Download or read The Gates of the Alamo PDF, written by Stephen Harrigan and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2001-05-01 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A huge, riveting, deeply imagined novel about the siege and fall of the Alamo, an event that formed the consciousness of Texas and that resonates through American history. With its vibrant, unexpected characters and its richness of authentic detail, The Gates of the Alamo is an unforgettable re-creation of a time, a place, and a heroic conflict. The time is 1835. At the center of a canvas crowded with Mexicans and Americans, with Karankawa and Comanche Indians, with settlers of many nationalities, stand three people whose fortunes quickly become our urgent concern: Edmund McGowan, a naturalist of towering courage and intellect, whose life's work is threatened by the war against Mexico and whose character is tested by his own dangerous pride; Mary Mott, a widowed innkeeper on the Texas coast, a determined and resourceful woman; and her sixteen-year-old son, Terrell, whose first shattering experience with love leads him instead to war, and into the crucible of the Alamo. As Edmund McGowan and Mary Mott take off in pursuit of Terrell and follow him into the fortress, the powerful but wary attraction between them deepens. And the reader is drawn with them into the harrowing days of the battle itself. Never before has the fall of the Alamo been portrayed with such immediacy. And for the first time the story is told not just from the perspective of the American defenders but from that of the Mexican attackers as well. We follow Blas Montoya, a sergeant in an elite sharpshooter company, as he fights to keep his men alive not only in the inferno of battle but also during the long forced march north from Mexico proper to Texas. And through the eyes of the ambitious mapmaker Telesforo Villasenor, we witness the cold deliberations of General Santa Anna. Filled with dramatic scenes, abounding in fictional and historical personalities -- among them James Bowie, David Crockett, and William Travis -- The Gates of the Alamo enfolds us in history, and through its remarkable and passionate storytelling allows us to participate at last in an American legend.

Download or read The Mythical West PDF, written by Richard W. Slatta and published by ABC-CLIO. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This cultural journey down memory lane showcases how major Western figures, events, and places have been portrayed in folk legends, art, literature, and popular culture. * 145 A–Z entries ranging from Kit Carson and Woody Guthrie to Hispanics in Western Films and Ansel Adams, each with a bibliography * Over 40 photos, drawings, and reproductions of posters * 20 contributors including scholars and other experts * Extensive bibliography of books and websites providing expanded research on a myriad of topics related to the western U.S.

Download or read Conversations with Texas Writers PDF, written by Frances Leonard and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Larry McMurtry declares, "Texas itself doesn't have anything to do with why I write. It never did." Horton Foote, on the other hand, says, "I've just never had a desire to write about any place else." In between those figurative bookends are hundreds of other writers—some internationally recognized, others just becoming known—who draw inspiration and often subject matter from the unique places and people that are Texas. To give everyone who is interested in Texas writing a representative sampling of the breadth and vitality of the state's current literary production, this volume features conversations with fifty of Texas's most notable established writers and emerging talents. The writers included here work in a wide variety of genres—novels, short stories, poetry, plays, screenplays, essays, nonfiction, and magazine journalism. In their conversations with interviewers from the Writers' League of Texas and other authors' organizations, the writers speak of their apprenticeships, literary influences, working habits, connections with their readers, and the domestic and public events that have shaped their writing. Accompanying the interviews are excerpts from the writers' work, as well as their photographs, biographies, and bibliographies. Joe Holley's introductory essay—an overview of Texas writing from Cabeza de Vaca's 1542 Relación to the work of today's generation of writers, who are equally at home in Hollywood as in Texas—provides the necessary context to appreciate such a diverse collection of literary voices. A sampling from the book: "This land has been my subject matter. One thing that distinguishes me from the true naturalist is that I've never been able to look at land without thinking of the people who've been on it. It's fundamental to me." —John Graves "Writing is a way to keep ourselves more in touch with everything we experience. It seems the best gifts and thoughts are given to us when we pause, take a deep breath, look around, see what's there, and return to where we were, revived." —Naomi Shihab Nye "I've said this many times in print: the novel is the middle-age genre. Very few people have written really good novels when they are young, and few people have written really good novels when they are old. You just tail off, and lose a certain level of concentration. Your imaginative energy begins to lag. I feel like I'm repeating myself, and most writers do repeat themselves." —Larry McMurtry "I was a pretty poor cowhand. I grew up on the Macaraw Ranch, east of Crane, Texas. My father tried very hard to make a cowboy out of me, but in my case it never seemed to work too well. I had more of a literary bent. I loved to read, and very early on I began to write small stories, short stories, out of the things I liked to read." —Elmer Kelton

Download or read The Biography Book PDF, written by Daniel S. Burt and published by Greenwood Publishing Group. This book was released on 2001 with total page 650 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains alphabetically arranged entries that identify and assess the biographical materials available on over five hundred notable historical figures, listing autobiography and primary sources, recommended biographies and juvenile biographies, other biographical studies, biographical novels, fictional portraits, and biographical films and theatrical adaptations.

