For a researcher in all things Texas, this book is a must. I have been a professional researcher for the past 50 years and anytime I have ever needed anything on Texas or people of Texas I have gone to the "Handbook of Texas" and found it easily. This new edition of the "Handbook of Texas" has only gotten better. You can now carry it around with you and it will be easily accessable at any time. If you need information on Texas, this is the place to go to find it. This book will be on my list as a must and will definitly be mentioned in my research classes as a must for my students. Carlene Peacock Brown

Portraits is a good word to describe the artful way the author describes his subjects, both natural and human in this collection of stories about the Trans-Pecos. For a backpacker like myself, the story about the solo hike in the Guadalupes reflects my own feelings about the activity better than I ever could, and in fact inspired my own trip to the same place where I had much the same experiences. I collect books on the Big Bend area, and this is the best I've read. If you want a book with a soul but no sentimentality, this it. Reminds me somewhat of David Lavender.

It was a rare moment with my daughter, nestled under the covers. "Praire Dog Pioneers" was not a mere story--it was an adventure that soothed us after a full day. It was so relaxing and interesting. My daughter, a five year old, was truly delighted with the characters and tale. We went back through time to join a family relocating. My daughter immediately identified with the youngest character, and was so caught up with her character and feelings, that she rooted for her all along. In quite a natural way, this book emphasizes the importance of integrity, acceptance, love, and family values. It also deals with some realities we all face. It is educational, colorful, historical, and positively inspiring. The text and illustrations are both truly a work of Art. The story encouraged us to sing a folk song together afterwards, which was the perfect bond for parent and child right before bedtime. This is a must for every family!

A real find for those who love poetry about nature and humannature--and humor: "I took a book with me to bed--and on the lastpage that I read--I found a little bookworm dead. It makes me feel so insecure--to find a worm could not endure--the current taste in literature..." RLB

Light hearted, funny short stories. I found this hard to put down, waiting to see what the next story would bring.

Written in a simple language, this book is accessible to readers who are not specifically familiar with oilwell drilling. Numerous photographs and drawings make it a very accurate description of the equipment and activities on and around a land rig floor. Easy, enjoyable and very informative to read throughout.
Does not tackle offshore rigs or directional drilling.

Prince Alexi of Belgovia (a mythical former Soviet republic) doesn't have much patience for boring makework. While touring Texas, he yields to impulse and joins a beautiful waitress on a trip across Texas leaving responsibility and his entourage behind (see THE PRINCE'S COWBOY DOUBLE for the story of what happened to his assistant).

Ex-waitress and accountant-to-be Kerry Lynn can't ignore the attraction she feels toward the handsome prince, nor can she deny feelings that grow beyond purely physical as she spends time with him and learns how caring he is. But she knows, and Alexi knows, that their romance is a temporary thing. Too soon, he will have to return to his responsibilities and marry an appropriate European of noble birth. Newly re-established kingdoms just can't bring in Texas brides.

When Alexi learns that Kerry became pregnant as a result of their brief romance, his world-view changes. He wants to marry Kerry, to bring their child into the world together. But can Kerry trust his change of heart? Or will he break her heart again, abandoning her for some new adventure, just as he abandoned his staff for an adventure with her?

Author Victoria Chancellor delivers a charming fairy tale. Everything has been easy for Alexi, and Kerry has learned to rely on herself, never depending on a man for anything. Only by learning to trust, and to stick with things when they get hard can the two create a life together. But can the two overcome their pasts?

For those who have a keen interest in Texas history or the early istory of the Texas Rangers, this book is a must-read. For those with a general interest in American history, "A Private in the Texas Rangers" offers an intriguingly honest and informed focus on the life of a 1880s lawman, one that is only possible by a diarist of the past and a skilled historian of the present.

Morris's second major work is a solidly based insider portrait of the Texas Rangers in their transition from the Old West (exploited by Hollywood) to the New West -- an industrial and agrarian society which reshaped Texas. Indeed, the transition has been so thorough that for many denizens the conflicts between plains indians, incursive Hispanics, and Anglos prior to the coming of the railroad are probably only known through cinematic references. The laconic entries -- by the only 19th century Texas Ranger who kept a diary -- provide Morris with the structure for a wide-ranging history.

The book expands from the diarist to the fellow rangers of Company B, then to the surrounding land and communities. There are informative and broader references to government, both State and Federal, and to social movements such as labor disputes and historical forces. Most mportantly the laying of railroad track through the Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains region sewed it into the fabric of the national community.

The daily life of Private Miller, despite incidents of drama, is more convincingly focused on the drudgery of the effort required to impose order and the rule of law where it had been relatively rare. As one proceeds through the entries and the accompanying annotations, the slowly accumulating details of the life and times of the diarist begin to provide a richness of vicarious experience, a recovery of a "lost world," and one that is rarely achieved in historical writing.

The book "A PROMISE AT THE ALAMO" is based on the American Mexican War.It is a good book because it has a lot of details in it.I would probablygive it a 10 out of 10 stars because it had a lot of action.It is my favorite book!

I read this book for an undergraduate public policy class, and found there are a lot more of us in Texas than even I had particularly realized.

Not usually one for case studies (I've seen too many instances where they are used simply to avoid direct discussion of an issue) Wilson takes great pains to select his entries, clearly demonstrating these movements are important because they show how citizens can move goverments, especially those as historically staid as Texas.

Designed under the guise of limiting governmental interference in citizen's daily lives, the part time, twice a year legislature places us at a distinct disadvantage compared to other states. In an era of rapidly normalizing economic and other problems, this form of goverment may prove ultimately inadequate for dealing with 21st century policy realities.

At the same time, he is careful to accord praise on those parts of the current system which do work--certainly including citizen and community participation. Even better, his concept of real citizen participation travels well beyond the rehearsed and sanitized (where goverment only cares if citizen wishes coincidentally match what it intends to do anyways) to champion real empowerment and change.

Even if the process is long and hard (which the studies assure us, it will be) nothing compares to at least going out and attempting to try and change a sittuation for the good of all people. You will come away from this 'textbook' completely mesmerized and invigorated, ready to take on the world yourself.