Texas Books

One approach to history, the traditional approach, is the biography or linking the biographical sketches of the significant actors of a time to chronicle the time. Another approach, and the approach used by author Mike Cox in Texas Disasters:True Stories of Tragedy and Survival, is to develop a theme through telling the stories of the events over time.

In taking the second approach, Author Cox writes of disasters in Texas-both natural and man-made. He describes in detail 20 disasters beginning with the first recorded, the 1554 sinking of three gold and silver bearing Spanish ships off South Padre Island, through the deadly and destructive Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005 hurricane season, and then lists in appendix sixty-nine others (tops in terms of loss of human life killing fourteen or more) that have occurred, or at least that have left some discoverable documented trail. As Cox notes, "disaster often becomes a catalyst for positive change." For instance, the 1900 Galveston hurricane, in man's promise to himself to never let it happen again, gave birth to the commissioner model of municipal government, in order to more efficiently meet the local needs of anticipating and responding to a natural emergency. The 1921 San Antonio flood gave rise to a flood control system that in the 1968 era of Hemisfairs and Urban Renewal provided a structure upon which the Riverwalk and the economic engine for the most popular international tourist destination in the state arose. The 1937 New London school natural gas leak explosion resulted in tighter regulation of architects and engineers and the addition of mercapitan to odorless natural gas to give it a chance for detection by humans before explosions occurred. The 1947 Texas City fertilizer plant explosion gave rise to federal regulations for the handling of hazardous materials. The 1953 Waco tornado prompted the use of World War II radar as a tool for local weather stations to predict and therefore to be able to alert the public of killer storms in enough advance to get out of harm's way. The 1979 Wichita Falls tornado inspired the development of storm-safe rooms in houses. And the 1985 Delta Airlines crash at DFW Airport heightened the need for more study of wind-shear and the resulting of better windshear detection systems and pilot training to avoid or to handle downdrafts in critical stages of flight for better safety of the air traveling public.

As Cox writes, "[w]hile some measure of good came out of several of Texas's worst tragedies, other disasters caused heartbreak and havoc in the short term ...." While their effects may not have lingered on the community as a whole, their effects on individuals changed lives forever.

For an interesting read, one that the reader can do in 15-minute increments, this book is worth the price of admission.

They say reporters write the first draft of history. Mike Cox, a seasoned journalist and public safety spokesperson, offers a lively and intensely human second draft on some of the worst disasters to strike Texas since Spanish colonization.

This book is an excellent read for those who prefer to learn about history through the poignant stories of people lived it, instead of through wordy, academic analysis. Cox's descriptions put you at the scene, often through the recollections of witnesses and survivors.

The featured stories bring to life twenty famous Texas disasters. In many cases, their lessons led to new inventions and protocols that help keep us safer today. The appendix, meanwhile, offers an exhaustive reference list of tornados, hurricanes, steamboat explosions and other calamities to strike the Lone Star State.

Hailing from Lamar County, I had to skip ahead and read about the 1916 Paris fire!

Captivating! After spending nearly 10 years in Texas emergency management, I mistakenly thought I had heard all the stories. Mike Cox has brought to light dramatic, real-life events that should hold the attention of anyone who knows that truth is more fascinating than fiction.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (10/06)

Mike Cox has written a gripping definitive account of twenty of the most devastating disasters in the history of the state of Texas. Cox, an acute observer, recounts theses stories of tragedy through the eyes of a news reporter. His accounts are readable, compelling and engaging.

Cox covers a period of over four hundred years of Texas history in the book. The account begins with the wreck of three Spanish ships off the coast of South Padre Island in 1554, and concludes with hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2006. Although Katrina came ashore in Louisiana the impact of Texas hospitality and the supreme effort to aid the 400,000 evacuees demonstrate that in adversity Americans unite in the effort to save lives and restore property.

The author provides an amazing number of prints and photographs that reflect the disasters, debris, and destruction of flash floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and explosions. Twisted houses, buildings leveled, smoke and fire damage are only a few of the results shown in these illustrations.

Dislocated families, lives lost, and mass graves of unidentified bodies, are among the horrors related in these true stories of tragedy. Fires subsequent to the initial disaster were often more devastating then the original cause.

The stories come from people who lived through those dreadful experiences. Mike has captured the essence of how the man of the street pitched in to reach out on a human level of compassion.

Cox gives specific examples of this in many of the stories. Men and women became heroes during the aftermath of the ravage, devastation, and destruction of nature's fury.

