Texas Books

The review by Mr. Fowler pretty much sums up the book. For me there isn't anyone who can capture images of Big Bend quite like James Evans. I have long been a fan of his work and have waited for this book for many years. For those who have never been to the Big Bend region this book offers a chance to be introduced to what makes it so special. It isn't just the landscapes, it is the people. Big Bend Pictures communicates to me what makes west Texas so special. To stare into these pictures allows me to travel back to the region and experience again the heat, the dry air, the clouds(good lord the clouds, just look at how he captures the clouds) and the people. Gaze into the eyes of his subjects and know what it means to live life. Big Bend is like no other place on earth and James' photographs are like no others.

The Big Bend area of West Texas is both seductive and elusive to visitors. The immense scale, loneliness and beauty of the desert scenery can immediately charm any visitor to this remote borderland, and many books have succeeded in extolling these virtues. However, the human denizens of the Big Bend can be quirky lot, with a big dose of individuality an apparent requirement for remaining in these parts for very long.
In this new large-format book, James Evans has succeeded admirably in capturing for the viewer the essence of the human dimension of this vast land. Yes there are panoramas and thunderstorms on these pages, but it's the direct and intimate portraits of the people that will capture your attention. Elderly ranchers (and ranch women), young children, Anglos, Hispanics, funerals, dances, homes, animals - all powerful and direct visual statements. Many of these scenes aren't pretty. There's grit and violence, poverty, sadness; but it's all real. Evans has spent the past 15 years living in the Big Bend (he has a studio and gallery in tiny Marathon, TX), taking time to really know his subjects, gaining their trust, opening a window of truth before his lens. As a regular visitor to these parts, I feel Evans has finally captured the real essence of this amazing region for all of us Big Bend lovers to enjoy.
There are 102 duotone photographs, most are full or double page. A real bonus is James' comments about each photograph in the rear appendix. It is there we come to understand a little more about each of his subjects, and ultimately a bit about Evans as well. And good value, too; lots of book here for the quite reasonable price. And I like the horned lizard endpapers.

Ron Tyler's seminal work on the Big Bend of Texas is required reading for anyone who plans a trip to the "Texas Outback". This enchanting out-of-the-way part of Texas has invited explorers and adventurers for years and Tyler's historical treatment brings all the mystery and drama of the region to the surface for the modern traveler. The maps and historical photographs blend with the text to give the reader a "sense of place" that separates the Big Bend area from other southwestern landscapes. A must read for anyone interested in the remote lands of North America.

The Big Bend region of Texas is one of the most remote and least populated areas of the United States. From the center of Big Bend National Park at The Basin it is more than 100 miles by road to the nearest Supermarket in Alpine.

The author has compiled an authoritative history of the sparsely-populated Big Bend. The prose is scholarly rather than poetic, but the story is fascinating. Included in the book are maps, old photographs, a listing and description of historic sites, a thorough bibliography, extensive notes, and an index.

The Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca and his colleagues probably passed through the Big Bend in the 1530s; and the Spanish conquest began in 1580. Later the tide was turned as the Apaches and Comanches in the 18th and 19th century depopulated the Big Bend with their constant raids on Mexican settlements. In the 19th century the "gringos" arrived at the Big Bend and established ranches, mines, and wax factories -- the wax coming from the candelilla plant. One of the most interesting sections of the book concerns the conflict between Mexican revolutionaries and bandits and the U.S army in the early part of the 20th century during the era of Pancho Villa. The book concludes with the creation of Big Bend National Park in 1955.

The Big Bend is a tough country with a colorful history and this book is worth reading, especially if you plan to visit Big Bend National Park.

Smallchief

Billy Bardin is a story about a boy and his marginalized grandfather, how they get to know each other, some history, and work together to save one of the oldest trees in the state. Based on real events, "Billy" is a great read, regardless of where you are.

