Texas Books

This is one of Cotton's more entertaining novels. It keeps your attention from beginning to end, and you hate for it to end, as you really like the supporting characters, and don't want anything happening to them. Sam Burrack is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I often wonder what would have happened had Sam Peckinpah brought him to the screen. I can only dream . . . .

This is the forth western I've read by this author. My favorite so far has been Bloods Land because I really enjoyed the way the female gunfighter handled herself. After reading about Texas Bob, Mary Alice and the ranger, I think I might have a tie on my hands. ( Could it be I'll find all of his books are this good??? ) So far so good. This one was given to me for Chiristmas by my (X) fiance. I started reading it the other night in front of the fire and only stopped for an hour or so before finsihing it from front to back. Now that I am a full fledged Western-Fan, I love curling up near a warm fire and reading a Ralph Cotton book. I recommend this book to anybody who likes action adventure and good thoughtful storytelling. I want more, Please!!!

A. Rainey (ARainey47@yahoo.com) , A retired trucker and rancher in MT, 12/23/2007

Cotton's stories all always Top Notch, and Killing Texas Bob is one of his best. I won't reveal the story and spoil it for other readers, and I don't whine about minor slips and type-os I find in most books today. But as one of the millions of readers who CAN and DO appreciate westerns that are more than one dimentional, to Mr. Cotton I say the two words Texas Bob uses to thank the ranger,'Much Obliged.' Not many writers create characters like Ranger Sam Burrack and Texas Bob. The ranger is as mild-mannered and tough as always, but the new character,Texas Bob, is the kind of man I remember hearing about growing up in West Texas in the old days when a man lived and died by his word. Like the ranger, Texas Bob never wavers from what's right even when it's about to cost him his life. He stands his ground on a reputation that is so trusted his enemies and their lies could not tarnish his name. He is known for his sense of fairness and his rock solid values as a man you can trust, but a man you don't want to push too far. Texas Bob is a fair tribute to all the old Texans whose words I hear coming from his mouth. These are the kind of strong characters the western genre was built on. Thanks to Cotton we still get to hear, see and understand them. Keep them coming, Mr. Cotton. 'Much Obliged.'

Killing Texas Bob is one more in an ever growing list of the classic American West stories we have come to expect from this gifted and original author. Cotton's work never dissapoints. We all have our favorite authors, and when it comes to accurate action and adventure westerns, for my money Mr. Cotton sets the standard. His stories are limited only by the reader's ability to identify and understand the various levels of human interactions and complexities. Comparing one writer's work to another is too rude and condesending for my taste, so I will leave that particular task to those who consider themselves better qualified to do so. I have enjoyed all of Ralph Cotton's books, as well as the books he wrote for Ralph Compton's estate after Compton's death. As a carreer teacher of English and History, and as a lifelong western fan, I highly recommend Cotton's work to anyone searching for beautifully written, solidly crafted Historical Westerns with depth and meaning far above the typical genre fare. Thank you, Mr. Cotton. American literature needs more characters like Texas Bob Krey. I hope we haven't heard the last of him.

I've complained in the past about Ralph Cotton's historial slips in his books sold as "historical novels." He has done pretty good in this one, and I can overlooked the trivial things that detract from the "historical" nature of book.
This story has a very good plot and lots of action; and of course the good guys win.
But I could not help finding the watch-evidence error. The killer removed the watch from the stagecoach guard's body (Teddy Wade) on Page 98. On Page 271 it suddenly was the Sheriff's watch; but he was killed after the stage holdup and the killer was never near his body.
Sloppy plotting, but I consider this one of Ralph Cotton's better stories... perhaps my comment will get the author's attention.
Although the author ain't a Louis L'Amour, Max Brand, or even a Ralph Compton, I do enjoy his books and I think he's getting better with practice!

This book is the winner of the 1998 Spur Award for Best Western Novel (selected by the Western Writers of America).

Cynthia, has captured the events of a very special time in our history and built beautiful characters around the very people who played such an important role in that point in time of the american west.

