Texas Books

I am utterly amazed at what this man went through. I have read alot about the holocaust but every survivor has a different story and there is always something that will shock you with every story. The horrors of what happened will never cease to shock me, never. This man has written a memoire that is packed with people and events than do not allow you to put this book down. It is very interesting to read and through all the horror you are glad to know that he made it through and had done so many wonderfull things with his life. I finished this book very quickly due to the fact it was hard to put down. I would recomend this book highly not only because it is so interesting but because it will allow to to understand how blessed we all are, you might just will change the way you live and think.

I met Mike Jacobs at the Dallas Holocaust Memorial Center and he told me about his experience with the Holocaust. He sold me his book, with his signature on it and it said:

Remember, "Never Again!" with all good wishes. Have Hope, Believe, and Think Positive!

I really do admire Mike Jacob's courage and stregnth that got him through WWII. I encourage you to read this book! That way, when you think YOUR life is bad, you will remember Mike Jacob's triumph over tragedy, and how HE got through it!

God Bless you, Mike Jacob!!

I am leading a group of five High School Seniors in an independent study about the Holocaust. This work, Holocaust Survivor, is a great resource. It is a raw, transcribed oral history of one man's journey. My students have found it very moving and informative.

Mike came to our school in October and shared a VERY SAD story with us and shode us some very strange things like the soup made of human Fat and a little bottle of poison.And much more but I cant remember them all well I REALLY want to buy his book to see alot more stuff about it!!

Some people write books for money or recognition - not Mike Jacobs.

His whole message - both in person and in his book - urges each one of us to "always remember, never forget," and to "never become silent or complacent." This message at first seemed somewhat obvious from what one might expect from a survivor.

But Mike has a different spin on his message: He doesn't hate, and he doesn't feel self pity. Rather, he's exhuberant in his mission to live life to its fullest, and along the way, to explain what he lived through so no one human being ever has to face it again.

His book is incredible - not just one to add to any collection; rather, your interest in a survivor's tale and triumph over such horrifying persecution should start right here with Mike. Let him tell you what really happened as he lived it first hand...and walk away with the message he lives every day to pass on to us, our children and their children.

The book I Remember the Alamo, by D. Anne Love is a breath taking book that shows what it was like to have lived during the Mexican and Texas war. People in this book go through horrible and great times that make you notice how much you have in life that you take for granted. This book has made me think of how hard it would be to be put in such a situation like some characters are put in, in this book. They have to go through such hard times, that it will change their life completely forever. Reading this book has changed my veiw on what happens in war. This book is truely one of the best books i have ever read. It made me think of what it was like to live back in the time of war, and being a girl who had to go inside the Alamo, and leave everything she had back at home. I Remember the Alamo experiences themes of family, love, friendship, and sadness all at the same time. You will never want to put this book down until you're down!

The book I Remember the Alamo, by D. Anne Love is a breath taking book that shows what it was like to have lived during the Mexican and Texas war. People in this book go through horrible and great times that make you notice how much you have in life that you take for granted. This book has made me think of how hard it would be to be put in such a situation like some characters are put in, in this book. They have to go through such hard times, that it will change their life completely forever. Reading this book has changed my veiw on what happens in war. This book is truely one of the best books i have ever read. It made me think of what it was like to live back in the time of war, and being a girl who had to go inside the Alamo, and leave everything she had back at home. I Remember the Alamo experiences themes of family, love, friendship, and sadness all at the same time. You will never want to put this book down until you're down!

I am a 4th grade teacher in Texas. I teach Texas history and we have always complained there were no Historical Fiction books we could use in our classrooms to support our Social Studies Curriculum.
That has all changed now! This book moved me to tears several times. It describes the essentials of Texas History in relation to the Alamo, Texas Revolution, and The Runaway Scrape. The story brings a very personal twist to living in Texas during the time of the Revolution as well as a very moving look at friendship and how they can support you through times that are utterly devestating. I recommend this book to everyone!
I love this book!

This book is so sad.I first read it at my school libary now my mom is ordering it for me.this book is sad and good.I love the story.It is the best book I ever read.I also like the way side school series.But this book is better than all of those put together.I reccommend this book to anyone who can read.I also reccommend the wayside school series to anyone who can read.But I still think that I Remember The Alamo is better than all of the wayside school books put together.