The following is typical of the action of civic leaders and hero's of the day: Following the Galveston hurricane in 1900, "Help began pouring in as fast as rescue and aid workers could reach Houston."

Mike Cox uses these accounts of disaster as a wake up call to civic leaders and citizens alike to focus on preparedness in the event of future similar catastrophes. The historical account and commentary in "Texas Disasters" is well researched and documented. The bibliography is comprehensive and impressive.

This is a collection of uplifting, heroic stories of survival in the face of overwhelming adversity.

I found this book at the dusty museum at Buffalo Gap, Texas,

and was enthralled!

Somebody has written the DIFINITIVE history of my early stompin'

grounds,

(the area whose back roads I traversed in my early 20's,

shooting .22 rimfire bullets into every road sign I encountered,

(statute of limitations HAS expired)

and as I read it,

I detected nary a false note.

Ty Cushion is a righteous dude,

(for a Baptist).

Forget the things you think you know about the history of this area. Dr. Cashion spent enormous amounts of time and effort tracking down the truth about events which have become part of Texas folklore--and has debunked a lot of what we "thought" we knew in the process. His books are as fascinating as his University lectures...hang on for a great read!

Well written! enjoyable to read. I had Dr. Cashion at Sam Houston State this fall. His class is great, it was a great learning expirience. The book is wonderful. Although I missed a couple of points about the book but that's ok.

While researching the town of Griffin for my own work, I was referred to Dr. Cashion's book by the curators of the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX. Not only is this book indispensible in any serious study of the town of Griffin, which was a hub of the cattle and buffalo trade in the mid-1800's (through which many notable western personas passed, such as John Selman -the killer of John Wesley Hardin, and the fabled poker queen Lottie Deno), it is also a fascinating account of the birth, life and eventual demise of a classic frontier boom town. Dr. Cashion's book, while also covering the whole of the Clear Fork Country (and also happily, its overlooked minority inhabitants), could almost be considered a biography of Ft. Griffin, if we can imagine the town itself as a personality. The book gives a fine description of the natural land as it was seen by its first inhabitants (and first European explorers), and goes on to describe the various elements (political, natural, social etc.) which led to the settling of the area. Griffin is treated with special interest, from its early beginnings as a military outpost, to its heyday as an outfitting and entertainment capital for buffalo hunters and later cattle outfits, to its oil days, and on through to its eventual decline. There are a great many interesting photographs, both of the land, of old surveying maps, and of the people who populated the area, white, black, and Indian. Of particular interest is the chapter `Just Plain Old Folks,' which records many of the daily doings, trials, and tribulations of the everyday citizens. Dr. Cashion writes with equal and obvious passion of the rawboned hunters and cattlemen, the violent sometimes gunmen like John Larn and Selman, who used both sides of the law to their own ends, the retired buffalo soldiers, just trying to make their living somewhere between the harsh trials of the land and the distrust of their white neighbors, and the women and children who found themselves living and working in lonely cabins far from the company of friends and neighbors. For this alone the book is worth it, but also worthy are the revisionist-minded attempts of the author to debunk the many stereotypes and outright falsehoods about the area which have passed as history for so long. Griffin the town is no more the blood-soaked, bullet-riddled Sodom of the west that it has sometimes been portrayed as in fiction and some history (an old biography of Doc Holliday comes to mind, and is once referred to by the author) than is any other myriad of western towns which has ever romantically laid claim to that misnomer. The stories of its people however, are no less interesting, and Dr. Cashion's book proves that. Highly recommended!

I gave this as a gift, and it was enthusiastically received, but I am not able to review it.

If you live in Texas and want to garden organically....this is THE book for you. I have been gardening (as organically as possible) for decades, and found tons of information in this very thorough tome. LOVED IT!

This book is an excellent source for anyone wanting to start from scratch on gardening. I am a very visual person, and the pictures of plants and illustrations on how to plant make this book excellent! The book I got is hard-back so I know it will last a long time!

It's a great book as it covers subjects from planting, caring for, and choosing which plants will do well. The book also covers Texas' bugs (which we have plenty of) and pest control. Garrett is my gardening guru in Texas...but if you have his previous books, then this will look like a review.

This landscape guide is an excellent tool for your Texas landscape. One of the best items (other than full color renderings), is that the book show you what plants will look like from initial planting to full-grown plants. I would highly recommend it.

I'm a certified Master Gardener and I find this book so helpful and really good for Texas landscapes. It is clear and has great illustrations. This book should be in every Texas gardener's book collection!

