Product Description
Featuring four entirely new essays as well as new maps, photographs, an appendix, and a comprehensive index, this latest edition of our popular text considers the history of Texas from the pre-Columbian period to the present. A thoughtful balance of sequential and topical chapters, this engaging and affordable book—useful as a reader or a core text—remains a favorite of student readers and instructors alike. ... Read more

Product Description
The Historical Texas Book Collection is a collection of 46 volumes relating to the history of Texas and its people primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries. Several of the volumes have great period illustrations and portraits of relevant historical figures.Here are the computer requirements to run and operate this CD. You must have a PC running Windows or a Macintosh running OS X or higher software and a web browser. All the manuals in this disk are in DJVU format. This format allows you to page through the manuals, enlarge pages for better viewing and print the individual pages or entire manual as well as many other things. The viewer is very intuitive to use and has a full help system to answer any questions you may have about its more advanced features. The viewer is included on the CD. ... Read more

Product Description
Hundreds of local history groups and family history enthusiasts often record who is buried in their local cemeteries. These records are unique one of a kind sources and are extremely hard to find. This survey of such records details, in Texas, county by county, where the burial records for Texas cemeteries have been published, and where those records can be found. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have for for the serious genealogist
Listing thousands of names in hundreds of cemeteries across Texas, this book is a must have for the serious genealogist researching their Texas roots. ... Read more

Product Description
Texas Ranger Tales II continues the amazing saga of the legendary Rangers with new stories that include accounts from the days when Big Foot Wallace, legendary Ranger hero, was a serious force to be reckoned with; little know but extraordinary tales of twentieth-century Rangers; and an entertaining look at theatrical portrayal of the acclaimed Rangers, including early radio hero The Lone Ranger and the very popular television show of today, Walker, Texas Ranger. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Book on the Rangers!
My review is simple: If you wish to read a good book on the Texas Rangers, buy this one!

Straight shooting from the Rangers' right hand man
Everytime a new book is published on that unique, legendary, fascinating, iconic, mythical, and very real law enforcment agency, the Texas Rangers,and that book has Mike Cox's name on it, you can expect the verybest in contemporary historical writing on the subject. Cox is the man yousee on TV, facing that phalanx of reporters every time some whackoantigovernment kooks force a standoff that calls for some old fashionedstraight shootin' and cool tempered, righteous handling. Because theRangers themselves aren't like most modern folks who like to blab theirstories on Larry King or in the scandal rags; they're tight lipped men, andthey let their actions and their record do the talking. And what a bunch ofincredible stories their history offers. Cox himself is the perfectchronicler for the Rangers, he writes in an economic, deceptively simplestyle, almost like a grandfather telling stories to a youngster or a circleof old friends. There's always a twist at the end, and unlike the VASTmajority of other Ranger histories, Cox always manages to unearth new factsor fascinating new insights to the deeds and incidents he writes about. Coxalso often has a personal connection to the events he writes about;sometimes, as in the case of legends like Frank Hamer, the Rangers were menthat were well known to his own grandfather, and passed down directly tohim. And Cox has been on the scene at some of the biggest cases of themid-to late 20th century -- the standoff at Ft Davis, the Luby massacre inKilleen, the Branch Davidian blow up at Waco. Buy this book in hardcover,you'll be reading it over and over so much that you'll wear out thepaperback. ... Read more

Product Description
On April 16, 1947, a small fire broke out among bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the hold of the ship Grandcamp as it lay docked at Texas City, Texas. Despite immediate attempts to extinguish the fire, it rapidly intensified until the Grandcamp exploded in a blast that caused massive loss of life and property. In the ensuing chaos, no one gave much thought to the ship in the next slip, the High Flyer. It exploded sixteen hours later. The story of the Texas City explosions--America's worst industrial disaster in terms of casualties--has never been fully told until now. In this book, Hugh W. Stephens draws on official reports, newspaper and magazine articles, personal letters, and interviews with several dozen survivors to provide the first full account of the disaster at Texas City. Stephens describes the two explosions and the heroic efforts of Southeast Texans to rescue survivors and cope with extensive property damage. At the same time, he explores why the disaster occurred, showing how a chain of indifference and negligence made a serious industrial accident almost inevitable, while a lack of emergency planning allowed it to escalate into a major catastrophe. This gripping, cautionary tale holds important lessons for a wide reading public. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

MATTER OF FACT BOOK
I would describe this as something of a 'matter of fact book', not a thrill to read.That is not to say it's a bad book by any means, only that it is not written as a great story, but as a narrative of events in Texas City in April 47.The author looks at what happened, how it played out, and who was responsible.The human side of the disaster gets little attention, although there are some notable descriptions from time to time. The disaster is largely attributed to inexperience and complacency in handling explosive chemicals and fertilizer.Readers interested in the subject will likely enjoy this book, but it is far from the last word on what took place at the docks when the Grandcamp and High Flyer exploded.

pipi
A bit of American history that I had never known about.

A very detailed book about a bad day in Texas.

Texas History Reference
This book is a good source of information about the Texas City Disaster.I felt that the author was very factual about the events.However, I also felt that he seemed to concentrate on all the mistakes.Although it is necessary to point out the mistakes so that they may not be repeated, I felt that the book could also emphasize some of the positive results of the disaster.This is a very good book for reference.It is not weighted down with a lot sensationalism.

Little Known Event
I never read about this event in any of my history books. This story of events grips the reader or at least me and had me questioning how things could go so bad. It does not really touch you on an emotional level but more on an intellectual one. The information is all there and is told in matter-of-fact prose.It does not really editorialize and that is what I liked about it.

Thorough, but neither personal nor exciting.
This is a horrible disaster which needs to be known to all of us. As far as facts and figures, causes and blames, go, the book is thorough. What it is NOT is exciting or dramatic. I have read lots of disaster fiction and nonfiction, and what I find lacking in this book is the personal element--most such books DO include some of the many personal dramas which are part of such a major event. Lacking these, the book does not "touch" one the way it should. Similarly, the lack of personal histories weakens the drama inherent in such an event.

Certainly, read the book for the facts. But do not expect gripping drama. ... Read more

Product Description
Sawmill communities were once the thriving centers of East Texas life. Many sprang up almost overnight in a pine forest clearing, and many disappeared just as quickly after the company "cut out" its last trees. But during their heyday, these company towns made Texas the nation's third-largest lumber producer and created a colorful way of life that lingers in the memories of the remaining former residents and their children and grandchildren. Drawing on oral history, company records, and other archival sources, Sitton and Conrad recreate the lifeways of the sawmill communities. They describe the companies that ran the mills and the different kinds of jobs involved in logging and milling. They depict the usually rough-hewn towns, with their central mill, unpainted houses, company store, and schools, churches, and community centers. And they characterize the lives of the people, from the hard, awesomely dangerous mill work to the dances, picnics, and other recreations that offered welcome diversions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Logging towns in East Texas
This is a fascinating read and a book with invaluable information. I've read it more than once, which is rare for me. For those who want to know life in the East Texas logging camps, this is the source. Read and share with others!
Lois G. Shrout ... Read more