I really liked this book. The story is about a boy who takes on land developers and gets an historic oak tree moved, rather than cut down. It's based on actual events that happened in Arlington, Texas a few years back. It's an excellent book for the older child, probably 9 on up. My 11-year old grandson loved it.

Ms. Penson has also written a wonderful book based on events in Arlington in the 1870s, You're an Orphan, Mollie Brown, with a heroine sure to appeal to today's adventurous girl.

This is a collection of 14 essays that vary greatly in focus and scope from the narrow nearly academic "Study of the Woodcreepers of Tropical America" to the wide open view of "Mexico by Train" and Through Peruvian Amazon by Gunboat".

Skutch's training is as a biologist and naturalist but his talents as a writer and his enthusiasm in the field have combined to help produce these fascinating essays. As someone interested in the birds and natural history of Central and South America I enjoyed each chapter. The Epilogue:"The Appreciative Mind" resonated with some of my own thoughts on birds and nature. Here again Skutch has written something I wish I could write, a philosophy of the appreciation of nature. It is particularly enjoyable when reading to find an author that has already collected thoughts that you yourself have stumbled about on. Here Skutch writes so eloquently on the enjoyment of nature and birds and the imperative to protect what has taken millenia to form that I have the greatest admiration of him.

Alexander Skutch traveled around much of Latin America as a USDA botanist in the 1930s and 1940s. His job involved such work as surveying the Amazon for rubber trees and studying the various plant life found in this remarkable region. However, his real love was the birds. It's difficult for birders to make their sport sound interesting to lay people but Skutch has a way with words that will capture the imagination of anyone with an interest in nature. He's a gentle soul who lived through interesting times, including the 1948 Costa Rican Revolution. His essay, "Birding during a Time of Revolution," is not only one of the most fascinating birding adventures I've ever read but it also perfectly captures the follies of man in this region, and throughout the world for that matter. My other favorite is "Birding on a Gunboat in the Amazon"-an essay about a military mission that Skutch made in the 1940s to survey the Amazon for rubber trees. While the times have changed in Central America, many of the birds remain the same. If you enjoy Latin America, and its culture, history, flora, and fauna, you will cherish this book and read Skutch's stories again and again.

People ought not only to read these sorts of books more often, but to write them. Birdsong is the sort of character-driven novel you'd expect from Walker Percy, in which characters, during the course of a day or a week, discover their freedom, realize the influence of others in their lives, the motivation behind that influence, and whether or not it has a right to be there. Dewey confronts each aspect of his past, vaguely aware that he is in a rare introspective moment that will allow him to separate his past from his present, and ultimately, choose his future.

The novel is set in 1958 before the drug, etc. scene. So the characters are valid to the period. A wonderful novel.

A very fascinating read. As a classic movie fan, I enjoyed reading about the existence of these films. The photographs and lobby cards provide a sneak peek into a historical time.

IN THE READING OF THIS BOOK I FOUND THAT IT GAVE A CLOSE SUMMARY OF THE BLACK MOVIE INDUSTRY,AS IT,WAS, AS NEW AS A BABY BOTTOM COMING INTO THE WORLD. FROM DAY ONE,I WISH THERE WERE MORE BOOKS OF THIS NATURE IN THE LOCAL LIBRARY,IN DOWNTOWN WHITE AMERICA, JANEEN CURRY

The author deals with the presence of the Pantex plant in Amarillo, the only final assembly factory for nuclear weapons, warheads and bombs, in the US, and the attitudes of residents toward the plant. She analyzes in some detail the personal and group philosophies of war, peace, safety, and the future.

She analyzes the concepts of safety in the views of residents, both the security provided by the bomb as a deterrent and the danger of the bomb as a provocation to nuclear war or to an attack on their town as a production center. Fascinating is her analysis of the religious views accommodating, or in a few cases opposing, the presence of nuclear weapons, and the future in light of their possible use.

She explores the various religious views of the End Time of churches in Amarillo. She gives attention to the views and attitudes of individual members of churches who work in the bomb factory.