Having recently purchased my first home I picked up five different gardening books. I don't even know where the other four have gone, but now I have two of this one. It's a great guide which covers everything from plants that should thrive in the area (including care, size, and how to select), to various designs for commonly-found areas around your home.

It even covers various landscape construction projects such as fences, walks, and patios, and is well-written and illustrated throughout.

[...]

New edition is a wealth of knowledge for each area of Texas. Sections on walkways and paths and sections on specific plants for your area are the best I've read.

I've known Tweed for over 30 years and if anyone could write this book it had to be him. This book is about growing up in Texas and what makes it so special. From Willie to Darrell Royal, you get to know how they felt about growing up in Texas and what it still means to them. I highly recommend this book, even though I might be just a little bias...and yes I'm in the book too. Great job, Tweed.

Anyone with a love for Texas or interest in its history will enjoy this book. Design is superb, as is the content. Loved it so much, I just ordered 2 for friends, and I'm sure I'll be back for more in the future.

Enhanced with an informative foreword by Kinky Friedman, Texas In Her Own Words as told by Tweed Scott is a fascinating and informative study of the Texan. Compiling interviews with people drawn from all walks of Texas life, Texas In Her Own Words includes commentary and observations from stars such as Willie Nelson, Darrell Royal, and Liz Carpenter; a wealth of fun and interesting facts of the great state; illustrative pictures vividly capturing the pride of many Texans; the origin of the Texas image and attitude; and discussion points for diehard Texans or book groups study the history and culture of the Lone Star State. Texas In Her Own Words is very highly recommended for its concise analysis of Texas pride and its wonderful in-depth coverage of every given style and stereotype of Texan.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (04/06)

"To me I'm not an American. I'm a Texan." These are the words of Reagan Patton from Nacogdoches, Texas. Those same words, in various versions, are said by the fifty some residents of Texas that Tweed Scott interviewed for his book "Texas in Her Own Words." As a resident of Texas since 1990, I also have taken on this attitude for many of the same reasons portrayed in Scott's book.

Mingled between the interviews of people such as Willy Nelson, Liz Carpenter, Darrel Royal and many others, are pictures, rules, and trivia. For example, "Texas has 4,959 square miles of inland water...this is the most of any state in the lower 48. Minnesota ranks second." And, "Texas has three of the ten most populous cities in America - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio."

Texas is known world wide because of the infamous TV series "Dallas" and the reruns that never seem to end. Texas born Waylon Jennings scored a number one hit in the late 70's with "Luckenbach, Texas." Yes, there really is a place called Luckenbach, Texas, and, "Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach." One would only understand that statement if they'd paid this infamous town a visit and met some of the locals. Scott interviewed long time Sherriff Marge Mueller shortly before her passing. She said "I think the nicest thing about Texas is the people who live here."

Scott's book certainly deserves a read. His countless hours of traipsing across the vastness of Texas to chat with people about his home state come through his writing with wonder and enchantment. Each personal portrayal gives another glance, and then another glance, into the deeper truths of Texas' residents. By the time the reader finishes "Texas in Her Own Words," whether a resident of Texas or a wannabe, he or she will fully understand why people living in Texas are Texans, not Americans.

I have read each and every one of her book. each one is a masterpiece. Texas Proud is no different! Rachel and Noble are perfect for each other. this is the kind of Romance that pulls at your heart strings, and makes you believe that such a love truly does exist.

Ms O'Banyon is a wonderful author. Texas Proud is well written with a unique plot and surprising twists. The characters are so defined that u can feel their angst and their passion. The dialogue is witty and real. Best of all Rachel is as strong a female lead as her counterpart Nobel Vincente. It also gives a post traumatic stress perspective of that post civil war era. How incredibly simply she defines that war: a civil war that was anything but civil. I love that era because emotions were intense, actions theoretically noble and history so defining.
A good all round book........

This is Noble Vincente's story and the prequel to his sister, Sabor Vincente's story in RIDE THE WIND. Rachel belives that Noble killed her father, and when he returns to town, she is laying in wait for him. She loves him desperately, but she believes she has to avenge her father's death. What a wonderful story--it opens with Rachel's gun trained on the unsuspecting Noble. I read it twice and will probably read it again. After you read this you will want to go on and read RIDE THE WIND which is equally wonderful!!!

I've read all of Constances books and they are all wonderful. this one is no different. Noble and Rachel make a perfect couple. this one truly pulls at the strings of your heart, and leaves you with happiness, tears, and longing. It is books like these that allow you to believe that Love truly does exist in a beautiful form.

