodes, and traditional themes.

This is a great old book. Read about Josiah Wilbarger, who lived through a scalping and the woman who found him in her dreams, a bear who stole a pig and fattened it up, a ghost rider, a thief who took things from homes and walked right by the owner's dogs, a man who fought a tribe of hostile Indians singlehanded with the help of a load of hickory nuts, and various amusing stories about lost treasure and frontier life. This book is a treasure trove of tall tales and yarns that I couldn't put down.

Forget about the Alamo, San Jacinto and the heros that have made Texas famous throughout the world. Here are the stories only the real Texans know about. These are the stories my grandmother used to tell me when I was a kid. They carry on the tall-tale tradition and reinforce the Texan image of grandeur and hyperbole.

Ten Cows to Texas by Peggy Mercer is perhaps the best children book I have come across in many moons.

It's a silly funny and wholesome tale for children aged 3 to 8 that involves the sage of Ten Cows that need to be in El Paso Texas the next day to get in movies and t.v. commercials, etc.


But they are in the boondocks of Lonesome Cow GA.

So they hijack an 18 wheeler truck and a sleepy driver and Mimi the head cow( sister) drives the big truck across the South to Texas!


The book's art work is amazing and very very bright with great Colors and sparkles on the cover, and the text is great. The artist captures the true flavor of Texas with Jack Rabbit, Whitetailed deer and Texas Blue Bonnets.

Texans have grabbed the book by the horns and the book is now found in the Alamo Gift Shop, and Famous BUCKHORN Saloon & Gift Shop in San Antonio, Texas and at the YO Ranch Hotel in Kerrville, Texas and the Bandera General Store on Main Street in Bandera, Texas. Also at Barkley's Outdoor World in Bourne, Texas

I met the author, Peggy Mercer, on a Texas Book Tour
at Hastings Books in Kerrville Texas. She autographed a book for me. I was thrilled and my grand-daughter Juliania Nathan will get it soon.

It Five Stars " *****" Very Funny and Something that has never been done before!

Tink Nathan
Author & critic,
Camp Verde Outpost Ranch,
275 Witt Road,
Camp Verde, Texas 78010-3600


Two young sisters in Boerne Texas got the book and they fought over who was going to read it first.

Kids Love it!

That is what books are about and this is a fun, fun, fun book by Peggy June Mercer.

Thumbs up. Children need more of these conversational, fun and rewarding books. Life is too serious, even for children. Vivid illustrations and the fact that MIMI and crew won't give up, make this a great read for children, by a great storyteller, one of Georgia's best! 5 Stars!

I am not a teacher or librarian just a Gram that tries to keep a good collection of books for the kids. This book is wonderful, the story is a fun story for children, makes reading fun for them. The colors are bright something that keeps the little ones attention, drab they dont like. Its in a cartoon format which children love. All in all this is a wonderful childrens book. And this gram loves it to.

This is a great book for children written by an educator who understands the minds of children in the age group for whom the book was written. I have watched children read this book and also watched those too young to read "see" a story through the excellent pictures. As a retired professional educator who spent many years trying to deal with children who were reluctant to read, I guarantee that this book will be enjoyed by the little ones.

This is Book #5 of the Wagon's West Series and just as good as the previous ones.

This one deals with the war between Texas and Mexico as well as how Texas becomes a state.

A lot of our favorite characters are back and in this one Danny Taylor and Chet Harris are not only forced to make choices that will affect their lives but they also grow up rather quickly. The Blake's as well as Ginny are again in this one.

Maybe it's because it's the first non-Oregon Trail book in the series, but Texas just does not have the "oomph" of most of the other books. The major characters of the series so far take a backseat to lesser characters in this book, breaking away much of the familiarity with the series. It is still a good book, especially if you want a novel set during the Mexican-American war. However, don't lose any sleep if you are trying to read the entire series and can't find this one in your library.

I am the proud owner of the entire Wagons West Series (all 24 novels). I began reading them in high school some 19 years ago. I have just recently begun re-reading the series and it's like visiting old friends. Texas, picks up two years after the settling of Oregon and we find the United States in the process of annexing Texas into the Union. Soon old characters like Whip Holt and Lee Blake are back in the saddle doing what they do best, helping our country expand, with selfless dedication. We are introduced to new friends who display the same attributes of the earlier settlers in the Oregon series. Overall, the book is quite enjoyable, and it is almost imposssible to put down. The reader is transported to the old West, and can develop a sense of pride and understanding for those brave men and women who were the trailblazers of our American history.

Dana Fuller Ross' novels of America's great expansion into the western territories is some of the most intelligent, well written and well researched historic fiction I have read. "Texas" is Book 5 in a series of 24 novels which truly bring history to life in a panoramic saga of one of the United States' most important and fascinating periods.

