Fasinated by wineries, and intoxicated by cozy B and B's, this is the perfect book for the Texas Traveler. I plan on taking every tour and all I need with me is this book. All the information I could possibly use is inside; maps, dining, festivals,times and dates. It's all there!! Great job Thomas and Regina!!!

I taught in Portland with Marilyn Bennett. What a great guide book for the south Texas areas. Lots of information about the area, plus good recipes!

From Dryden to Pyote, and even down to Cuidad Acuna, Eric O'Keefe has covered "God's Country" as only a person who has spent a major portion of their life in the region can.

O'Keefe moved from Houston to Alpine, Texas during his formative high school years, and the detailed descriptions of this beautiful part of the Lone Star State reflect that intimate knowledge of the small towns, and hole-in-the-wall cafes that give West Texas it's special character.

O'keefe has since abandoned West Texas for the more chic atmosphere of Santa Fe, but don't hold that against him. He still knows where to buy beer in Sheffield.

If you are planning a visit, this is the guide you "Must Have".

If and when you get the chance to escape to the wilds of West Texas, be sure to take Eric along. If things don't work out, take his book. It's almost as informative as he is. Better yet, you can put him down (which is something I can't do).

I didn't think there was anyplace in Texas worth stopping at until I visited the Big Bend. How this guy ever knew about John Madden's favorite restaurant in West Texas is one of the many things I liked about this book and give it a top recommendation. More on Mexico border towns would appeal to me (but that's not Texas, is it).

An impressive pictorial tome--for sure. "Texas" by Laurence Parent is an impressive pictograph of the Lone Star State. Parent is an acclaimed and accomplished photographer whose lenses have found some rather enchanting shots. With an impressive--and dramatic--essay by Elmer Kelton, the book is more than just "coffee table" subject matter. This volume shows National Geographic and Architectural Digest quality reproduction of its photos. A real treat. Thematically, however, Parent doesn't seem to have a real pattern for his photos, rather they appear as they strike his fancy. But no matter. Each picture is worth far more than a thousand words! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Hiking Texas is *the* guide to Texas backpacking and hiking trails, bar none. The guide is short on pictures (get Parent's Official Guide to Texas State Parks for a more photo-rich book), but long on the history, character, geology and wildlife of some of Texas' best-loved trails, as well as some of its lesser-known ones.

Parent is a accomplished writer, conservationist, hiker and photographer, and he brings all talents to bear on his works. If you want to get the most from your Texas hikes, this is the book that should be in your pack!

This book is a visual stunner, published by a graphics company that took pains to get the colors right. Whether he's pointing his lens at wildlife or city life, buildings or byways, Parent turns an artists eye on the places in Texans' hearts.

Don't call the number for La Fogata listed in this book. It is not the correct number, and the poor guy who it belongs to is rather sick of the whole thing. Other than that, it is a fine guide book. Used it while in San Antonio, and it did fine.

Just returned from a beautiful trip to San Antonio. With the help of this book, I saw every key attraction and had a little background information on each. Easy to read, with a sense of humor. Very helpful to read this before you go.

If you are considering purchasing the Delorme Texas Atlas and Gazetteer, buy this instead. I have two copies of the Roads of Texas and I use them extensively. The Delorme book has hardly been touched.

A great tool to supplement the Texas Highway Dept. state map. If you enjoy driving back roads in Texas, you will regard this book as highly as I do. It is very accurate, and depicts all the smaller roads, including county roads you would never expect to see on a map. I wore out the first printing of the atlas and just upgraded to the most recent version.

The landmarks are excellent, as well, to help you find your way. Since I drive an MGA I always enjoy a country lane over an interstate highway. My copy of the Roads of Texas is always in my map pack.

Don't leave home without it!

Carol

I found Roads of Texas to be indispensible when planning trips off the main highways. An earlier review criticized this book for not naming all the roads. I did too. But that was the 1995 edition. The 1999 edition does name all the roads. I like to follow any road that looks interesting. Inevitably, it seems, county roads end at a T-intersection with no directional sign so you don't know which way to turn. This was terribly frustrating with the 1995 edition. But with the 1999 edition I know just where I am. No more getting lost.