I cannot exactly call my copy a coffee table book. I keep mine on the top shelf; because after reading it and looking at all of the beautifully photographed quilts, I think I would kill anyone who put a coffee ring on it. Excellent stories and descriptions from a well educated woman on the subject of quilts (and not only Texas ones!).

What a beautiful book about quilts and Texas! Kaylackie has done a wonderful job of weaving the stories of quilts into the history of Texas. The photos are gorgeous and the narrative is always interesting. This book should appeal to anyone who loves quilts and/or Texas. I'm buying several for Christmas gifts. Great job, ya'll!

What a wonderful legacy, Marcia Kaylakie has created a beautiful book capturing the Texas history and colour from all it's regions. The stories behind each carefully chosen quilt are well written and complimented with beautiful photography. Previous reviews of this work speak volumes, so it is was an easy decision to buy this book and I am not disappointed.This is a beautiful volume and to the author and her assistants, well done.
I enjoy the fascinating stories mixed with the historical content,history can often be a 'dry' subject, but definitely not, in this case. I would recommend this book to all the quilters who love diverse stories and rich pasts. Enjoy......

A very readable from cover to cover photo book of quilts of yesteryear to quilts of today and all in the Lone Star State. Marcia Kaylakie defintely did her homework and reserached each quilt front, back and between the designs. Each quilt tells an amazing chronicle of the quilter and the who took the time to make a piece of history. This book makes a wonderful gift for yourself and your quilting friends for Christmas. I plan to put one my quilt table in my studio and buy 2 more for my quilter friends. Happy Holidays!

I came away from independent historian Mike Cox's new classic Ranger history with a new view of the fabled outfit, the samurai of early Texas. There's less of their invincibility here than vulnerability. Despite committing occasional injustices, they seem often to have been short of manpower, money and even modern weapons yet would charge into a fight they couldn't reasonably win and only after taking as well as inflicting casualties, withdraw. They usually were effective, but they usually paid a price.

One review I saw complained that Cox's tale is too bloody. It is graphic in describing the appalling things the Commanche and other maurauding Indians liked to do to settler families, but no more so I don't think, than some recent historical fiction. More so, however, than professional historian Walter Prescott Webb's 1935 classic that Cox has updated with skill and thorough documentation. Webb, for instance, says on page 313 only that Ranger D.W.H. Bailey was slain in July, 1874, trying to get water for a thirsting company under Indian siege. Cox tells us that Bailey's name was Dave and quotes a comrade that the Indians killed him in sight of the others by cutting off his nose, ears, hands, arms, etc. and eating his flesh until their leader dispatched him with a tomahawk. It helps you understand why the early Rangers tended to shoot Indians on sight. When the savages finally were subdued, there were still Anglo and Mexican murderers and border bandits to fight and the Rangers kept charging, and sometimes losing, but were always ready to charge again.

Cox is finishing a second volume to bring the Rangers up to the 21st century, something Webb didn't live to do, and it should make a dandy story, or rather series of stories, which is the way this first volume is put together. Rangers are mainly detectives, nowadays, but their mystique lives on in their holstered but cocked .45s. I'll look forward to No. 2 while recommending this one to anyone interested in Texas. As my Corsicana grandfather used to say, "It's a peach."

This is a well written book that contains a wealth of factual and historical information about the 1st century of the Texas Rangers. It contains thorough references that allows additional study on a topic, should one choose. This book is historical in nature and does not contain fantasy stories of Ranger Lore and Legend. It does, in a number of places, show how the legend was born from actual events.

I would not recommend this book for a "First Time" Ranger reader. It is aimed for the student of the Rangers who is trying to expand his knowledge. A final note is the title talks of wearing the Cinco Peso which was not worn until the mid twentieth century, a time not covered by this book.

The Texas Rangers:Wearing the Cico Peso,is a wonderful history of an amazing institution. At least until 1900 the Rangers were entrusted with the protection of the citizens of Texas, a monumental task, in light of the prevelance of vigouous Indian tribes, many lawless whites who came to Texas to escape the law in more settled States, and the absence of laws to deal with the ownership of such vital assets as land and cattle. The Rangers performed their dangerous work excellently despite being grossly unmaned, underfunded and poorly paid. Mike Cox has managed to put together this factually monumental work and make it a gripping read as well.
Bob Fussell

In this wonderfully written, well documented history of the early Texas Rangers, Mike Cox tells it the way it was, without attempting to romanticize, justify or condemn. Set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Texas frontier history, where lawlessness was the rule and racial hatred prevailed on all sides, the author puts into perspective the violence of the era and the attrocities committed by all the competing cultures during such turbulent times. With a second volume on the way, this is destined to be the definitive work on Texas Ranger history.

