"Intelligence, a sense of humor, rightness of heart, observant sympathy for nature, and gentle sensitiveness are manifest throughout this book," said J. Frank Dobie, who wrote an introduction for it. In 1894 Carl Benedict was still wet behind the ears but crazy to get away and work on the range. In the summer, he hooked up with the Figure 8 Ranch to round up cattle in the Texas Panhandle. Out of that experience came this book, published fifty years later, about what it was really like to be a cowboy in some ornery country checkered by canyons and gyp water springs. A Texas cowboy classic

I used this book in my 6th grade class to give background information for our field trip to Galveston. My students were amazed at the disaster and how life was in 1900. The author did a great job writing from a child's perspective and detailing the events, sights, sounds and even smells of the storm as well as the time period. It took us into 1900 for the 30 minutes we read every day. I look forward to reading it every year, even if we don't go to Galveston.

This book is a must have for anyone interested in Terry's Texas Rangers (8th Texas Cavalry). It contains three rare first person accounts of the Ranger's activities during the Civil War including the diary of Ephraim Dodd who was unjustly hung as a spy by Federal troops. There are also several photos and an excellent introduction by Thomas Cutrer. I highly recommend it.

In the spring of 1863, Lieutenant Thomas Selman returned to Texas with hopes of recruiting men to fill the depleted ranks of Co. E, 4th Texas Infantry. Only one man from the Waco area responded--John C. West. Soon after enlisting, West not only began his trip to Virginia but also began a diary. That diary and his letters home form the basis of this personal account in the ranks of one of the finest fighting outfits in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. West saw action at two of the bloodiest battles of the war--Gettysburg and Chickamauga.

"Although never a significant proportion of its soldiers, troops from Texas played important roles in many of the Army of Northern Virginia's battles. John C. West's A Texan In Search of a Fight is an excellent account by a man who fought with the Texas Brigade at Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. A combination of diary and letters, West's book includes valuable information about the battles in which he took part, attitudes and concerns of soldiers in the ranks, and the nature of travel between the trans-Mississippi and the eastern Confederacy at the mid-point of the war." Gary W. Gallagher

"Highly intelligent, unusually forthright, and blessed with remarkable descriptive powers, John West authored a personal account of his service with Hood's Texas Brigade that comprises one of the most credible and readable primary sources produced by any soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia." T. Michael Parrish

TEXAS
Pioneer Hearts are open to Love and at Risk for Danger in four Interwoven Novels
By: Debra White Smith

TEXAS HONOR
After her father's death, Rachel Isaacs is determined to hang onto her family's ranch in spite of everything that's going wrong - Cattle are missing, her barn has been burned to the ground - twice, a man was killed and his body mysteriously vanished. Unexpected help comes in the form of Travis Campbell, the son of her father's best friend. Travis' mischievous smile and take-charge attitude has Rachel rethinking her upcoming marriage to her neighbor, Samuel Jones. Rachel's discovery that Travis' is harboring a dark secret threatens their budding relationship and has her wondering if her trust in the handsome cowboy is misplaced. The best thing would be to send him packing, but can she survive the terrible events happening on her ranch without his help?

TEXAS ROSE
Kate Lowell barely survives the heart-breaking pain when her fiancé is accidentally killed by his best friend. She vows never to love again and seeks solace in tutoring the son of a handsome widower. The Indian heritage of McCall Adam's half-breed son, Drew, is a source of constant irritation to their bigoted neighbor. When Drew becomes friends with their neighbor's son, sparks fly.
Against her will, Kate finds herself drawn to McCall in spite of the fact he is still in love with his deceased wife. She can see McCall's attraction to her in his eyes but how can Kate help to free him of his past love? Eventually, Kate burns the last rose her fiancé gave her before his death. Can she help McCall to find a way to 'burn his roses' so they can build a life together?

TEXAS LADY
Co-authored by: Susan K. Downs
Maggie Alexander's whole life has been a lie. Uncle Cahill, the sweet, loving man who raised her, in reality was an outlaw--the very outlaw who caused the death of her parents. Now he too is dead at the hand of a criminal--one who may be after her, as well.
As a nurse to the town's only doctor, Maggie finds herself caring for a badly beaten man. In spite of his injuries, Levi Campbell is constantly smiling and teasing her. When the instant attraction between the two quickly grows to something much deeper, Maggie struggles with trusting Levi. If he knows the truth of her past, will the man of her dreams ride off on his horse and never look back?

TEXAS ANGEL
Co-authored by: Robert Osborne
When Angela Isaacs finds a badly wounded escaped criminal in her cornfield, she must make a spur-of-the-moment decision. The man declares he is the Reverend Noah Thorndyke, and that he is innocent. He pleads with Angela to hide him and care for his wounds. As a schoolteacher, Angela is concerned about risking her job and reputation to help Rev. Thorndyke. After prayerful consideration, she feels led to take a chance he's telling the truth. She could never live with herself if she turned in an innocent man.
Tensions mount as Angela hides Noah in her basement with both lawmen and outlaws searching for him. She continually struggles, wondering if she made the right decision.
Noah Thorndyke has no idea why he landed in jail and the very next day he is sentenced to hang. Rather than face death, he makes his escape, and is shot. Near the end of his rope, Noah finds help in the quiet schoolteacher. Can Noah and Angela find out who framed him and allow their growing attraction to bud into something deeper?

