Texana: Biography & Autobiography

TEXAS FLAG BOOKPLATES (Sample available)
art by unknown artist. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - just email us with the name. 3.5" wide x 2.5" high. Content: Texas Flag in red, white and blue with the Lone Star of Texas. Any questions or to request a sample, click here to email us.
$ 3.59 + $ 2.75 first class shipping.

BARBARA JORDAN: American Hero
by Texan, Mary Beth Rogers. Cover photo by Annie Leibovitz. Two B&W photo sections. Condition: Very Good+ gently pre-read Bantam Books hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, third printing. No flaws. Content: I was lucky to have met Ms. Jordan once. By just coming down the halls of the LBJ School in Austin, she gave off the aura of a self-confident woman of accomplishment. The air was electric. Barbara Jordan spoke in the cadences of a black preacher, backed by the moral force of the United States Constitution, and became Texas's first black senator since the Reconstruction era. She served in Congress for two decades before dying of multiple sclerosis at the age of 59 in 1996. "Barbara Jordan was the first African American elected official to become an American hero," Rogers writes. "She broke through previously impenetrable barriers to become an 'inside' political player who was taken very seriously by the white politicians in power." The height of Jordan's power (and fame) came from her interpretation of the Constitution during the 1974 Watergate hearings, a speech that set the stage for President Richard Nixon's resignation. Two years later, Jordan riveted America with her televised keynote speech at the Democratic Party National Convention. Tracing Jordan's upbringing in Houston's Fifth Ward as the daughter of a Baptist minister, Rogers takes us through her battles with sexism and racism (including black Americans' internal color-based caste system). She also peels away the mysteries of her personality, which was described as "stubborn," "cold," and "sarcastic," the result of emotional shields forged by too many social and psychic wars. But those traits also accounted for her determination to deal with her multiple sclerosis with courage and dignity. "Barbara Jordan's story reflects both the America dream and a fundamental human hope for a sense of community." What a President she would have made. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 7.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

GLENN ELLIOTT: A Ranger's Ranger (Texas Ranger)
by Glenn Elliott with Robert Nieman. B&W photo section. Condition: Good+ to very good 1999 Texian Press (Waco) Trade Paperback, third edition. Edgewear with hinge crease adn very short tear top front cover at spine. Interior clean & tight. Content: Glenn Elliott was a Texas Ranger from 1961-1987. He was descripted by world-renowned author and radio personality, Paul Harvey, on his radio program on August 26, 1987 (The day Glenn retired): "I don't know what you know about the Texas Rangers, but they are an elite corp of lawmen. Repected at all levels of law enforcement and revered in their home state. And if you had to pick one to represent the best of the best, that one would be Ranger Glenn Elliott." 272 pages. Questions encouraged. [1 copy available]
$ 31.19 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

FEAR ON TRIAL (Blacklisting in the McCarthy Era)
by John Henry Faulk. Introduction by Studs Terkel. Editorial assistance by Don Gardner. Condition: 1976 Tempo Books paperback revised & updated edition of a 1960's work. Pale spine crease with binder's glue wrinkles down spine, rubbing bottom front hinge, and small edgewear. Interior clean but page edge tanning. Content: The true story of Texas great John Henry Faulk and his legal battle with Senator Joseph McCarthy of the House Unamerican Activities Committee. Reviewer: "Faulk was a radio and TV personality when in the mid 1950s he decided to stand up to McCarthy and his ilk. This memoir of his legal struggle tells how he was blacklisted by AWARE, Inc. and could not work in his chosen profession. Mr. Faulk, with the help of such prominent broadcasters as Edward R. Murrow, Charles Collingwood and Mark Goodsen, hired famed cousel Louis Nizer to file a lasuit against the blacklisters. His victory sounded the death knell for those who would try to rule through fear, intimidation and innuendo. "Fear on Trial" is a must read for all those who value freedom of thought and expression, for if it were not for Faulk, Howard Stern and others would not operate in freedom today. His writing style is the same as his broadcasting tyle was, simple, folksy and to the point." Edward R. Murrow and Joseph Welsh started the downhill slide of McCarthy and Faulk finished him off. [1 copy available]
$ 4.89 + $ 2.89 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

