A Texan always keeps his promise. At seventeen years old, Odell Spurling is taller than most men, and all too ready to be treated like one. But nothing could prepare him for the Comanche raid that left him without a home or family. The girl he loves, Red Wing Wilson, was once a Comanche herself—stolen as a child and raised among Texans. With a promise to return to her, he sets off for revenge. But when the President of Texas attempts to make peace with the Comanche, and arranges to return Red Wing in a gesture of goodwill, Odell finds himself on a mission greater than mere revenge. To get her back, he’ll have to contend with an unforgiving land, a sword-brandishing Prussian, and a Comanche warrior who has sworn to take his scalp.

Text and numerous illustrations trace the history of Texas during the nineteenth century.

Immigrants of African descent have come to Texas in waves—first as free blacks seeking economic and social opportunity under the Spanish and Mexican governments, then as enslaved people who came with settlers from the deep South. Then after the Civil War, a new wave of immigration began. In The African Texans, author Alwyn Barr considers each era, giving readers a clear sense of the challenges that faced African Texans and the social and cultural contributions that they have made in the Lone Star State. With wonderful photographs and first-hand accounts, this book expands readers’ understanding of African American history in Texas. Special features include · 59 illustrations · 12 biographical sketches · excerpts from newspaper articles · excerpts from court rulings The African Texans is part of a five-volume set from the Institute of Texan Cultures. The entire set, entitled Texans All, explores the social and cultural contributions made by five distinctive cultural groups that already existed in Texas prior to its statehood or that came to Texas in the early twentieth century: The Indian Texans, The Mexican Texans, The European Texans, The African Texans, and The Asian Texans.

Discusses the experiences of European immigrants in Texas, and examines their social and cultural contributions to the Lone Star State. Includes illustrations, biographical sketches, recipes, and excerpts from personal letters.

English introduced barbed wire, dipping vats, steel windmills, Johnson grass, and the Jersey Lilly saloon.

What good is a rattlesnake? What purpose do animals serve? All species play a vital role in their biological communities, and the removal of just one can have a noticeable and catastrophic ripple effect. Yet social and political pressures frequently pit species conservation against economic progress and prosperity, and scientists fear that we may be in the midst of a mass extinction event. Brian R. Chapman and William I. Lutterschmidt make the case that the effort to preserve animals is the responsibility of every Texan and that biodiversity contributes enormous economic value to the citizens of Texas. Texans on the Brink brings together experts on eighty-eight endangered and threatened animal species of Texas and includes brief descriptions of the processes that state and federal agencies employ to list and protect designated species. Species accounts include a description of the species accompanied by a photograph, an easy-to-read account of the biology and ecology of the species, and a description of efforts underway to preserve the species and its required habitat. Sobering examples of species that were once part of the Texas fauna but are now extinct or extirpated are also given to further demonstrate just how vulnerable biodiversity can be. All species require healthy habitats, and every species—even a rattlesnake—provides important services for the biotic communities in which they live. It is imperative to learn as much as we can about these animals if we are to preserve biodiversity successfully in Texas.