(Finally!)This is a useful and well researched book on the Texas coast, with much to offer the fly fisher. It describes in exceptional detail the type of information needed by anyone, from rank tyro to old pro, who hopes to have a successful trip to one of the myriad fishing spots along our beautiful Texas coast. Armed with this book, the average fly fisherman can pick a location, follow Phil's advice on flies, tides, and quarry, and look forward to a grand adventure in the salt. Heed his words on safety, conservation, and ethics and I can guarantee that you are going to have a ball. My personal favorite area from the book; Port Aransas and its' surrounding waters.

As a native of Fort Worth and a military historian I have always been highly intrigued by the history of the early Fort. I was very pleased with the previous title "The Fort That Became a City" by Selcer and Potter...but it left many gaps and questions about the soldiers and social history. Dr. Perkins extensive research of primary sources had fill those gaps! It not only paints a most amazing picture of Ft. Worth itself, but the entire Texas Military Frontier of the early 1850's! To include but not limited too the most complete account of the "Mounted Infantry Experiment" and some most amazing documentation on the issue of Walker Colt's that any firearms historian MUST read!...he then deals with various para-military and non-military topics of the area and era such as the socialist communes on North Texas and the Texas Rangers and military that protected the Texas settlers during the 1840's and Mexican War (very neglected topics). There are chapters that even cover the biographical histories of the key figures. All in all this is a most exceptional book and I can not recommend it enough! My favorite part was a letter from the post quartermaster noting he can't get the regulation beans and flour for rations easily and asks if he might substitute Corn Meal (for bread) and Blackeyed Peas...MMMMMMMMMMM good ole' southern food!

This is an excellent history of Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 1849 as an army outpost in what was then the western frontier of Texas. The soldiers were there to protect settlers. The book features original architectural drawings of what the original fort probably looked like. The illustrator researched the fort through the National Archives and other records and came up with artist's views of the frontier outpost. The accompanying text explains the history of the fort and how it grew into one of the country's great cities. This is a great "coffee table" book, and would appeal to anyone interested in the history of the old west.

This crime anthology consists of nine tales, of which five star the wonderful female investigative partners C.J. Gunn and Jenny Gordon. The G&G quintet are all quite good and in some ways overwhelm the remaining four contributions though they are also entertaining tales. Still the key to this book is that the prime players in this anthology are all strong cast members for the most part performing reasonable sleuthing tasks. However it is the G&G duo that stands out but not because they are starring in over half the stories. They are the most developed of the characters and could easily be transferred into a novel as lead protagonists (not so subtle of a hint that hopefully the author hears through the grapevine). Each of the stories are creative and refreshingly plotted but they are not clones of one another. They are unique in their own right and even the non-G&G stories can be expanded into a good novel. Readers will find the G&G so unbelievably good that they will be enthralled by each story and wish that there were more of them to read in this surprisingly good anthology. FOUND DEAD IN TEXAS is a wonderful collection that showcases the talent of Jan Grape who relates appealing crime dramas to the mystery crowd.

Harriet Klausner

Kevin, as always, is a master story teller. This book blends that mastery with a sound knowledge of the subject matter evidencing lots of research. Brings a few tears, but well worth reading.....

Bob Howells is "The Mussel Guy" for Texas. This book, co-written with Raymond Neck and Harold Murray, is the most comprehensive publication on the status of freshwater mussels in Texas. This is a valuable resource for aquatic ecologists interested in mussels, which are a conservation concern due to declining abundance across the state. This guide presents species accounts with black-and-white photographs on each species present in Texas. Descriptions, geographic distributions, and ecological information is included. Introductory material covers everything from mussel anatomy and behavior to collecting gear and commercial uses. The guide is indexed and fully referenced. Several pages of color plates in the appendix are a nice extra. No self-respecting student of Texas mussels should be without it!

I really liked this book. For me it started slow, but by a few pages in I couldn't get enough. If you are interested in what farm life was like in Texas in the 1920's, this is for you. It goes into great detail about (obviously) planting and harvesting cotton, small town entertainment, churches, schools, food... the list is endless. Best of all, I talked to my grandparents, who grew up then verified it all. Want a good book about day to day farm life? Want to know what farmers used a hog's scrotum for? Buy it.

I had the pleasure of reviewing this manuscript while it was under consideration by the University of Texas Press. From Sail to Steam: Four Centuries of Texas Maritime History, 1500-1900 makes a valuable and much-needed addition to both the study of the American Southwest and maritime history in general. Francaviglia weaves together both earlier work and new, original research to present, for the first time, a single, flowing narrative of the development of Texas' ties to the sea.

The volume is heavily illustrated, which is an advantage in a work which chronicles technological development as well as social and economic change. The author also makes good use of interdisciplinary studies; he draws heavily, for example, on recent archaeological work to build a more complete picture of the past than would be possible using only limited archival sources.

I took this guide on a first time visit to San Antonio and found it invaluable. Not only was it up to date with info on the latest hotels, attractions, and restaurants, but it contains lots of asides containing interesting information on the different sites that added to our enjoyment at visiting these sites. A first rate job!

We are recent citizens of Texas and trying to learn all we can about our new State. Because our home is close to one of the old Forts we pulled this book out of the library. We enjoyed it so much that we are now buying a copy for our personal library. The Paintings by Melvin C. Warren are awesome. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the 1800's.