I read I Remember The Alamo by D. Anne Love. This book was about an eleven year old girl named Jessie. In the beginning of the book, Jessie's dad announces that he wants to move to Texas. The next day, they are on their way. When her family arrives, Jessie becomes friends with a Mexican girl named Angelina. However, they have to meet secretly due to the war between the Mexicans and Texians that is about to begin. One day,Jessie's father and old brother announce they are going to fight for Texas. While gone, the rest of the family hides in the safe Alamo. Suddenly, the family gets some shocking news, however, Angelina knows the truth! What happens next? I won't tell, you'll just have to read it.

I liked how the book was very exciting and really grabbed me into it. Especially towards the end of the story. I recomend this book to people who like to laugh, and yet learn. D. Anne Love definitly knows how to write great childrens books.

This book taught me a lot about friendship. It shows that no matter who you are, you can have a friend from a different culture.After all, the hand of friendship has no color. This book also shows that war doesn't solve problems. When you think about it today, you know it was wrong because a bunch of people from different races live in Texas. I would consider this book my favorite, not only because it is great, but how it has a moral too!

We home school our children. We are going to use this book as a back drop for introducing Texas history.

I first read this book when I was about nine years old. I won a copy in a book reading contest when I was in the fourth grade--a copy of the book went to the boy and girl who read the most books in a certain time period. The books were autographed by Ms. Hoff on her deathbed. Tragically, the book was lost in a move many years ago, but I still treasure the memory of the story of Johann and the deep love he came to have for Texas. I still get choked up over the part where, believing that he will soon be leaving Texas, he is moved to tears by the song of a mockingbird. What a treasure this book is!

I read this book when I was in the second grade. It's about a family from Germany that settles in Texas, during its formative days. Their young boy, Johann, is soon re-christened "Johnny Texas" in recognition of the family's new life.

One day, Dad comes home with a slave, a young black man named Tobias who seems eternally morose, because they need help on their farm. Soon, Dad decides to give Tobias his freedom; thereafter, Tobias is a much happier fellow. He puts his bill of sale (proof of freedom) in a leather pouch and wears it around his neck.

Later, Dad gets involved in the war for Texas independence, and readers are treated to a BRIEF recap of the Battle of San Jacinto, wherein Sam Houston routed the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna.

This is a good book for seven-year-old Texans because they will, if they have been properly educated, recognize much of the Texas history -- plus, it's a simple story organized into chapters, and serves as an excellent introduction to the world of literature.

I recommend this book to kids throughout the United States. Texas history is more interesting than the history of any other state, and everyone should learn about it.

When I was 6 years old in 1950, my grandmother took me to a special event at the local drug store in Yorktown, Texas, which as of three years ago still had the original iron hitching posts along the sidewalk. The event was the local release of Johnny Texas, and Carol Hoff was signing copies of her new book. Recently my sister came across my copy and sent it to me. It's pretty ragged by now, having been read several times by me and having subsequently gone through a number of other kids. But I was overjoyed to find that it still has the same magic it had 50 years ago. I recently reviewed a number of books for a school curriculum program, and it was daunting to find just how muddy, disjointed and confused--both emotionally and philosophically--most "modern" juvenile fiction has become. All these years of pop psychology and political correctness have taken their toll. We no longer tell stories kids are expected to enjoy; we indoctrinate future citizens of the gray zone. Johnny Texas is about real people confronting and handling challenges in a real world. Their motivations are recognizable, their moral choices unambiguous. The history is fascinating. More importantly, real kids in or out of Texas will still find this one heck of a great story. Given current literacy levels, I'd say it's good for ages 8 - 12--also for English as a Second Language programs.

This book packs adventure, strong characters, and an accurate account of early Texas history into a literary delight for young readers. Perfect as a "read-aloud," this book captures the interests of students ranging from those with "sensitive souls" to the "rough-and-tumble" variety. Chronicling an immigrant family from Germany who left Europe to find freedom, readers experience authentic pioneer adventure as the main character, Johnny, a ten year old boy, learns some of life's hardest lessons. I appreciated this book for its eye-opening treatment of the slavery issue. Many of my third grade students developed a deeper sensitivity and gratitude for their personal freedoms after the reading of this book. There are many "cliff-hanger" moments in this writing and be prepared,you may need a tissue every now and then. You'll enjoy reading this book again and again whether you are from Texas or not.