This is a great book to have when visiting Houston. It is filled not only with ideas of places and things to do, but also with suggestions to help make the visits more enjoyable. There is a chapter on places to go for outside fun like The Fishing Hole or Frio Country Cabins and Campsites. A chapter of restaurants of a huge variety. The Hobbit Hole Cafe, India's Restaurant, Quail Hallow Inn are examples. Adventure Bay Water Park, Aerodrome Ice Skating are a couple of examples of things to do. Theaters, operas, and ballets are also listed. There are suggestions no matter the preference in activities.

It is written so that a quick check will tell the reader what to expect, approximate cost, and if the whole family would enjoy the adventure as well as directions to get there.

147 Fun Things To Do In Houston is great to take along when making plans to visit Houston.

I found this book to be an encyclopedia of fun activities in Houston. It describes fun things that people like to do (not off-beat things like goat raising), how to get to the activities and what to expect when you get there. I refer to this book as a first source for any fun activity in Houston.

I baught a tour guide of my own area because my husbands work schedule does not coencide with our children's (teens) vacation times from school. A strange idea maybe but it has really paid off! I have been all over the world and have found that as far as resturaunts, Houston has by far the greatest authentic diversity of anywhere else. But I found so much more in this book to do than eat. We found theater from the Houston Grand Opera to Radio Music Theater (comedy), to Mystery Mannor Dinner Theater (Murder), to Community Theater and Out door theater. The girls and I went to the Quilt Festival (even though we know next to nothing about quilting). We spent the whole day there and left with a great excitement to make a little something of our own. Ladies from all over the U.S. came to this show, and we were right in town! The Greek and Thai Festivals have opened up a whole new and exciting view of Houston and how many diverse and interesting people live here. The art, dance, music and food was really different. The Texas Rock Gym and Lasor has become a regular for us. Two things that we found in the book that are on our next adventure list are the Antique Train Ride and the Air Boat Swamp Tour to see the aligators and other swamp life. We, as a family of teens, have found really great day trips we all love. But even my parents and grandmother would have no problem finding tons of things they would love to do. My friends with babies and small children borrow my book all the time. Now my friends call me for ideas for things to do... I have learned a lot from this little book! Other tour books are good but this one tells you what to expect with things like parking, on site food, time of year considerations etc... real need to know kind of stuff to make the day work. Great Book!

I was disappointed in latest Wasowski book. Projects by landscape architects using Texas natives seemed more like Texas architectural guide.Pictures were small and one did not recognize xeriscape award recipient,Ron Bolton of Dripping Springs. References in back were useful.Good coffee table/novice gardener book.

For one who loves books they visit libraries and book stores to just smell the paper. Well that works for lovers of gardens also. This book contains picture of beautiful and practical gardens. I have to admit I bought it for pictures of my favorite garden that people come from neighboring states to see. That is Weston Gardens (designed by Randy Weston). Ninety percent of my plants and ideas come form walking through Weston gardens. Many of the other gardens also have practical ideas for Texas gardens.

An eye-opening look at what can be done with natives. This book probably couldn't have been done ten years ago, but clearly the native plant movement is alive and well and growing by leaps and bounds. Common sense gardening. A must for any Texas homeowner.

This particular portrayal was a mandatory reading in a History course in college, and by far, the depiction from Campbell is astounding, and amazing. He brings to the surface far more than just the fable you hear about in junior high Texas history. The man was tall, but this piece makes him larger than life.