Cynthia Haseloff has written a great western that very much deserves the 1998 Spur award recieved from the Western Writers of America.
The Kiowa Verdict is based on the trial of two Kiowa Indians, Satanta and Adoltay also called Big Tree, for taking part in the "The Warren Wagon Train Massacre." Satanta led about 100 Kiowas and Comanches and attacked a wagon train with only a dozen white men. This took place west of Fort Richardson, Texas, in the spring of 1871. There was little doubt who was responsible, for Satanta himself bragged to Quaker Indian agent Lawrie Tatum at Fort Sill:

"Remember this. If any other Indian comes in here saying he led the raid he will be lying, because I, Satanta, led it."

Satanta and Big Tree were the first Indians to be tried in a white man's court in Texas for crimes committed against Texans.
Historically both Satanta and Big Tree were convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. Governor Edmund J. Davis commuted their sentences to life imprisonment. Later Satanta committed suicide by leaping headfirst from a second story window at the Texas State Prison in Huntsville and smashing his head on stone paving.

Adoltay, or Big Tree, a young warrior, converted to Methodism while in prison, was eventually released, was ordained as a Methodist minister, returned to the Kiowa-Comanche lands around Fort Sill and was instrumental in converting many Kiowas and Comanches to Methodism.

One of the characters in this novel, Joseph A. Woolfolk, a Confederate and Frontier Regiment veteran, was appointed by the Thirteenth District Court of the State of Texas to defend the Kiowas. The prosecutor was S. W. T. Lanham, who later became governor of Texas.

Transcripts of the trial don't exist, so what courtroom action there is - and of course the thoughts and fears of Joe Woolfolk - are entirely fictional. What is real is the fact that poor Joe Woolfolk instead of putting up a token defense, actually defended his clients in court.

To paraphrase the sometimes Western writer Mark Twain, "the reports of the death of the Western have been greatly exaggerated." The modern Western has been part of the American literary scene ever since - and arguably long before - Owen Wister introduced readers to "The Virginian" in 1902, and it shows no signs of riding into the sunset.

Cynthia Haseloff has captured the spirit of the American frontier in a way that kept me spellbound from beginning to end. Not only did I come away with a true sense of the era, but I also became a new fan of the Western genre, as well (at least the Haseloff Western genre). I can't wait to read her prequel to this book, "Satanta's Woman." I would highly recommend "The Kiowa Verdict" to anyone looking for a great beside-your-bed read.

Cynthia Haseloff has made a grand effort in this fictionalized history account of a raid by Kiowans on a freighter train, a trial and a verdict. Because records of the events have mostly been destroyed, or were deliberately never made, Haseloff has been forced to assume a lot about what happened and why it happened. It's generally a good job.

The legalities of trying Comanches and Kiowans raiding into North Texas while residing 'out of reach' in Oklahoma weren't vague at the time. The raiders understood enough of the law to know they were immune from prosecution by Texans for depredations in Texas if they escaped to Oklahoma. In this instance, the laws were ignored. Two men responsible for a raid that resulted in the deaths of several freighters and torture of one were arrested, taken back to Texas, tried and hanged.

From a strictly practical perspective, it was probably the right method of dealing with the event, though illegal. Even though Comanche raids continued for several years after this trial, the security of refuge provided by the Oklahoma Territory was never again to be trusted. Comanches who remained at war with whites in Texas were forced to remain on the high plains and face white retribution for their acts. This eventually allowed Colonel Ranald McKenzie to destroy the entire horse-herd of the raiding bands, putting them afoot and ending their ability to conduct raids without exterminating the entire tribe.

The fate of Penateka Comanche, the Karankawa, the Lipan Apache, the Fara'on Apache, and many other tribes caught in the vicegrip of Spanish and Anglo migration into the American West and Southwest is a bloody illustration of the other alternative.

The author has done a good job of reconstructing the events, the setting, the characters and the context. I recommend it for anyone interested in that phase of Texas history.