This - third in the Dan Reles detective series - is every bit as gripping and entertaining as its predecessors. If anything, Reles's ever-more-cynical views on life and crime-fighting give this book even more of a sadly and wistfully satisfying perspective. The story, again, involves government and Big Business corruption at its most hideous, but the most compelling aspects of the book are the searing human tragedies - the individual characters whose hopeless and wretched lives are touchingly and believably depicted by Simon. A gem of a book.

I was born and raised in Austin. How cool is it to have a fictional account my hometown,(home neighborhood for that matter) from my teens and up. WOW. Thanks. Well written, smart, exciting thriller. I'm telling my friends about it...and can't wait for book four!

Michael Simon has done it again.With Dirty Sally i thought he was the new James Ellroy,with Body Scissors he confirmed it and now with Little Faith he's surpassed him.

Dan Reles,his been through the ringer anti-hero,is up to his neck again in murder and corruption and more murder.After reading this in 3 nights flat i felt i needed a steam clean its so gritty.

If you like Ellroy read Simon,if you like Don Winslow read Simon,in fact READ SIMON NOW!

"Little Faith" is set in 1995 Austin, Texas, seven years after the 1988 time period of Michael Simon's first hard-boiled crime novel "Dirty Sally" and four years after the 1991 setting of his second novel "Body Scissors." "Little Faith" contains new characters as well as the continuing central character and others who survived the first two books. It's a great read on its own, although for maximum enjoyment I would recommend reading the three books in time sequence beginning with Dirty Sally.

The protagonist of Little Faith is again Dan Reles, the Austin police detective and transplanted New Yorker who battles his own corrosive cynicism and damaged psyche along with the criminals he pursues. Murderers, incestuous relatives, pornographers, loan sharks, and faux-religious power mongers are all in a day's work for detective Reles.

One reservation: I felt uncomfortable with the author's heavy-handed treatment of the fictional (and un-named) state governor, whose characterization struck me as a transparently disdainful portrait of the real-life Texas governor of that period. No doubt some readers' reactions will be more akin to glee; nonetheless, I think it is distracting and doesn't serve the story well.

Austinites will feel very much at home as they visualize Reles' travels around town. Those not familiar with Austin likey will pass over most of the geographics, with no loss of essential detail. Everyone will appreciate Simon's storytelling prowess, his gritty and epigrammatic narrative style, believable and well-constructed dialogue, and his spot-on depiction of the more reprehensible aspects of human nature. I certainly did.

The theme of "little faith' in TX and national poltiics is fun, disturbing and timely.
I enjoy getting to know Simon's Austin Police Department and his other recurring characters.

Simon's mysteries improves with each new novel.
The plots get tighter and faster and there are always surprises as the pages turn.

I like Reles -- he's a good person but he's not the very nicest guy -- kinda like real life.

I can't wait for the next one!

The book arived in great shape and I have allready read it and enjoyed it.

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.

Eros on the Nile
I have just ordered Love Songs of the New Kingdom and have three comments. One of the poems quoted in Eros on the Nile,(which I have and recommend) is from Love Songs of the New Kingdom. It is a beautiful and charming translation of this poem. Second, I have clicked above to read an exerpt from the book and notice that the hieroglyphs are well and economically drawn. I have been studing Middle Egyptian for about two years, and have been struggling with the problem of writing some of the glyphs quickly and yet with a bit of style. So I look forward to adopting Foster's renditions of them. Third, for those bothered by the comment of another reviewer that the hieratic has been transcribed by Foster into hieroglyphs, I have read that this is a near universal practice of Egyptologists in rendering hieratic text for publication.

Let's go way back to the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, specifically the reign of the Ramesside pharaohs (roughly 1305-1080 BC). To put the era in its proper historical perspective, this was half a millennium before the blind Greek poet Homer composed The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Literature, mainly for moral instruction or in praise of deities, already thrived in the days of the pharaohs. We have some poems and stories inscribed on papyri and ostraca (bits of pottery or limestone). There are temple inscriptions. In terms of size, the most impressive achievement is The Book of the Dead, a bewildering mish-mash of myth and ritual incantation which remains essential reading for morbid-minded folks till today.

Ancient writing can seem intimidating and arcane to our impatient modern sensibilities. There are all these references to gods and demi-gods, whose hierarchic structure and tangled web of familial relations would put any soap opera to shame. You feel that you should just chuck it all aside and down a few cappuccinos instead.

