Although, by their very nature, the Texas ghost towns featured in Baker's book have deteriorated even more - or disappeared altogether - since the publication of this book in 1986, it remains a classic reference on this material and is a "must have" for the ghost town hunter's library.

The historical research is very in-depth and resurrects these "towns that time forgot" in the reader's mind. The book is lavishly illustrated with black and white photos taken by the author, as well as archival material. Highly recommended!

This is the kind of book you want to take in your car always! You never know in Texas when your going to be near a ghost town! The book has a map and is indexed, with good information on the towns , how to get there and what you will find. A must by for anyone interested in TX history

I have the good fortune to be personally acquainted with Ms. Abbott and read bits and pieces of the book prior to publication. She would come back from a cemetery exploration so anxious to get to her computer she wouldn't even say 'hello.' From the orbs she saw to the glowing headstone, she shares her adventures with her audience. She didn't just check out local legends, in most cases she went right to the horse's mouth and tracked the stories on foot. A couple of places left her a bit shaken when dark fell before she'd finished exploring. All part of being a ghost hunter. Great job.

I could not put this book down. Who'd think there were so many fascinating stories about these old graveyards. Instead of going to Disneyland next year, I'd grab a copy of this book and do a road trip.

Gone for the Day, as it is titled, would lead one to believe that it is simply a book about day trips. Naturally, I made the same assumption, purchased the book, and found a wonderfully written,humerous,folk tale of central Texas. This is a book that should be bought for the read, and not the road.

Take this enjoyable book along while exploring some of Texas' most outstanding yet least known family fun spots. Full of humorous history and highlights about small towns, state parks, trail rides, boat excursions and swimming holes. Includes Enchanted Rock, Bandera, Lost Maples, Westcave Preserve, Fredericksburg and much more!

After 30 years in Texas banking, I've seen it all, done it all and thought I had heard it all.... until I read Jody Grant's book. Great inside story. A great book even if you aren't a banker or an ex-banker.

Perhaps the definitive work on the Texas Banking crash from someone who survived, but not without scars. Grant's attempt to save his failing institution is a lesson in crisis management. Furthermore, his insights into the reasons behind the banking crisis are particularly relevant in the high growth 90's. Finally, the detailed account of working with the federal gov't (particularly the FDIC) will force anyone considering working in a highly regulated industry to think again.

Patrick Dearen, author of several works on West Texas themes, relied upon archival holdings, county records, interviews, period journals, and family accounts to piece together this story of a fascinating character who became a builder of Texas. The author has written an admiring account of a Texan who as a family man, business entrepreneur, cattle rancher, and all-around solid citizen, left an indelible impression upon his adopted state. May his tribe increase! -- WEST TEXAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION YEARBOOK, 2002.

Mayer Halff's name may be unfamiliar to anyone unacquainted with Texas history or the range cattle industry, but he was one of the most important cattlemen in American history. . . . Every year he sent thousands of head of cattle to market. Dearen describes the vicissitudes of the business, especially in the uncertainty of the Pecos River region, where prolonged drouth ruined many a rancher and killed thousands of cattle. . . . The reader will learn a great deal here how the cattle business operated in the late 19th century and how well Halff did in it. . . . Halff had a vision of what he wanted to accomplish, and by the time of his death in 1905 he had accomplished it. Dearen does a fine job of sharing Halff's vision with the reader. -- WESTERN STATES JEWISH HISTORY.

This wonderful biography of Mayer Halff who immigrated to Texas at the age of fourteen from Lauterbourg, France in about 1850, should be read by everyone who likes the history of early Texas and of the Old West. Mayer Halff was a pioneer Jewish merchant first in Liberty, Texas, and later in San Antonio. But his most interesting role was that of being one of the first men to develop the cattle industry and ranching in Texas. Those scenes we have all seen so often in movies and television of the cattle drives and cowboys were the result of men like Mayer Halff. In 1861 Halff led one of the early cattle drives from Liberty to Lyon's Point, fifty miles from New Iberia, Louisiana. Later he participated in and helped develop the large cattle drives up to Dodge City, Kansas, and other places, in the 1870s and the years that followed. Eventually, Halff owned or leased several ranches including the huge Quien Sabe Ranch which would encompass five to six hundred square miles across Midland and Glasscock counties. During this period Halff's Quien Sabe would maintain 10,000 to 12,000 cattle. All in all a great story of an important man in early Texas.