Judging from these often humorous, sometimes poignant, but always brash and candid letters, it is probably safe to assume that few writers have had such widely varied experiences as has Larry L. King. Spanning over 40 years, King's fascinating and provocative letters--along with his no-holds-barred reminiscences interspersed among them--provide a virtual autobiography of this novelist, playwright, essayist, and commentator. What makes this epistolary volume especially interesting is that King suffers no fools lightly, appears to be intimidated by no one, and is always ready to prick the balloons of the famous--and oftentimes pompous. (His accounts of working with actor Burt Reynolds and dancer Tommy Tune are particularly hilarious.

Larry L. King is an American hero. His work should be required reading for anyone who even thinks about the writing life. He ought to win the Nobel Prize, but then, he's a Texan so probably doesn't qualify.

Parents of small children desperately need sleep, so I cannot recommend that they read this book--it has kept me awake for two nights in a row. It's as hard to put down as any thriller, and a whole lot funnier than most.

This book takes the reader inside the head and heart of a working writer and reveals the triumphs and the despair that are staples of a writer's life. There are a lot of famous people in it, too.

King's book of letters take you inside the heart and head of one of America's most perceptive and humorous writers. Roy Blount once said that King writes like an angel would if it grew up in West Texas and drank. It's hard to improve on Blount's assessment. King's rollicking missives, directed to friends, family, politicians, critics, and fellow writers offer a fascinating portrait of the writing life. There's also the vicarious thrill of reading someone else's mail. Stories range from fellow author William Styron's run-in with "Mexican boo-smoke" to King's feud with the "alleged actor Burt Reynolds." The fact that a book this interesting has been published by a university press instead of a major trade house is as indicative as anything of the sorry state of affairs in the publishing industry these days. King's book, like himself, defies the mold.

The title of this one suggested to me that there might be a political or
religious subtext, which I do not like in mysteries. But this one is from
beginnng to end a top notch novel that shows Simon's growing skills and
depth of characterization. The title refers to the old days of a Jewish
mafia and brings some marvelous, credible characters into the mix. As usual,
thoughtful insights into interesting characters together with hard
boiled action. A great read for those who love good mysteries and good novels.

Michael Simon's "The Last Jew Standing" is his fourth book starring Dan Reles. In the first three books, "Dirty Sally", "Body Scissors", and "Little Faith", Reles was a detective for the Austin, Texas Police Homicide Squad. In this latest installment, Dan Reles has made lieutenant, and bought a new house for his live-in girlfriend and son. Things are looking up. That is until his father, Ben, an ex-mafia leg-breaker, shows up on Dan's doorstep with a prostitute, both fleeing from mob boss, Sam Zelig. Now Dan is torn between what's right and helping his father. As Zelig closes in, it becomes a struggle to stay alive and keep his family safe.

Suspense and thriller enthusiasts will enjoy this tightly woven, dark tale. I found myself so submerged in its pages, life stopped around me and I couldn't do much else.

I have found Michael Simon's Dan Reles novels irresistible from practically the first paragraph of his debut, DIRTY SALLY. Reles is a character who is not entirely likable but attractive nonetheless. A fish out of water, he is a Jew from New York in the Austin, Texas, Police Department in the early to mid 1990s, feeling less than welcome and doggedly hanging on for reasons good and bad. Simon's plot lines in each book are much more complex than they appear; even when something explicitly good happens to Reles, be it a promotion or luck in love, something bad is going to occur as a result. And so it goes with THE LAST JEW STANDING.

This book is as much concerned with Reles's past in New York as it is with his present in mid-1990s Austin. The occurrence that causes Reles to confront his childhood is the sudden arrival of his father --- who he hasn't seen in many years --- with Irena, a young Russian woman (and a self-proclaimed prostitute) in tow. Ben Reles, a small-time Mafia errand-runner, has himself been on the run for two decades. Now his past (as well as his present) has led him to an uneasy and unwelcome reunion with the son from whom he has been estranged for many years. It is no small irony that Dan Reles is on the cusp of coming to grips with his own new family, consisting of a son he didn't know he had until just recently and a woman he spends all too much time wishing he had never met.