But wait! We have with us today about 60 secular love poems,translated from Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics by the American John L. Foster. They are delightfully accessible, and more entertaining than a month of TV dramas. Some of these poems were discovered in archeological digs conducted just a few decades ago. What's even more amazing is that they read as if they were written not in the 12th century BC but yesterday.

Yes, the poems are all about love. But this isn't the hackneyed,soppy mush that you can get today. This is love not just as sweetness 'n' light but as game-playing and subterfuge, as sexual warfare, as delicious torment. In terms of psychological complexity, they match the blues and torch songs recorded early in our own ravaged century. There's no moralising here. Foster's book is called Love Songs of the New Kingdom (1974) but it could have been tagged "Papyri Don't Preach".

Instead of being goody-goody, love poetry should acknowledge the violence, kinkiness and deception which exist in any reasonably interesting relationship. The Ancient Egyptians knew this, for they were wise.

An example? Listen to this young man's melancholic cry:

"I think I'll go home and lie very still / Feigning terminal illness / Then the neighbours will all troop to stare / My love, perhaps among them / How she'll smile when the specialists / Snarl in their teeth! - / She perfectly well knows what ails me."

Appreciate the startling, passive-aggressive psychodrama being played out here. Although the authors in all cases are unknown, their works range freely through the human sensorium. The agony and the ecstasy brought about by lust, affection, jealousy and longing get full play.

The poetic personae are men and women but, unlike in some ancient Greek and Persian poetry, entirely heterosexual. Despite this handicap, there's a whole lot of kinkiness going on. Check out this guy's sado-masochistic relationship with his dominatrix girlfriend:

"How clever my love with a lasso / She'll never need a kept bull! / She lets fly the rope at me / (from her dark hair) / Draws me in with her come-hither eyes / wrestles me down between her bent thighs / Branding me hers with her burning seal / (cowgirl, the fire from those thighs!)"

Something even more delightfully perverse can be found in this straight man's transvestite fantasy, which reminds me of the great Prince song If I Was Your Girlfriend:

"I wish I were her Nubian girl, / one to attend her (bosom companion), / Confidante, and a child of discretion: / Close hidden at nightfall we whisper / As (modest by day) she offers / breasts like ripe berries to evening - / Her long gown settles, then, bodiless, / hangs from my helping hand."

This touching fantasy reminds me of the way I spent Valentine's Day ... but I digress.

Poetry from the Ramesside period is significant as the oldest extant literature spoken by non-deitic females. Some of the personae are worldly and sexually explicit ("Would your fingers follow the line of my thighs/ Learn the curves of my breast, and the rest?") but others are artfully naive and ingenuous, like this voyeuristic girl who is "accidentally" at the right place:

"I just chanced to be happening by / in the neighbourhood where he lives / His door, as I hoped, was open - / and I spied on my secret love."

Some of the poems may seem sweet and simple, but they already use striking similes ("Love of you is mixed deep in my vitals/ Like water stirred into flour for bread"). Nature, represented by flowers,gardens, orchards and, of course, the Nile, also provides poetic settings and metaphors in a way which anticipates the Western pastoral literature that emerged centuries later.

The fact that the poets are so good is surprising without being surprising, if you catch my drift. I mean, their ancestors built the Pyramids (in the era known as, ahem, The Old Kingdom), which are structures of such weirdness, ingenuity and complexity that we still haven't found out everything about them.

The poems, too, are creatures of remarkable engineering. They teach us about the twisty, turbulent, uncanny mysteries of love and lust, which still survive in today's blessedly pagan pop culture. Read them instead of writing to newspaper agony-aunts about your tacky little problems. The poets show us that love is a battlefield, sex is a weapon, and we all sleep alone. Confused? But that's the story of, that's the glory of, love.

If you want to warm your lady's heart through her mind, the potency of this book has no equal. I bought this for my girlfriend two years ago and she still reads it over regularly. You know guys, the gift you are looking for to prove that your mind functions outside of the physical? If she is even remotely open to ancient civilization this is the ticket, this is "The Gift." I am not usually into poetry but I like this a lot. This is the Total Recall of poetry: just enough plot, just enough action. Seriously, she will love this and you will not mind it yourself ;).