In the character of Fish Rawlings, Dearen seems to have combined the youthful exuberance of Samuel Clemens' Huckleberry Finn with the adventurous independence of Rowdy Yates (a young Clint Eastwood) from the old popular television series "Rawhide." . . . For today's young readers who did not grow up with those television western series that starred young men like "Wagon Train's" Barnaby West, "Rawhide's" Rowdy Yates, and "The High Chapparal's" Blue Cannon, the Lone Star Heroes Series helps fill the gap. -- REVIEW OF TEXAS BOOKS, SUMMER 2002.

In 1869 twelve-year-old Fish Rawlings and his cousin Gid hunt a lost gold mine in the Big Bend of Texas. An exciting adventure with danger and suspense as the two boys must cross a desert where Apache warriors prowl to find the mine. Everyone with young boys, be they sons or grandsons, should buy this series.

I truly enjoyed the book and wish I had bought it earlier as I visit Fredericksburg, San Antonio, Boerne, etc. every year doing family research. The shopping in Fredericksburg is superb but changes so quickly that a book would need to be updated every year to keep up with the changes! BUT, as a book of this type is bought more often for the historical, cultural and natural beauties of the region, shopping is generally not the most important aspect of the trip. I have been to and through many of the places listed in Llano, Gillespie, Kendall, and Blanco Counties but this is a much more interesting way of doing the trip. I recommend this to anyone who wishes to see the small towns and historical sites of the region.

If you enjoy driving through the Texas Hill Country, this book has plenty of roads mapped out, starting from Austin, Fredericksburg, and San Antonio. Every scalping, shoot-out, ghost town, abandoned schoolhouse and old church along the way is described with its own history. If you're looking for Oatmeal, TX or Nameless, TX, or just the best bbq out there, this is your book.

Belfiglio covers the TSG from A to Z. An excellent example of a thoroughly researched organizational history.Holds ones interest from cover to cover.

This is a great book to read if you want to learn what true Texans are about...from the battles for Texas independance from Mexico to the present day... this book will give you the inside story of it all. Of course, I am biased... I am a member of the Texas State Guard!

This book has received an Award of Excellence for book design in the 2001 Southern Books Competition. "Lovely green cloth binding opens to stunning title page typography that sits upon faint leaves. The typographic design is classic without being boring. Details, like the screened-back ornaments on the Contents page speak to the refinement of the design." Congratulations to the author and illustrator, designer Ellen McKie, and the University of Texas Press.

If you are serious about learning more about plants, all forms of propogation, then this is the book for you. It gets technical, but again, if you are serious, then you can figure it out. Comprehensive, well organized, good drawings, good glossary (no pronunciation guide though)and good index. A must have reference. Thanks to Ms Nokes.

My significant other lives in Houston, and I, a Californian by birth, have lived in Philadelphia most of my life. An avid gardener at home here in PA, I felt uncharacteristically unsure about tackling the long-neglected flower beds in Houston.

Then I read the reviews for Howard Garrett's charming and fabulous "Plants for Texas," and ordered it immediately. It arrived yesterday and I could not put it down until I had read it cover to cover.

Every single question I have had is answered in this book in a format so clear, so concise, and so heartwarming to any gardener, that I found I was smiling ear to ear. From the beginning pages, where Garrett presents his no-nonsense advice on design, maintenance, and care of everything from trees to turf grasses to annuals, to his staunch anti-chemical point of view (YES!), I gained a wealth of information.

By the time I got to the alphabetical pages with the full-color pictures of everything a Texas gardener could ever want to plant, I was thoroughly and totally delighted. Already I have made a rudimentary list (way too ambitious, of course). Already, I have page after page bookmarked and highlighted. Already, I have planted perfect gardens in my mind's eye.

Perhaps my favorite part of the entire book is the page on hackberry (celtis), which nastily eats up a major portion of my friend's flower beds, and which I secretly, and guiltily, hate. Garrett's take: "Do not plant and cut down the ones that sprout up!" Gotta love a man who shares my views on hackberry. I love this book. Plain and simple. I recommend it to anybody who gardens, or who plans to garden, in the Great State of Texas!

He lists almost all the plants that can grow in Texas and ones that don't-- The best part are the color photos of each plant along with details on mature height, distinguishing attributes and cultural requirements for each. An excellent reference for the Texas do it yourself home landscaper. His info on trees was invaluable to me