Texas's Savior Ever since Texas was a territory in the middle of no where, one man stood up to lead the way to statehood. That man who rose above the rest and conquered endless, unimaginable barriers was Sam Houston. Rudolph B. Campbell wrote a chronologically correct book about Houston entitled Sam Houston and the American Southwest. He became the most popular and most honorable man in Texas. The battle of San Jacinto, acquiring Presidency of the Republic of Texas, and obtaining a place in the United States Senate all proved that Sam Houston was a competent and trustworthy leader. First and foremost, the battle of San Jacinto was one Houston's greatest accomplishments, defeating Santa Anna and shamefully returning him to Mexico. This battle turned out to be the turning point in Texas's becoming a Republic and Sam Houston's popularity beginning to soar across Texas. Even though the revolution was a failure and Mexico still didn't recognize Texas as a republic, Houston still received the recognition that he deserved. It happened "...at three o'clock in the afternoon, Houston ordered his 'effectives' into battle formation that stretched across the prairie" (Campbell 68). After this strategic move, Sam Houston attacked and eighteen minutes later ended the battle. With this fight under his belt, Houston slowly arose to become a powerful and noteworthy man. This rise in power enabled Houston to become the first President of the Republic of Texas on September 18th, 1836. He was basically the only man for the job, supported by a landsliding "5,119 vote to Smith's 743 votes" (74). Houston saw himself as the candidate who could bring unity to Texas, despite its ambiguity and immense size. With Mirabeau B. Lamar at his side as vice president, Sam Houston would find as much

money for Texas as he could, balance the budget, and keep good relations with Mexico. In order to make and save money, Houston sold Texas's navy. Even the money gained from this sale didn't help the budget at all. By the time Houston's term of presidency was over, the debt had grown to roughly two million dollars. As far as keeping relations with Mexico, Houston must have apparently done a very good job because they did not attack again for a long period of time. Plus, he helped the Indians, especially the Cherokee, as much as he could, considering how he U.S. was driving them farther and farther away from their land. After Houston's three-year term was over, he resigned and moved to a higher position. In addition to already being President of the Republic of Texas more than once, Sam Houston became one of the first senators of Texas as well. Nothing is more suitable for a man with Houston's recognition and fame than to represent "his" state in the United States Senate. Even a more powerful and demanding job than president of a republic, Houston represented Texas better than any man possible. As a senator, and included in his inaugural address, Houston believed that "...finance, Indian policy, and relations with Mexico" were the most important things needed to be taken of in Texas and all over the United States (93). In the interest of finance, Sam Houston recommended that suspending all payments of interest and principal on the debt should be done. In addition, signing treaties, describing boundaries, with the Indians would depress war and bring on peace. Finally, the Texas senator thought it would be best to "...leave the Mexican nation alone," since "diplomatic relations had not been improved" (93). Overall, Sam

Houston improved Texas by taking its troubles all the way to Congress by using his intelligence and popularity to serve as a weapon for political listeners. Rudolph B. Campbell showed how Sam Houston became the most prominent, influential, and powerful man of his time. Houston basically devoted his entire life to serving other people's needs and wants. There wasn't a man during his time that was even close to becoming as great a hero as Sam Houston.

I haven't read the book because I didn't get past the cover - because prominently displayed in the upper left corner is a saguaro cactus. That cactus is found in the Sonoran desert (Arizona, for example!), not in Texas (which has the Chihuahuan desert). Granted, the saguaro is a cliched image of Texas, reinforced by numerous John Wayne movie sets. It is not, however, a true part of Texas. A nice prickly pear would have been a better choice of cacti. Makes me suspect of the rest of the book. Surely someone at the publishing house should have checked this.

If you live in Texas (and why wouldn't you?) or if you are planning a long trip to the Great State of Texas, you should buy this book and use it to plan out some weekend jaunts. The book is composed of 52 weekend recommendations, or trips. Each weekend recommendation is centered around a particular area and includes many activities, from leisurely walks and shopping, to adventureous ones. I have found the recommendations to be right on the money. This book is also a great read and provides substantial background information about each of the areas that serve as the center of each weekend "trip". Using this book as your main guide will help you experience all the great things that Texas has to offer.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! While the site says it is 224 pages of fun-filled adventures, I found out it is actually 334 pages. The ideas for weekends trips and information in this book have helped me enjoy Texas. R. Grimes (the previous reviewer) should read the book instead of making assumptions based on the cover. You won't find a better guide with more variety that covers the great state of Texas. The book has inspired my family to be more adventurous.