Finally a book of Egyptian love poetry for people with enough of Budge to recognize a hieroglyph or two :-) More seriously the hieroglyphs are primarily "atmosphere" in this text. Curiously, the hieroglyphs are not the original but rather transcriptions of the original cursive hieratic ... a bit of posturing that mildly concerned me when I first saw the book. Fortunately, the quality of the translated poetry more than compensated for my qualms.

Having been introduced to Egyptian love poetry by the use of Michael Fox's work in a class on the Song of Songs (aka Song of Solomon), I was delighted to find this gem. The poetry is translated without footnotes - a feature I appreciate.

An example of the joys of the poems: "He had made a hushed sell in the thicket, for worship / to dedicate this day / To holy elevation of flesh"

Because of the relationship of Egyptian love poetry to the Song of Songs, this scarely known poetry has had an effect on our culture - one as worth exploring as the Greek or Latin.

I LOVED it! I bought it on an impulse, having found it on the backshelf at a bargain store. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but, like I said, I loved it! It is SO romantic! "when I hold you close, and your arms steal around me, I am like a man transplanted to Punt, or like someone out in the reedflats, when the whole world bursts into flower. In this land of south-sea fragrances, my love, you are the essence of roses!" HOW ROMANTIC! I would love to have been that woman to whom the poet was saying such things! I highly reccomend this book to anybody, especially those wo are just getting into poetry, like me. It is truly a beautiful book.

This is such a great song to sing and the book is a fun accompaniment, as well as the CD.
These types of books are great to bring in the car for some family fun time!

This is such a great book. I've used it with many many preschoolers and children, and the remark I always get is "again, again"...

I bought this book for my nephew and the entire family has enjoyed his singing the pages, he had it memorized in no time and he is only 2 years old!!! I would recommend this book to anyone with young children, not just for their enjoyment but for the entire family.

I remember reading this book back in kindergarten and the first grade. It was the first book I ever learned to read. I loved this book so much that I read it until I had it memorized. It's too bad the original cover is not printed in this edition. I'm going to pass this one down to my cousin, Adam, whose only 4. Hopefully, we can continue the tradition so this will be his first book he ever learns to read.

The younger loves the beautiful pictures and singing along. The older loves looking for all the little details in the pictures. They both love substituting the names of the characters for their own friends' names! Both learned their colors through this book without realizing what they were actually doing. This is one book I don't mind reading over and over.

"Monday's Meal" is aptly named . These stories are salty and pungent with a hint of bitter chicory. No one serves these morsels, the reader has to dip his fingers into the pot. They might come out burned, or dripping grease, but the tidbit they clutch is never bland. The characters are alive. We know them well, or we know someone who knew them and told us their stories. No one tells them as well as Les Edgerton. Some stories can be gulped down and digested later. Some like "Hard Times" cannot be gulped. It must be taken in small sips, sometimes days apart. It will take you that long to identify the taste.

When I finished the last story in Monday's Meal I paused, reflected, and then read it right through again from the beginning. Part of the reason for my re-reading was a simple desire to repeat the pleasure; part of it was a desire to understand what made these elegantly constructed stories tick. Just where was I drawn from a realistic beginning into the banishment of the ordinary - the strange, ordinary world that some of these stories inhabit? Just where is the edge in these finely drawn personalities, the edge that leads to the end? One can also learn from these stories. The craft, the amazing economy deserve study, but one can just go along for the ride and enjoy. I would compare some of the plots to Ray Carver's in their structure, but Edgerton has it all over Carver in his depiction of personality. Edgerton's people have depth, they are all different, and the actions flow entirely from their natures. This is a collection not to be missed.

'Monday's Meal' is aptly named . These stories are salty and pungent with a hint of bitter chicory. No one serves these morsels, the reader has to dip his fingers into the pot. They might come out burned, or dripping grease, but the tidbit they clutch is never bland. The characters are alive. We know them well, or we know someone who knew them and told us their stories. No one tells them as well as Les Edgerton. Some stories can be gulped down and digested later. Some like 'Hard Times' cannot be gulped. It must be taken in small sips, sometimes days apart. It will take you that long to identify the taste.