Download or read Alamo Traces PDF, written by Thomas Ricks Lindley and published by Taylor Trade Publications. This book was released on 2003-02-28 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Never wavering in its search for the bedrock of fact, this book is a methodical, piece-by-piece dismantling of what we thought we knew and a convincing speculation about what might have really happened during that courageous fight for independence.

Download or read Living by the Sword PDF, written by Eric Demski and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-30 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quintessential image of the hero for GOD, the Knight, half warrior and half saint, stands for everything good, strong, and honorable in the human spirit. This book contains twenty-five years of research on true knighthood: the refined and essential virtues, elements, techniques and strategies to wage successful war against Evil. Taken from the lives, stories, and advice of warriors, saints, monks, priests, and pious people, these strategies show specifically and very concretely how to be a knight and hero. The book explains How does a knight use purity to make himself stronger in physical, as well as mental and spiritual combat? How does a knight find a state of Grace? How does a knight develop his moral courage and his ability to sacrifice? Why meekness and humility is the root of true strength, How great courage is directly derived from fear of GOD, How sacrifice and asceticism can be used to defeat demons, How Faith can be developed and improved. The techniques of Sir Ramon Lull, Rodrigo De Bivar, Charles Martel, Sir Miguel Cervantes, and saints such as Ignatius, Louis, Francis, Augustine, Aquinas and many more Every question is answered. Only one thing remains. May GOD grant us HIS Grace.

Download or read Shakespeare on Screen King Lear PDF, written by Victoria Bladen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-26 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An up-to-date survey of Shakespeare's King Lear on screen and the aesthetic, social and political issues raised by screen versions.

Download or read Born on a Mountaintop PDF, written by Bob Thompson and published by Crown. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pioneer. Congressman. Martyr of the Alamo. King of the Wild Frontier. As with all great legends, Davy Crockett's has been retold many times. Over the years, he has been repeatedly reinvented by historians and popular storytellers. In Born on a Mountaintop, Bob Thompson combines the stories of the real hero and his Disney-enhanced afterlife as he delves deep into our love for an American icon. In the road-trip tradition of Sarah Vowell and Tony Horwitz, Thompson follows Crockett's footsteps from his birthplace in east Tennessee to Washington, where he served three terms in Congress, and on to Texas and the gates of the Alamo, seeking out those who know, love, and are still willing to fight over Davy's life and legacy. Born on a Mountaintop is more than just a bold new biography of one of the great American heroes. Thompson's rich mix of scholarship, reportage, humor, and exploration of modern Crockett landscapes bring Davy Crockett's impact on the American imagination vividly to life.

Download or read Texas War of Independence PDF, written by Alan C. Huffines and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2011-01-15 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the Texas War of Independence from its outbreak in 1835 to the Battle of the Alamo, to winning independence at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836.

Download or read The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories PDF, written by Alan Brown and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-08-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hauntings lurk and spirits linger in the Lone Star State Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Author Alan Brown shines a light in the dark corners of Texas and scares those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From tales of haunted hotels like the Von Minden and The Beckham, to a creek where a woman’s screams can still be heard to this day, and the shadowy figures still stalking the Alamo, these stories of strange occurrences will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Around the campfire or tucked away on a dark and stormy night, this big book of ghost stories is a hauntingly good read.

Download or read A Marmac Guide to San Antonio PDF, written by and published by Pelican Publishing. This book was released on with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Users of this extensive guide will soon find that their knowledge of the area exceeds their expectations. The compilation offers very candid descriptions of the numerous hotels, reviews of restaurants and their sample dishes-including those with the traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex fare, and lots of entertaining things to see and do around town. Everyone should be able to find something of interest in this city-especially with the monthly special events listing that is included. Visitors will not be the only ones with newfound wisdom. New residents can smooth their transition by being informed beforehand. Neighborhoods, important phone numbers, public transportation, as well as schools and churches are discussed. And San Antonio's most famous attraction, The Alamo, is by no means forgotten. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Yves Gerem, no stranger to the Lone Star State, is the editor of A Marmac Guide to Dallas and A Marmac Guide to Fort Worth and Arlington, both published by Pelican. Also available are A Marmac Guide to Atlanta, A Marmac Guide to Houston and Galveston, A Marmac Guide to Los Angeles, A Marmac Guide to New Orleans, and A Marmac Guide to Philadelphia.