All are in the headlights of Sam Zelig, a New York mobster whose history with Ben Reles goes back for decades and whose all-consuming anger is directed at Ben for stealing (from his perspective) Irena away from him. Zelig is possessed of an uncanny ability to get things darkly and maniacally done, and within hours after his arrival in Austin he is holding Ben, as well as the city of Austin, hostage in a crazed effort to get Irena back. Zelig exercises an inhuman brutality, one from which Simon does not flinch. Yet there is an odd, simple beauty to the narrative as well. Somehow, one knows from the very beginning of the book that things are not going to end well, yet Simon so seamlessly welds the plot together that the hard-won redemption and justice that occurs by the end of the story seems not only natural but also inevitable.

THE LAST JEW STANDING is by far Simon's best work to date --- a statement that has been true with the publication of each of his novels --- succeeding in every way imaginable and even in a few that are unexpected. I cannot imagine Simon writing a better book, but somehow I know he will.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

This is the fourth in Michael Simon's series featuring Detective Dan Reles of the Austin TX PD. Beginning with Dirty Sally, the previous three were all fast-paced, gripping stories, peopled with colorful, believable characters. The Last Jew Standing does not disappoint - it is a first-rate addition to the series. As with the previous books, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.

Simon's writing style is concise, clever and witty, with lots of snappy dialog and wry observations. I hope that Simon is busy working on another Dan Reles novel - the series is addictive!

Gritty, tough, and full of suspense "The Last Jew Standing" by Michael Simon is a sure winner for crime fiction fans.

This fourth installment of Simon's Detective Dan Reles series finds Dan with a new home, a new wife, a son, and far removed from the life he once had in New York. But there is no way that Dan will ever escape his past...especially when it shows up on his doorstep.

Dan's father, Abe has been on the run from the Mafia for twenty-five years, and when he shows up at Dan's new house with a Russian prostitute on his arm, Dan--who still blames his father for his mother abandoning them--can't imagine what he wants.

But he knows it isn't good.

When a former employee of Mafia boss, Sam Zelig turns up dead, Dan is even more concerned about his father's arrival in Austin. And when Sam Zelig and his goons make it personal, Dan is forced to make some tough decisions...never knowing if he's right or wrong.

Michael Simon gets the award for drawing me into a book with the very first sentence. Late nights, skipped meals, and falling into bed with my clothes on were all well worth it, just to read a bit more of this oustanding novel. The danger, the suspense, the raw hatred and violence that poured forth from this crime thriller, leaves the reader clamoring for Simon's next book. "The Last Jew Standing" is one of the best examples I've read of pushing a character so far into desperation that even the reader can't guess what he'll do next.

If all of Michael Simon's books are as thrilling and intense as this one, Simon has just gained a life-long fan.

Jan Freed once again provides all her readers with a light hearted look at relationships between men and women. This title proves to be just as hysterical as the last one in The Malloy Men series. We were treated to the second brother, Cameron, in this latest book.

I always enjoy the interactions between her characters, and the dialogue is always excellent. This story's focus is on two partners in an Ad Agency. They've known one another since college, and have worked together since. With a little plan and a nudge from Elizabeth, Cameron begins to see that partners at work isn't all they could be.

I always head right out to check the shelves when one of Ms. Freed's books is due out. Once found, I read them in one sitting. And they're well worth the wait! I recommend this title, as well as any of her others! Enjoy!

Once again Jan Freed has given us a book that is truly a pleasure to read. I always head out early looking for her titles to hit the shelves. This latest book is the second in The Malloy Men series. The last one was hysterical and this one proves to be the same. The dialogue between Cameron and Elizabeth is funny, without feeling forced or stilted. I love her characters, and the interaction between them. She has a set of more minor characters that you get to know in this book as well. Her hero and heroine have known each other for years....and it just takes a little plan and a nudge for her to have him reconsidering their relationship. I loved this one, as I love all of Ms. Freed's titles. Enjoy!

Cameron Malloy's life has been one of constant ease. His great looks have allotted him a revolving door policy where women are concerned and he has made a success of his advertising company, on the surface. In truth, his concern with the image of his company has marred the perfection of his life and now he must pay the price, in more ways than one.

Elizabeth, Cameron's partner and longtime friend, has loved him for years. So when Cameron verbally explodes in her face and reveals painfully pent up truths about her inability to handle reality, Elizabeth hands him the reality of her resignation. Now Cameron must hurry to regain what was overlooked and underappreciated in order to save a friendship he has come to count on implicitly.