FROM ANGELS TO HELLCATS: Legendary Texas Women 1836 to 1880
by Don Blevins. B&W era photos illustrate. Condition: NEW 2001 Mountain Press Trade Paperback, no edition given. Content: This book contains eight tales of adventure, crime, courage, and mystery from the early days of the Texas frontir. These historical portraits, presented in laid-back western style, tell the true stories behind an octet of Lond Star legends - some well known, others more obscure. Subjects: Susanna Dickinson: Alamo Survivor; Francisca Alvaez: Angel of Goliad; Emily Morgan: The Yellow Rose of Texas; Lottie Deno: She "Dealt" with the Best of Them; Pamelia Mann: As Mean As They Come; Sally Scull: Woe To Those Who Crossed Her; Sarah Hornsby: Prophet or Dreamer; and Diamond Bessie; The Mystery Lingers. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 6.89 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

FROM MY MOTHER'S HANDS: Remembrances and Recipes From Texas Women (INSCRIBED by Author)
by Susie Kelly Flatau. B&W photos illustrate. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 2001 Republic of Texas large soft cover, first printing. Problem: Gift inscripiton inside front ncover. Author has inscribed on title page. Content: This book celebrates the positive roles mothers can play in the lives of daughters. In a collection of poignant memoirs crafted from interviews with thirty-three notable Texas women, Flatau weaves a tapestry of intimate memories, family photographs and recipes, and profiles of each daughter. The daughters' observations and discoveries about their mothers are filled with a wide range of emotions. Lessons of integrity, love, and hope chronicle the powerful bonds that can exist between a daughter and her mother. A Texas jewel! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 8.89 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

GOLDEN HERITAGE AND SILVER TONGUE OF TEMPLE LEA HOUSTON
by Bernice Tune. B&W era photos illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1981 Eakin Press (then in Burnet) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition. The maroon boards show tiny rubbing spots (upper back board only) and the DJ has tiny edgewear. Content: Temple Houston was the youngest son of Sam Houston and Margaret Lea Houston and was one of the most complicated personalities in Texas history. Members of Senator Houston's family contend that magazine articles and a motion picture based on his eccentrif life have grossly distorted his memory. Author Tune researched the Senator's life and with the blessings of the family, has created a sympathetic picture of a son trying to get out of his father's shadow. Also included are 12 of the Senator's most noted speeches, euolgies, and articles. [For the baby boomers: remember the TV series based on hs life?] The back DJ panel shows the Houston family crest with an explanation of the crest elements. [1 copy available]
$ 22.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

JOSEPH WADE HAMPTON, Editor and Individualist (Southwestern Studies Monograph # 23
by Ronnie C. Tyler. B&W era photos illustrate. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1969 Texas Western Press booklet (stapled wraps), Southwestern Studies Monograph # 23. Pale impression back cover. Content: Story of North Carolina adventurer turned Texas newspaperman and Presbyterian Elder. [1 copy available]
$ 11.50 + $ 3.09 first class shipping.

HILL COUNTRY TEACHER: Oral Histories from the One-Room Schoo and Beyond (Twayne's Oral History Series)
by Diane Manning. B&W photos illustrate. Condition: Gently pre-read 1990 Twayne Publishers hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. DJ has serious edgewear top spine. Interoir clean & tight. Content: This book charts growth and change in the work and lives of public school teachers in the rural Texas Hill Country. Oral histories spanning 50 years chronicle the roles of 8 teachers who began their teaching careers as teenagers in one-room schoolhouses under severe social estrictions. They grew up with the profession, becoming pioneers in combining marriage and teaching, in special education, and in school integration. [1 copy available]
$ 14.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

HONDO MY FATHER (Hondo Crouch)
by Becky Crouch Patterson. B&W photos and drawings. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1995 Historical Publications (Austin) Trade Paperbck, third printing. Small edgewear with rubbings along hinges, and a pale vertical crease back cover at hinge. Interior eprfect - clean & tight. Content: Ever been to Luckenbach, Texas? Well, if you read this book, you'll feel as if you grew up there. And if you haven't been, put it on your travel agenda. It's a delight and different - even from other tiny Texas towns. Hondo Crouch was the owner of Luckenbach, mayor, and sheriff. He tried to buy Dallas and Houston, but settled on something a bit smaller. He was a philosopher, a poet, and a music man. He staged the all-female chili cook-offs and the Great World's Fairs. He was also a comedian. Hondo is a part of Texas folklore and his daughter tells his story in that vein - warts and all. [1 copy available]
$ 8.50 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