Download or read American Legend PDF, written by Buddy Levy and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-12-05 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Crockett was an adventurer, a pioneer, and a media-savvy national celebrity. In his short-but-distinguished lifetime, this charismatic frontiersman won three terms as a U.S. congressman and a presidential nomination. His 1834 memoir enjoyed frenzied sales and prompted the first-ever “official” book tour for its enormously popular author. Down-to-earth, heroic and independent to a fault, the real Crockett became lost in his own hype, and he’s been overshadowed by a larger-than-life, pop-culture character in a coonskin cap. Now, American Legend debunks the tall tales to reveal the fascinating truth of Crockett’s hardscrabble childhood, his near-death experiences, his unlikely rise to Congress, and the controversial last stand at the Alamo that mythologized him beyond recognition. In this beautifully written narrative, Crockett emerges as never before: a rugged individual, a true American original, and an enduring symbol of the Western frontier. “A great myth-busting story [that] presents Davy Crockett as a man of genius and folly, which has the unlikely effect of making him all the more heroic.”—Martin Dugard, author of The Last Voyage of Columbus and Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone “As spellbinding and dramatic as any novel and as compelling as any reportage.”—Peter Hoffer, Distinguished Research Professor of History, The University of Georgia

Download or read Somewhere in the West PDF, written by Linda Kirkpatrick and published by Cowboy Miner Productions. This book was released on 2002-04 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Somewher in the West.

Download or read Book Lust PDF, written by Nancy Pearl and published by Sasquatch Books. This book was released on 2009-09-29 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What to read next is every book lover's greatest dilemma. Nancy Pearl comes to the rescue with this wide-ranging and fun guide to the best reading new and old. Pearl, who inspired legions of litterateurs with "What If All (name the city) Read the Same Book," has devised reading lists that cater to every mood, occasion, and personality. These annotated lists cover such topics as mother-daughter relationships, science for nonscientists, mysteries of all stripes, African-American fiction from a female point of view, must-reads for kids, books on bicycling, "chick-lit," and many more. Pearl's enthusiasm and taste shine throughout.

Download or read Big Wonderful Thing PDF, written by Stephen Harrigan and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 944 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of Texas is the story of struggle and triumph in a land of extremes. It is a story of drought and flood, invasion and war, boom and bust, and of the myriad peoples who, over centuries of conflict, gave rise to a place that has helped shape the identity of the United States and the destiny of the world. “I couldn’t believe Texas was real,” the painter Georgia O’Keeffe remembered of her first encounter with the Lone Star State. It was, for her, “the same big wonderful thing that oceans and the highest mountains are.” Big Wonderful Thing invites us to walk in the footsteps of ancient as well as modern people along the path of Texas’s evolution. Blending action and atmosphere with impeccable research, New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan brings to life with novelistic immediacy the generations of driven men and women who shaped Texas, including Spanish explorers, American filibusters, Comanche warriors, wildcatters, Tejano activists, and spellbinding artists—all of them taking their part in the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an indelible idea. Written in fast-paced prose, rich with personal observation and a passionate sense of place, Big Wonderful Thing calls to mind the literary spirit of Robert Hughes writing about Australia or Shelby Foote about the Civil War. Like those volumes it is a big book about a big subject, a book that dares to tell the whole glorious, gruesome, epically sprawling story of Texas.

Download or read The Eye of the Mammoth PDF, written by Stephen Harrigan and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History—natural history, human history, and personal history—and place are the cornerstones of The Eye of the Mammoth. Stephen Harrigan's career has taken him from the Alaska Highway to the Chihuahuan Desert, from the casinos of Monaco to his ancestors' village in the Czech Republic. And now, in this new edition, he movingly recounts in "Off Course" a quest to learn all he can about his father, who died in a plane crash six months before he was born. Harrigan's deceptively straightforward voice belies an intense curiosity about things that, by his own admission, may be "unknowable." Certainly, we are limited in what we can know about the inner life of George Washington, the last days of Davy Crockett, the motives of a caged tiger, or a father we never met, but Harrigan's gift—a gift that has also made him an award-winning novelist—is to bring readers closer to such things, to make them less remote, just as a cave painting in the title essay eerily transmits the living stare of a long-extinct mammoth.

Download or read War and Film in America PDF, written by Marilyn J. Matelski and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2003-07-21 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America's chief exports are war and entertainment; combined, they are the war films viewed all over the world. The film industry is a partner of the government; American film shapes the ways in which both Americans and others view war. The authors herein explore differing film perspectives across five decades. The essays, written especially for this volume, explore topics such as frontier justice, Cold War fervor, government-sponsored terrorism, the "back-to-Nam" films, films as a venue for propaganda, and war's far-reaching effects on personal values, family relationships, and general civility. The movies used in these analyses vary from conventional battle epics like Bridge on the River Kwai and The Green Berets to motion pictures with a war motif either as part of the story (The Way We Were) or as a historical setting (The Graduate). Some of the films are satirical (Dr. Strangelove); some are propagandistic (The Alamo, Big Jim McLain). Other films include Black Hawk Down, True Lies, The Deer Hunter, Patriot Games and Let There Be Light. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.