This is the first novel I've ever read by Jan Freed and I enjoyed it tremendously. Cameron Malloy commits plenty of blunders throughout this novel but it is clear that Elizabeth is ready to give as good as she gets where he is concerned. I enjoyed the fact that her resignation from his company liberated her in many ways even though a deal is in place that ties her temporarily to it. Her subsequent actions reflect that she can no longer stand back and watch life unfold in front of her and Cameron is at his wit's end trying to reconcile the Elizabeth he's known with the Elizabeth he is discovering. This is a fantastic story about a man who learns what the consequences are for taking things for granted the hard way.

...THE LAST MAN IN TEXAS is an entertaining Malloy Men talethat lives up to the quality level set by its predecessors. The storyline will remind readers of the thirties romantic romps such as His Girl Friday. Cameron is extremely brilliant in business and equally stupid in love. Elizabeth is loyal to the man she loves until he breaks the camel's back. References to and visits from stars of previous novels add to the overall homecoming feel of the novel that helps turn Jan Freed's tale into an amusing boardroom romp.

Harriet Klausner END

I really enjoyed this story about Cameron and Elizabeth. It was filled with humor as these two characters found their way into each other's heart. I found myself caught up in the tangled web they called a relationship. It was a fast read full of romance and fun.

Beware, if you have been suppressing a wanderlust be prepared to take a trip. Your office, school, or home will seem like a cage as you read about Dr. Pianka's adventures in the expansive Australian Outback.

Although the book is very readable, I only gave it four stars because at times there is a break down in continuity and he strings into random thoughts with multiple repeats. Maybe it is due to all that solitude.

I am a college student studying organismic biology. I am taking an ecology class this semester and our text is by Eric Pianka. Herpetology is one of my passions so when I found out Pianka was a "lizard man" I did some research and came upon this book. It turned out to be everything I hoped it would be. The book is written in a manner that engages the reader; you will be held captive as he writes about his childhood experiences and methods of lizarding.

I am so glad that I had bought this book from Half prize book store and had a chance to read. It helped me to understand the diversity of the lizards within and between the continents of northern America, Australia, and Africa. It also helped me to understand a lot about lizard natural history. The author of this book deserves a lot of credit for his hard work and dedicated service in bringing up so much knowlede about the lizards to the mankind.

Eric pianka is one of the finest ecologists in the world. His excitement and passion for these animals is evident throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who i interested in ecology an field biology.

Erik Pianka is one of the worlds finest ecologists. His passion for lizard ecology is infective. By the end of book you will feel like you know and have worked with Pianka. His story shows what field biologists are all about.

An accurate accounting of the modern-day Texas Rangers. A must read for the Texas Ranger enthusiast and those interested in the history of law enforcement in Texas. I loved the section about "Garrison's Rangers". A real good read!! I highly recommend.

Much to the pleasure of Texans and history buffs acclaimed historian Robert Utley returns with his sequel to Lone Star Justice (2002) thus bringing the saga of the Texas Rangers to the present day. Many have been introduced to the Rangers via television with such programs as Walker or Texas Ranger, yet it is left to Utley to deliver the most telling and intriguing story of all.

We read, "One Riot, One Ranger. A single Ranger could quell an incipient riot. Rangers and Texans alike reveled in the image of the stalwart, fearless lawman facing down an angry mob. On occasion it came close enough to happening to provide at least an inspiration for the slogan."

Yes, the Rangers were and are, for many, men of mythic stature. Utley debunks some myths while perpetuating others. History is at its most fascinating as the Rangers enter the twentieth century leaving their beloved horses behind and chasing criminals in motorized vehicles. They're no longer after rustlers but set their sights on modern criminals and the utilization of contemporary methods, such as forensic science.

With Lone Star Lawmen readers view the Mexican Revolution (a dark point in Ranger history) and visit towns made rich and lawless by oil. The dramatic capture of Bonnie and Clyde is retold, as well as the Branch Davidian tragedy near Waco.