R. G. LETOURNEAU: MOVER OF MEN AND MOUNTAINS
by R. G. LeTourneau. Condition: UNREAD 1967 Moody paperback edition, 35th printing (c. 1980). Pale diagonal crease top front cover corner with tiny edge wear. Content: Despite early failures, R. G. LeTourneau rose to eminence in the competitive world of manufacturing and construction. Although his competitors thought him insane, history has proved that his inventive genius was decades ahead of its time. His combination of enterprise and Christian commitment led to his sponsoring many works involving missions and education, including LeTourneau College, a Christian liberal arts and technical school in Longview, Texas. Through a lifetime of business ventures, this engineering genius put faith into action and reaped big rewards. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.10 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

NINE YEARS IN THE SADDLE (SIGNED COPY)
by James V. Lee. B&W photos illustrate. Condition: Signed by Author inside front cover. NEW 2000 Salado Trade Paperback, fourth printing. Content: Reviewer: This book "is a story about the life and times of Dud Lee, how he survived during the depression, bootlegging and hunting mountain lions in Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast New Mexico, and his time punching cows. It's the author's way of telling a story of a man he'd longed to know, and did so after their airport meeting when his father was eighty-one years old. A truly enjoyable read -- a story that will make you laugh and at the same time tug at your heart strings. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

SOMEWHERE IN THE WEST: Texas Women Who Left a Legacy (Inscribed by the Author)
Poems & Legends by Linda Kirkpatrick. B&W era photos and drawings illustrate. Cover art by the Author. Condition: Inscribed by the Author: "Happy Trails, Linda Kirkpatrick." NEW 2002 Cowboy Miner Trade Paperback, no printing given. Tiny "repaired" nic bottom cover bottom edge. Interior perfect. Content: Linda Kirkpatrick's funny-sad poems and stories reflect West Texas life past and present, reminding us that we are products of all our forbears, that our history lives with us day by day, helping shape who we are and the lives we live. Whether is be a hand at the pen (writing implement) or In the pen (working stock), Linda's experience has allowed her to capture the life and heritage of the West. This collection of her poems and stories will, most certainly, rank highly in the minds of out future generations when they explore the lifestyle of the cowboy, our American heritage and roots. Linda's book is a great volume for everyone who appreciates western heritage and cowboy culture. An Academy of Western Artists Top 5 Cowboy Poetry Books Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 18.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE STORY OF ROY BEAN: Law West of the Pecos
by C. L. Sonnichsen. B&W photos. Condition: UNREAD 1972 Fawcett Gold Medal paperback, first printing. Pale, short diagonal "crimp" bottom front cover corner tip. Interior clean & tight but beginning to tan. Exceptional condition for it's age. Advertises the Paul Newman up-coming movie. Content: Everyone knows the story of Judge Roy Bean of the Big Bend country of Texas - so I won't bore you with details. I'm not a Roy Bean scholar so it's up to you to decide if it's accurate history. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.89 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

A TEXAS COW BOY OR FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE HURRICANE DECK OF A SPANISH PONY: Taken From Real Life (Classics of the Old West series)
by Chas. A. Siringo. A few B&W drawings illustrate, but no credit given. Condition: UNREAD 1980 Time Life hardcover (padded boards - no DJ issued), no printing given. Part of the Classics of the Old West series. There is a gold embossed "Library of" sticker inside front cover as well as an original book plate. Gilt edges. Ribbon marker. It appears to be a facsimile edition. Content: Charles A. Siringo (1855-1928) was born in Matagorda County, Texas. His books include Lone Star Cowboy, History of "Billy the Kid," and Riata and Spurs. He worked as a film advisor and died in Hollywood in 1928. After a nomadic childhood, Charles Siringo signed on as a teenage cowboy for the noted Texas cattle king, Shanghai Pierce, and began a life that embraced all the hard work, excitement, and adventure readers today associate with the cowboy era. He "rid the Chisholm trail," driving 2,500 heads of cattle from Austin to Kansas; knew Tascosa--now a historic monument--when it was home to raucous saloons, red light districts, and a fair share of violence; and led a posse of cowboys in pursuit of Billy the Kid and his gang. First published in 1885, Siringo's chronicle of his life as a itchy-footed boy, cowhand, range detective, and adventurer was one the first classics about the Old West and helped to romanticize the West and its myth of the American cowboy. Will Rogers declared, "That was the Cowboy's Bible when I was growing up." The most interesting part, IMHO, is the description of the capture of Billy the Kid - he was there and his description of events does not entirely back up Garrett's claims. A Western classic. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 10.00 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