This collection will grab you by the heart and wrench it right out of your chest. The characters are hauntingly authentic as are the New Orleans and South Texas settings they inhabit. These are deeply troubled individuals coping with other troubled individuals who find solace only in the bottle and the arid soil underneath the soles of their battered Tony Lamas. Edgerton reigns as a supreme American author. A sort of Ray Carver meets Denis Johnson. A literary man who succeeds where the academics fail--he knows plot, he knows story, he knows action! The last of a great breed that includes Hemingway, Mailer and Jim Harrison. It's simple. If you don't read Les Edgerton, you lose.

Edgerton's stories takes us down those side streets or out into the backwoods most of us have passed by. What we meet there are the people we have avoided all our lives. What we find is the human heart, its brightness and dark corners. And we leave and return to the same world we have always known, but it doesn't look the same. Joyously disturbing work, hard to ignore.

I give this book five gold stars--five thumbs up--five pats on the back--five nods of joy. (See more about my work www.WordsBySusie.com) Lloyd Mardis takes his readers along with him on his cycling quest into the human spirit. You cannot read his new book, Mother Nature Ain't Nobody's Mom, without coming away feeling as if you have known this gentle and insightful guy forever. Mardis captures the landscape--both interior and exterior--of life. With each turn of the page, I found myself riding alongside Mardis, seeing the world and the people he met through his eyes and heart. This is a gem of a journey book. A must have for every bookcase. Check it out today--enjoy the cycling--enjoy the humor--enjoy the poignancy. Who knows? One day when you're out on the road cycling across the countryside, maybe you'll run into author Mardis--if so, I'd bet you'd be in for the adventure of a lifetime.

My book club thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mr. Mardis' prose enabled us to settle into the rhythm of the road along with him, and we found much to savor in his humorous telling of his many adventures. We enjoyed his descriptions of small Texas towns, his retelling of local legends, and his stories of the interesting people he met along the way. His poetry reveals the sensory impact of months alone living outside and traveling through open country and the resulting self-knowledge. There are so many things to enjoy about this book that I found myself turning page after page, long into the night. I couldn't put it down.

Mr. Mardis's book is wonderful. It can be read from front to back, or as I have discovered by reading sections in no particular order. I find this a relaxing and enjoyable way to read his book! However, my favorite section, where I am able to get the feel of the trip, is his poetry. Here the nitty-gritty, the tedium, the every-inch of the trip is (gratefully) accepted and absorbed, and his experiences come alive for me - the very tedium of cycling mile after mile is the very stuff of exhilaration. Mother nature is present to enjoy, to battle, to accept, to be amazed at, to be part of, but never, ever taken for granted or ignored!!! Thanks for the ride.

Being a class mate of Lloyd's back in Indiana. and hearing about his bike rides, I was a little sceptible of how interesting a book on riding a bicycle and camping could be.
Well I was quite surprised at how interesting traveling through the country on a bicycle could be along with the humor, discriptions of his surroundings and historic facts presented
in a form that kept my attention.
I live in Florida now and will recommend it to my friends.

Good luck on this and future books.

Very good. Makes you want to travel. Only give few books 5 stars, and this is one of them. Worth the time, give it a try.

Great book whether you are from Texas or not. The author's artwork is superb and gives you the real feelings of these "old Texas friends". The stories are right out of history and very entertaining. Whether you are young or old, the past is always a great place to visit and Mr. Morgan's book is a wonderful time machine with which to travel there. Highly recommended.

The prose is remarkably uplifting and allows one to look at history in a unique fashion. The stories are interesting and some local people with firsthand knowledge about one particular story told me the article was correct to the letter. The drawings are amazingly accurate to the finest detail. An excellent gift for the upcoming holidays. Your friends or relatives would greatly appreciate this book.

This book provides an entertaining historical account of the grand old courthouses of Texas. The author takes you back to days when the county seat was the center of activity and the letter of the law was a bit dusty. The drawings are spectacular in detail as are the tall tales of Texas lore. It is an excellent gift book and very reasonably priced.

Very good book.Lots of Texas history. Well written. I enjoyed the tales of Texas lore.Superb art work with excellent details.A great book to have in your library. B.

This is a fascinating work on a fairly esoteric topic. Although I usually don't usually encounter such works unless I am looking up specific information, I came across this book and had a difficult time putting it down. The illustrations are a magical blend of art and fact. When I have visited the courthouses, I felt as if I had been there - from both the prose and the drawings. If this topic (Texas history and culture) sounds interesting, get the book - you'll love it. If you are not sure, get the book - you'll love it. This will make a wonderful gift.