Debra White Smith has done a wonderful job with these interwoven stories of friends and family. I thoroughly enjoyed each one. Faith, mystery, suspense and romance all abound, deep in the heart of Texas.

I bought this book before a trip to the Hill Country this past spring. One of the author's suggestions, which turned out to be the highlight of our trip, was to drive the Willow City Loop - we ended up driving it twice because it was so beautiful. We would have never found it without this book, and I've bought several other books similar to this one since our trip and not one of them mentions it.

I found this book on a roadtrip to West Texas and it became an indespensible resource for discovering Texas. Not only did we find many side trips while in the Permian Basin of West Texas, it opened a new window into the Hill Country around Austin, we visited many places that we would never have known existed. A companion book on was an indespensible part of a recent road trip I took with my kids through Wyoming. You cannot say you truly know a place unless you own one of these books for the state in which you live. The books open a whole new world of weekend excursions to places and things odd, quirky, historic and wonderful. I highly recommend any in this series.

This exemplifies all that's Texas. From the UT Tower in Austin to the rugged landscape of West Texas, all the natural beauty can be found in this book. It makes the perfect gift for an out of state friend or for yourself.

This book not only has helped me but it has made everything clear for me. I am ready to take this test. If any high school student is looking for some easy, helpful tips, and/or wants to pass the TASP then they should review this book. I guarentee that by reviewing the TASP book, anyone who takes this test will thank the people who had the effort to publish a book like this, because I rate this a 5 star. If I can pass this anyone else can do it. This test is the easiest you'll ever have. Although I haven't taken my real test yet I have confidence that I am going to accomplish the un-impossible here at San Benito High School. This book has made it real clear for me. That is why I want to thank the TASP for making a book .

Although I am not a native Texan, I have choose to live here. Texas Alphabet can be enjoyed by everyone who has a love for state trivia or the alphabet. Each letter is used to tell about things unique to Texas, and many of the cities (large and small) are included throughout the book. As a middle school teacher, I found this book to be a great way to get my students interested in Texas history and have fun at the same time! A must read for parents and teachers alike! (You don't have to be a TEXAN, ya'll ,to enjoy this book--the author is from Mississippi and wrote the entire book from research done via Internet!) This picture book could also be enjoyed on the elementary level when doing a unit on the 50 states. Enjoy!

"Compadre, I entreat you to do me the favor of taking my son, Antonio, among your troops, that when he is old he may have a tale to tell." This was a request of a certain Escobedo asking Alonso (the younger) de León to allow his son to join the anticipated entrada into Texas in 1689. Although the expedition was intended as a punative military campaign against the French incursion into Spanish domains, the elder Escobedo sensed its historic nature and wished his son to participate in it. Escobedo was right, for this expedition had historic consequences. The 1689 entrada not only opened up a gateway into Texas, but left its mark by giving landmarks and rivers names that are still in use today, and allowed the establishment of missions, presidios and settlements that firmly secured Texas as a Spanish dominion.

Juan Bautista Chapa, native of Albisola, near Genoa, participated in this entrada and chronicled it among other events in his Historia del Reino de León which traces the history and colonization of northeastern Mexico and Texas in rich detail for the period between 1650-1690. Chapa intended his history to be a follow-on to Alonso (the elder) de León's Discourses which detailed the history of this region prior to 1650. Chapa's Historia demonstrates the author's literary acumen through a mournful poem written as a memorial to the dead French encountered in 1689 at La Salle's settlement. This history has become the key contemporary work from which any historical study of this region must begin.

This volume is the first widely accessible and accurate English translation of Chapa's Historia. Elegantly translated by Ned F. Brierley and annotated by William C. Foster, who is becoming known for his welcomed efforts in bringing to the English-speaking world the chronicles of other Spanish expeditions into Texas, this book is a valuable addition to the historiography of colonial Mexico and Texas. Foster provides a cogent and insightful introduction in which he details the history of Chapa's manuscript and an analysis of the history and puts it in context with De León's Discourses. Foster has added De León's previously unpublished revised diary of his 1690 expedition into Texas as well as a listing of the 80 Indian tribes identified in this book. This book is essential reading for all students and scholars of Mexico's far north frontier and Texas. Additionally, the descriptions of the Indians, vegetation, wildlife, and climate in seventeenth-century Texas, will be of interest to ethnographers, anthropologists, and biogeographers. Genealogists of northeastern Mexico and south Texas will also benefit because the book contains some muster listing of the expeditioners-whose many descendants presently carry their names throughout the region and beyond. So names in genealogical trees and pedigrees get fleshed-out and placed in historical context.