TEXAS TWOSOMES: Married For Life (Inscribed Copy)
by Donna Caspersen Crouch. B&W era photos provided by the couples plus recent B&W photos by Colleen Dilworth Stroup. Condition: Inscribed by Crouch and Stroup loose end page. Gently pre-read, IF at all, 1998 Eakin Press hardcover (pictorial boards - no DJ issued), second printing. Content: Marriage stories of Texas couples married for a long period of time. Includes the entire spectrum of racial and cultural groups of the State. Couples: Senator Lloyd & B.A. Bentsen; The Ben Brauns; Mr. & Mrs. : Dor Brown; Dr. Exalton and Wilhelmina Delco; Roy Guerrero; Tony Hinojosa; Jim Jamail; Speaker of the House Pete & Nelda Laney; TPhilip Lockett; John McKetta; Luka Milas; Cornelius Phelan; Herman Phillips; Edward Randall; Bill Ratliff; Darrell Royal; Hyman Samuelson; Louis Sanchez; Rudy Villarreal; Luke Scamardo; Neil Sperry; Roger Staubach; Eddie Stevens; C.J. Villegas; and Danny Young. Many of these names will mean something to Texans. Some have national name recognition (Senator Bentsen, Darrell Royal, & Roger Staubach). Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THREE YEARS AMONG THE COMANCHES: The Narrative of Nelson Lee, the Texas Ranger
by Nelson Lee. Introduction by Walter Prescott Webb. Foreword by Gary Clayton Anderson. Condition: Gently pre-read, IF at all, 1991 Univ. of Oklahoma Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. This is my book which I bought new and never read, however, there is what appears to be a spine crease - which I believe to be a binding error. Content: Nelson Lee was a native of New York. He was a sailor for several adventurous years before going to Texas to join the Rangers. He served under Captain Cameron and Jack Hays fighting Indians and bandits and with the Rangers in the Mexican War. In 1855 he started toward California with a herd of horses, but was surprised and captured by the Comanches; for three years he was slave to three different Comanche chiefs. The tale still makes exciting reading. Lee's story was first published in 1859. The first half of the book deals with his time with the Texas Rangers and the second half deals with his Comanche captivity. Excellent history; excellent read. [1 copy available]
$ 9.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

A YOUNG GIRL'S UNTOLD WAR STORY
by Helena Boyle. Condition: UNREAD Dorrance Publishing Trade Paperback, first printing. HOWEVER, something was "stuck" to the bottom back cover (I'm working on that) and has left a strange pale medium discoloration. No idea what but it does not bleed through to the inside cover or to the pages. Interior clean & tight. Content: Boyle spins a gripping tale that will appeal to all lovers of history and biography. The story is the true-life account of Boyle’s incredible experiences during World War II. Growing up as one of six children in a poor household in Riga, Latvia, life was difficult. At a young age, Helena was compelled to work in order to support herself. Aware of the encroaching presence of World War II, she became fearful. Some of her most horrifying fears were realized when her grandfather was shot by the Germans during the invasion of Latvia, and the family had to retrieve his body from a shallow grave. While working as a farmhand at barely the age of sixteen, she was kidnapped by invading German soldiers and spent many months at their mercy. Much of the time she was unaware of what was happening to her, because the Germans rendered her unconscious with poisonous gases. She did not spend the duration of the war years marching with that regiment, however. Boyle’s quest for survival led her through many different places, and her difficult journey did not stop with the end of the war. Ms. Boyle now lives in Fort Worth. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.