Prodigiously researched Lone Star Lawmen is one more valuable addition to Texas history.

- Gail Cooke

Robert Utley shows again why he is the dean of western history with the second part of his masterful account of the Texas Rangers. While this isn't as romantically wild and woolly as the previous volume--it's inevitable, as automobiles replace horses and the solving of cases relies on more technical tools--it's still engaging and colorful. A great historian--and a great storyteller--does a magnificent job once more.

As a proud native Texan I have relished the mythology of the Texas Rangers as much as anyone else. But after a century and three quarters of a steady diet of stories of larger-than-life Rangers who could do no wrong it is past time that we begin to understand these lawmen as the real men they were. Some of what they did was extraordinarily good and some extraordinarily bad. Robert Utley, who has never yet stepped back from pushing fact in the face of popular mythology, has helped us know the genuine background of Texas as few others have done.

Robert M. Utley follows his masterful account of the first century of the Texas Rangers, Lone Star Justice, with another tour de force, bringing the story up to date. Brilliantly written and meticulously documented, as always with this celebrated historian of the West, this book traces the transformation of a frontier peace force at the beginning of the 20th century to today's internationally recognized investigative and law-enforcement force, a small band of efficient professionals whose frontier history will always hang over them. Casting off frontier ways was not always easy, politically or professionally, as Utley clearly explains. He is not afraid to deal with the controversial aspects of his subject's history, in particular repeated charges of racism and high-handed brutality. This is no love poem to this sometimes controversial organization, as Utley takes on the negative as well as the positive, with judiciouos balance. On the whole, his judgment of the Rangers, for all the regrettable elements of their past, is favorable, and he concludes that the organization has not so much overcome its history as learned from it. A welcome corrective to the romanticizing that usually characterizes stories about the Rangers. Recommended to anyone interested in the history of Texas, the West, and law enforcement. Given that issues involving the US border with Mexico are in the forefront lately, this book provides informative background.

A well-written history of the Texas Revolution and the events leading up to it. If you're already well-acquainted with Texas history, there's not much of anything new in this book, but H.W. Brands has an excellent eye for the telling detail and a good ear for the vivid quote that make the material feel fresh and lively.

What I especially liked about Brands' approach in this book is that he steers a commendable middle course between the traditional hagiography of flawlessly brave Texan heroes fighting evil Santa Anna for Liberty and the revisionist school of greedy white male slave-mongering mercenaries stealing poor Mexico's land. He shows both the strengths and warts of admittedly self-interested people on both sides of the fight who generally believed they were doing the right thing.

My main caveat for anyone who's well-read in early Texas history and is considering picking up this book for another perspective on the Texas Revolution would be that it takes 11 chapters and more than 250 pages of reviewing Texas colonial history (with the emphasis on Stephen F. Austin's colony) before the book finally reaches the actual outbreak of fighting. But, for someone who's relatively new to Texas history or could just use some brushing up on the subject, those 11 chapters do provide a surprisingly brisk and eminently readable account of Texas history from the first Spanish explorations up to the revolution.

Outstanding book, written with elegance and vigor. If you know the details already you will not find new revelations here, but Lone Star Nation is so well done that even if you aren't especially interested in Texan history, after a couple of chapters you will be. The audiobook, read by Don Leslie, is highly recommended.

Brands writes the "epic" story of these men who fought for Texas independence. He does not write over your head and does not leave the reader uninformed. He does not hold back details about the "mythical" Texas figures who are "larger than life" in most accounts. It is a simple and effective way to learn about the Texas Revolution.

Brands, without being multicultural for multiculturalism's sake, documents both the Hispanic and the Anglo contribution to Texas' independence. He does so without giving saccharine descriptions of either group's leadership or their ability to always get alone with one another, either before or after 1836.

And, in the years leading up to the Texas Revolution, he doesn't sidestep the slavery question either.

That honest eye is important, because in the last section of the book, he carries the story of Texas forward through 1865.

Brands does a great job of weaving the lives of Austin, Santa Anna and others together in a compelling fashion. His vivid narrative style makes you forget you are reading history, but rather makes you feel you are sitting around a fireplace listening to a master storyteller perform his craft with grace and ease.

