My brother has asked for a good book or two on Texas history for Christmas. This board seems to be the best place to ask about books like this. I was hoping to get him a good comprehensive history, then maybe a book on the Republic of Texas (the country not the nutjobs). I don't know much about what's out there, all suggestions are appreciated!

"Texian Iliad" by Hardin is a good account of the Revolution.

"The Texas Republic: A Social and Economic History" by Ransom has been recently reprinted. It's available at Bucky's...which usually has a nice selection of Texas history books.

i'm reading "Texas" by James Michener. It's historical fiction but it includes a lot of historical accuracies as it follows several families throughout the history of the state. Long read but pretty enjoyable

Fehrenbach, Fehrenbach, Fehre bach.

Other than that read Davis Lone Star Rising for just the history of the Republic and Brand's Lone Star Nation.

For an overview second only to Fehrenbach and one that gets to the modern era, read Jim Haley's Passionate Nation. His bio of Sam Houston is good too.

+1 Lone Star by TR Fehrenbach

Fehrenbach's "Lone Star" is the best Texas history on the market.

This book is always very highly reviewed: Three Roads to the Alamo. Not entirely a history of Texas, though, I suppose.

I bought it some time back and it's on my list but I haven't gotten to it yet.

[This message has been edited by Theo (edited 12/28/2009 12:40a).]

No disrespect intended to the OP, but this topic really should be stickied on this board. The other boards have their FEQ's stickied all over 'em. I can't think of another topic that comes up more frequently on this board than this one.


Now the thing that I call livin' is just bein' satisfied with knowin' I got no one else to blame

I'd be honored to have a post stickied to the top of any forum.

And you're right, after posting my question (admittedly I don't frequent this board) I looked at the rest of the board and there were several threads that were sort of on topic.

Try "A Time to Stand." The author is the same guy who wrote "A Night to Remember." Walter Lord is the author. It seems to be a very good book on the lead up to the battle, the battle itself, and even discusses some of the myths associated with the Alamo. I don't remember how much it discusses the aftermath. I liked it.

Seems appropriate to throw in Robert A. Calvert's Texas history textbook:

http://www.amazon.com/History-Texas-Robert-Calvert/dp/0882952552

Dr. Calvert taught history at A&M for many years and was well regarded in the Texas history community.

I was assigned this text for a Texas history elective in high school, and later got to know Dr. Calvert as a professor in my student days at A&M. I don't know if there's a better single volume, straight-forward guide to Texas political and social history than this. But I could be biased.

I'm currently reading Lone Star Nation by HW Brands. It seems to be a fairly detailed history of our state from before the time of its founding when we were a part of Mexico and goes through to becoming a part of the US. The writing style is easy as well.

Haley's Sam Houston biography is one I would recommend.

Just realized that "The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston" is not on this list.

Since I brought up Dr. Calvert earlier on this thread, I'll add in that Calvert said Sam Houston was the only hero of his that he never found to have feat of clay.

Or even feet of clay? I thought old Sam could get rip-roaring drunk and disappear for weeks at a time. Did that not count?

I find spelling to be difficult.

Mobil Oil put out a book that I really enjoyed:

"Texas History Movies"

+1 here for Haley's Sam Houston biography, it is THE Biography for Houston...I still haven't read his Passionate Nation, but I'm going to get to it

"Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History"

by S.C. Gwynne

Doesn't spend much time on early TX history, but great detail on 1800s- formation of Rangers, Houston vs Lamar, etc. Understanding the threat the Comanches posed leaves the reader with a great respect of what these early Texans had to deal with to survive.

quote:

---

Fehrenbach's "Lone Star" is the best Texas history on the market.

---

The Conquest of Texas: Ethnic Cleansing in the Promised Land tells the story of how anglos took over and ran off or over the other inhabitants. Same story as Fehrenbach but without the cheering. It was written by an OU prof a couple of years ago and got a very good review from Larry McMurtry.

If you want a book that covers all of Texas history and is not obsessed with just the nineteenth century, try Randolph Campbell's Gone to Texas.

Calvert's most recent edition has a definite spin of "white people are bad" --not that the long history of racial injustice in this state should be ignored, far from it. But you can very much tell that De Leon (Back to Aztlan) has brought in a definite flavor to it. (Calvert's been dead a while, so it's really De Leon and Cantrell doing the revisions and additional materials.)

I still assign Calvert as my main text, though, because a) it's less expensive and a bit easier to get through than Campbell's GTT, b) it's pretty comprehensive all the same, moreso than de la Peña's textbook, and c) it has superior ancillary materials (test bank quizzes!) to its competitors.

The one that Adrian Anderson co-authored is prety good, though; if his publisher can come up with some decent ancillaries, I might switch over to it.

Don't forget to peruse our official book thread.

"Gone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State" by Randolph "Mike" Campbell (who teaches at UNT) is a pretty balanced book.

Fehrenbach

Fehrenbach is weak on anything after the revolution and nineteenth century.

Campbell's Gone to Texas is not nearly as well written but is stronger on the post revolution period.

I just read Haley's Texas history, Passionate Nation, and consider it to be the best one volume treatment of the state's history. He is even good on the post World War II period.

My big complaint about all Texas histories has long been that they act like nothing of significance has happened here since the civil war or, at most, Indian removal and cattle drives.

Haley is very good on what comes after. I just started reading his Sam Houston book and it is very, very good.

But even he says that The Raven is a masterwork and any Texan who has not read it should do so. It is seventy years old and still in print and Haley tips his hat to the thoroughness of James' research.

Most of us are more directly effected by World War II on our state and on the oil business rise and falls and rises than by nineteenth century events. And the civil rights movement that flowed out of the war. Hitler gave racism a bad name and that contributed to the blacks' continual struggle for something approaching equality.

When my mom was a kid (born in 1918), there were separate schools for hispanics where the teaching was done in spanish. Blacks went to separate schools and their football teams did not get to play white teams.

Women did not get to serve on juries in this state until 1954!!!

Modern history is our history. Most of these history books are good on the Alamo and cowboys and the civil war and the indian wars but suck on everything else.

So I recommend Haley.