I first read this book in college in a theory of religion class. But don't be put off by that. This is the story of the people in Amarillo TX who build nuclear warheads. Most of the community are born-again Christians who are Rapturists -- they welcome the end of the world. Their story is contrasted with those people in the town and all over who are against nuclear war. It is an unbelievable sociological tale, and Mojtabai writes with compelling impartiality. She tells the whole story in a way that reads like one of the best novels I have ever read. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in human nature. It will blow you away.

This warm tale is a pleasure to read! Lacy is an idealist with decidedly proper principles on how one should live their life and she is out to change the immoral goings on in BLISSFUL, TEXAS! One of the recipients on her list is the very handsome barkeep, Lucas Burns. Lucas has his own ideas about her civilizing influences and he sets out to reform the prissy Lacy.

This fun tale is quick and easy read.

Nineteen year old Lacy Calhoun leaves her convent school to return to mama and Blissful, Texas.

On the stagecoach she runs into 29 year old Lucas Burns who happens to run the saloon, The Rooster.

Boy did things heat up when Lucas learned that Lacy was the daughter of Flossie Calhoun, owner of the Satin Slipper.

He was under the impression that Lacy was not as innocent as she appeared and Lacy thought that Lucas, with his saloon, was the downfall of all of Blissful's good men.

The good men of Blissful, [didn't meet too many] gathered in The Rooster to decide how to get rid of the do-gooder, Lacy.
She was ruining their business, fun and relaxation with Boot Withers the most out-spoken.

Ah, you have to follow the hilarious high-jinx of the people of Blissful, with Myrtle and her sister-in-law, Birdie.

With Lila gone, with the other girls, the sheriff comes acourting, thinking that his ma would approve of Lacy but.....

Lacy figures that it is up to her to bring about a higher moral standard for the good people of Blissful. And she had to take Jacob, Lucas's son under her wing. He needed a real home.

Then Lucas teaches her that she can become one of the fallen and her ideas slowly grow and mature.

The characters are great, the evolving of Lacy into a more mature woman is hilarious and touching as she finds out that no one is as bad as they seem nor was she as good as she thought.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -M Exceedingly delightful - great reading.

Today we hear so called "immigrant rights" groups claiming Texas was stolen land from Mexico and spews out their racist agenda saying all whites should be out of the territory. But this book rebutts their claim by proving that
Mr. Austin, founding father of the Texas, was a loyal citizen of Mexico and did not want to Texas to be part of United States.
This book also points out that it was Senor Santa Ana who did not respect both freedom -loving Mexicanos and Anglos, broke out the war, and later caused his downfall. I recommend this book to anyone regardless of their heritage who would seek real truth behind American history.

Like many people, I was given the ration of bull about how the Mexican War (1846-1848) was just an example of the US picking on a poor, defenseless nation. This book, though, sets the record straight. Even though it is a small tome, it packs a wallop in both information and logic. It lays out the case that Texas was as independent from Mexico as Mexico was from Spain and that Texas was as free to do with its freedom whatever it wanted to including joining the US. It lays out the case that the Texas border was at the Rio Grande, not the Neuces. It lays out a particularly devestating case that shows Mexican saber-rattling. I urge everyone who has the slightest bit of interest in that time period to read this book.

A friend recommended this book as I've been reading a lot about Sarah, Duchess of York, and I was interested in Steve Wyatt's background.

The author writes in an easy style as she tells the history of these families who are a large part of Texas history. I had not heard much about any of them. Texas folks probably would like to read about them, but I found them boring. I've given it five stars for her writing.

There are some interesting things about how retail stores have changed over the years and how customer service has deteriorated.

I think that only Texans would be interested in the parts about oil and gas companies.

amazon came through for me by finding this out of print book, and it only took them 3 days to find it. i am an admirer of lynn wyatts and was a loyal customer to the sakowitz store. this book shows us inside two very powerful families and reminds us that money is thicker than blood. i recommend this book to anyone into the social scene. thanks amazon for finding this for me.