This book is classic Dobie in style and is "the" book on Texas Longhorns. Dobie takes us through the history of the breed, through the animal, through the men and women that loved, used and abused them, and through the many tales that surround them, both fiction and fact. The animal stands large in this work, but the flavor of the old days, of the hardships, of the ranch life, of the love for the land of the people who lived and died there is a part of it too. For anyone with an interest in this breed, this book is a must read. For anyone else with a feel for the Southwestern United States, Texas, cowboys, or the land, it's time well spent.

As horses were introduced to America by the Spanish, so too were cattle, and both species became feral, then wild, and learned to survive on their own under extreme conditions in the west. Not infrequently some retained some of their domestication. Texas was the land of their beginning as catalysts to a lifestyle peculiarly western because of how they developed. The Longhorns were tough individuals as well as part of a breed apart, and Dobie was just the sort of person to describe them for what they were, and the men who made it their purpose to use them. Dobie is a story teller of exceptional talent as well as an historian of necessity if his stories are to carry any weight. Each Chapter deals with an aspect of the beast and its habitat from which they were removed to form enormous herds driven north by cowboys over tractless miles to railheads when they arrived or to distant markets before their coming. Cowboys were tough, but also gentle as they crooned softly to the cattle on a stormy night hopefully to prevent "stompedes." Dobies' tales of individual Longhorns illustrates that within the being of some was a spirit that exceeded normal expectation, and contributed to human emotions in spite of themselves. The Longhorns began to fade as bloodlines were mixed to improve the breed, and as railheads came closer to the herds. For "improved" cattle had not the prowess or the ability to survive without the help of man as did the pure Longhorns. They were a breed in transition from one life style to another, but their memory remains because of Dobie and his tales. Fascinating reading.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT COLLECTION OF STORIES ON THE LONGHORN. IT STARTES WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF CATTLE AND HOW THE LONG HORN CAME TO BE. THERE ARE A FEW TALES OF THE LONG HORNS LONG HORNS,AND AFEW ON WHY IT WAS THE PERFECT ANIMAL FOR TEXAS CATTLEMEN.THE BOOK IS ENDED ON A SAD NOTE THAT TALKS ABOUT THE LAST OF THE WILD LONG HORNS

Frank Dobie, a University of Texas professor, spent years collecting stories of the old southwest. Many are tales that he wrote down of 19th Century life. Several are collected into volumes about important parts of life at the time, including "Longhorns" and "The Mustangs".

They provide great insight into the origin of those animals and their importance to people who lived in those times.

Another excellent Dobie book is "I'll Tell You a Tale," with excerpts from these two books and others. The anthology includes tales of gold, stories of irony, Old West characters, and saddle stories.

J. Frank Dobie spent his life documenting the grassroots history of Texas and this book is probably his finest examples. I've read all of his books and found this one to be the most informative. There's also a wonderful collection of photographs of many of the different variations of horn and hide at the rear of this book. You'll learn how the cattle came north from Mexico in the beginning and how early settlers rooted them out of the thickets of East Texas to start their herds. You'll learn about many of the principal cattlemen of early Texas including their drives north to the Kansas railhead.

If you enjoy Texas history you'll really enjoy this book.

the best book on surgical oncology when you need to refer real fast... best a resident in surgery can have

This handbook is the must have for every surgery resident or even staff member who's not an oncologist, very clear and easy to read....

As others have said in their reviews, the MDA Surg Onc Handbook is well written, easily readable and a great source for studying for the boards or just quick review before a case or clinic. Our Surg Onc department uses this as its preferred text for the residents - even buying several copies so that they and the students could always have one to review while on service.

Treatment plans are cutting edge but available to the community and the presentation of controversies is helpful in understanding the topic.

This book is essential for inservice and general surgery board review

If you are looking for exellent value for money in (surgical) oncology, you have to purchase the MD Anderson Handbook. In a compulsively readable yet comprehensive style the entire field is covered. In contrast to its title, it is not only focussing on how things work in Houston, but altenative state of the art diagnostic and treatment options are discussed. In our surgical clinic, the book has become a standard reference text.