By 1844 the pioneers who forged the Oregon Trail were well established in Oregon Territory. Various wagon trains had followed their lead and the American population in the Pacific Northwest began to grow at an amazing rate. The new settlers' farms, ranches, offices, boatyards, orchards and lumber mills were thriving. Men like the aging former President Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas, future US President James K. Polk, Majority Leader of the US Senate, Andrew Johnson and President John Tyler planned to fulfill America's "manifest destiny" - the belief that America had a God-given right, or destiny, to expand the country's borders from "sea to shining sea." Their priorities were to settle the Oregon boundary dispute with Great Britain and admit Texas to the Union.

Rallying to the cause of Texas liberty from Mexico, volunteers from Oregon left their homes and joined the Texas Rangers, built the Texas navy, consented to repeat their arduous journey across the American continent and traveled east to lead wagon trains of new settlers to Texas. The United States sent wagon loads of rifles, guns and ammunition to assist the Texans, and finally the new state of Texas joined the Union as the nation's 28th state. The Mexican American War, which followed, culminated in US victory. The Texas boundary was set at the Rio Grande, and the US also bought New Mexico Province and what was called Upper California from the Mexicans. And the US/Oregon border with Great Britain was finally established at the 49th parallel.

Many of the characters from the first four books appear in "Texas" and new ones, both historical and fictitious, are introduced. Colonel Leland Blake and his wife Cathy leave their home in Oregon temporarily when they are given charge of the huge new wagon train to Texas. Danny Taylor and Chet Harris, who were adolescents on the Oregon Trail, both volunteer for the Texas Rangers to fight under their idol Captain Rick Miller. Harry Canning, another Oregon veteran, goes to Texas to put his boat building skills to use. The author gives these characters tremendous depth and illustrates how settling in the new land, along with new responsibilities, changes them and effects their relationships and lives.

The history, characters, plot and subplots in "Texas" are some of the most exciting and dynamic in the series. I love history, and while I have read and studied this period in America's development, I have learned so much from reading the first five Wagons West" books. I plan to continue until I read them all. A wonderful reading experience.
JANA

What a find! From environmental information to history to state government, the Texas Almanac has it all. The book lists helpful information for natives and visitors, from the National Wildlife Refuges to facts on Texas tourism and the info on hunting and fishing licenses. Also available are little factoids, such as the the brief period in history that the Texas Capital was actually a steamboat and the history of oil in the Lone Star State. A must for anyone who wants to know more about the state!

What a find! From environmental information to history to state government, the Texas Almanac has it all. The book lists helpful information for natives and visitors, from the National Wildlife Refuges to facts on Texas tourism and the info on hunting and fishing licenses. Also available are little factoids, such as the the brief period in history that the Texas Capital was actually a steamboat and the history of oil in the Lone Star State. A must for anyone who wants to know more about the state!

You don't have to be Texan to appreciate the latest and greatest edition of The Texas Almanac. The book is chock full of interesting information about the Texas Rangers (the law enforcement group, not Bush's former baseball team), as well as bits of trivia that make you wonder why George W. would ever want to leave the second largest state in the US.

The almanac also has plenty of helpful facts, such as the climate, weather disasters and population of each county in the Lone Star State.

This book is great for anybody, but is a must for every journalist and television news analyst who intends to interview the governor of Texas on his presidential bid.

Little Dallam County (pop 5891) has the highest per capita income in the state of Texas? San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas?, ahead of Dallas! These are the kind of facts you will readily find in the Millennium Edition of the 2000 - 2001 Texas Almanac. This edition features a concise history of the Texas Rangers, an improved layout of all 254 counties and the all important, "Texas Pronunciation Guide". If you are a glutton for minuet facts about Texas you will enjoy the Millennium Edition of the Texas Almanac.

My niece loves this one also. These books are great!! I really recommend them.

I'm a Texas girl born and bred and live in another state. You can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the girl. This is an awesome book for anyone who loves the Lone Star State. The illustrations are beautiful and it has a nice rhythm to words. I love that the author mentions less known facts/cities/places. It is the perfect gift for a Texan where ever they live.

Although I am not a native Texan, I have choose to live here. Texas Alphabet can be enjoyed by everyone who has a love for state trivia or the alphabet. Each letter is used to tell about things unique to Texas, and many of the cities (large and small) are included throughout the book. As a middle school teacher, I found this book to be a great way to get my students interested in Texas history and have fun at the same time! A must read for parents and teachers alike! (You don't have to be a TEXAN, ya'll ,to enjoy this book--the author is from Mississippi and wrote the entire book from research done via Internet!) This picture book could also be enjoyed on the elementary level when doing a unit on the 50 states. Enjoy!

Our children were given this book by my aunt, who has started a tradition of Texas-themed gifts, so that they will not forget their "heritage."

I must admit that this book sat for quite a while during our most recent time of settling in here in the Middle East (we are humanitarian aid workers). When our oldest son asked for it to be read recently, I was expecting the typical one item/picture per letter alphabet book. I was pleasantly surprised with the engaging rhyming text and loved the list of towns for each letter (although my children did get tired of, "Oh, look that's where Aunt So-and-so" went to college," etc.).

Bottom line: this is a truly delightful book which actually manages to cover what it means to be a Texan, from past to present.

If you are a Texan, displaced or otherwise, I highly recommend purchasing this book, and I, personally, am placing several orders for gifts.