Book review: Straight-talking look at first Rangers

Web Posted: 03/07/2008 12:18 PM CST

Sterlin Holmesly
Special to the San Antonio Express-News

The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900
By Mike Cox

Forge, $25.95


Texas Ranger lore continues to fascinate, and Mike Cox makes a substantial contribution to it with this work on the force's first 80 years.

Stephen F. Austin's settlers were threatened by the cannibalistic Karankawa Indian tribe. A small group of armed riders was formed for protection. That was the beginning of the Rangers.

Over the next eight decades, the Rangers battled Comanches, Apaches, Mexican soldiers, bandits, rustlers, fence-cutters, bank robbers and outlaw mobs. They furnished their own horses and weapons and were poorly and erratically paid. Their numbers expanded and contracted according to the size of the threats to the frontier and the shaky state budget. Many served hoping to be paid by the next session of the Legislature.

The Rangers quickly developed a reputation for ferocity. They were often accused of being racist vigilantes, accurately in some cases. Still, they deserve credit for protecting the state's expanding frontier and eventually making Texas a safe place to live and work.

For Mike Cox, this book is obviously a work of love and fascination. For 15 years, the former journalist served as the spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the modern Rangers.

It is a meticulously researched book, drawing on newspapers of the day (including the San Antonio Express), letters, orders and official reports cited in copious source notes. The writing is straight-ahead.

We meet such leaders as Capts. "Rip" Ford and Leander McNelly as well as privates who put their lives on the line and rode the country from San Saba to El Paso.

Cox details the capture of outlaw John Wesley Hardin and the shooting of Sam Bass and his gang, two highlights in Ranger history.

As the book ends, some Texans began to believe that the Rangers were a relic of the past and were no longer needed. As we know, that wasn't true.
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Sterlin Holmesly is a San Antonio author.

I just passed my state exam and found the CD to be very helpful. I highly suggest it for preparing!

This book is a must if you dont remember much from your classes. The refresher course is straight to the point, and the tests on the computer really help out ALOT. If you can pass the tests on the cd, passing the exam is easy.

I found this book to be very helpful. I especially liked the glossary of terms and the condensed review in the middle of the book. I used the CD exams as practice for my test to get used to the computer format. I passed both parts on my first try and I think this book helped me do that.

This is more helpful than the college courses I had. The college courses are required, but this is a definite "must have" before taking the test.

Favorite scene with Pru-
Being attacked.

Favorite scene with Cal-
Giving Jack a warning.

Together-
Pru hiring Cal to help her at the ranch.

What did you like about Pru-
Her willingness to make her ranch work and create a life for her and her son.

What didn't you like about Pru-
Her stubborness. Doing what she wants and arguing every time someone tells her
what to do, esp. Cal.

What did you like about Cal-
His strength, despite his past and everyone talking about him. His love for Pru and
Jeremy.

What didn't you like about Cal-
Being cold and distant because of his past.

The moment I saw this book I bought it, knowing it would be a wonderful read because it came from one of my favorite authors. And I was not disappointed. if don't have Texas Star order it now! You won't be sorry. I'm from Texas and she does my state proud.

A devoted fan

I loved this book! The worst part is waiting for the sequels. Elaine Barbieri is a wonderful author. I highly recommend this and all of her other books!

Just prior to the Civil War, Cal Star left home, but upon receiving a strange cryptic note returns after an almost decade absence to the family ranch in Lowell, Texas. There he finds the spread in near ruin and his ailing father Buck inaccessible guarded by a she devil of a new wife Celeste, whom Cal never met before.

Cal obtains work at the nearby ranch owned by widow Pru Reynolds. Though the attraction is strong between them, Pru refuses to have anything to do between her and Cal beyond the chores she has employed him to perform on her spread. As he tries to break down Pru's barriers and get past Celeste's sentinel to see his father, Cal will soon become embroiled in dark family secrets that could destroy him if he is not careful. Celeste's married mother was willing to give up all for Buck, but instead was scorned in 1850 New Orleans by the handsome rogue. She has set in motion the destruction of the Star ranch, family, and especially the ailing patriarch.

TEXAS STAR is a dark Reconstruction Era romance that has the key interactions effected by events prior to the Civil War. The story line is exciting on several levels. Cal and Pru make a nice couple, but readers will feel empathy towards Celeste, who though she is a vile villainess is also an innocent victim of what occurred two decades earlier. Fans will enjoy this complex tale of revenge and love in post war Texas.

Harriet Klausner