It Happened in Texas - Crutchfield

It Happened in Texas, 2nd edition.

By James A. Crutchfield.

Guilford, Conn: Two Dot / Globe Pequot Press, 2007. pbk map, bibliog., index ISBN 0-7627-4569-X $12.95http://www.globepequot.com/

These 33 interesting episodes of history begin in prehistory and continue to 1993. Most are the usual quarrelsome or violent stories of a nation or state in development. Most before 1866 are the stock stories, but those after are refreshing, more likely unknown to the casual historian. For instance, there’s the 1966 “March of the Melon Pickers,” and the 1993 “Showdown in Waco.”

The less violent tend to be stories related to women, like actress Sarah Bernhardt’s 1892 and 1906 tours and the 1967 story about Barbara Jordan taking her seat. And there’s the humorous 1891 rainmaking.

It would be nice if Crutchfield would compile a volume solely devoted to the 20th century.

Strange, Unusual & Bizarre Newspaper Stories

Hidden Headlines of Texas:

Strange, Unusual & Bizarre Newspaper Stories,

1860-1910.

Researched and compiled by Chad Lewis, foreword by Nick Redfern.

Eau Claire, WI: Unexplained Research Pub. Co., 2007. pbk $14.95 170 pages http://www.unexplainedresearch.com/

It’s a fact that monstrosities, wild creatures, freaks, old corpses, floating ghosts, peculiar deaths, medical anomalies, UFO’s and a few other things, unlike the previously mentioned, that are just plain weird are described in the short, re-printed newspaper stories. They are from over a hundred different towns’ journalism pages. Is your town one of them? For small towns, Bonham, Paris, and Hillsboro seem especially prone to oddities. Maybe that explains a few things I’d rather not discuss.

Texas Land of Legends - Bill Cannon

Texas: Land of Legends and Lore.

By Bill Cannon.

Lanham, MD: Republic of Texas Press / Taylor Trade / Rowman & Littlefield Pub. Group (dist by National Book Network), 2004. 216 pages, pbk, photos. $22.95 ISBN ISBN-13: 9781556229497 http://www.nbnbooks.com/

Cannon’s 100 historical anecdotes, legends, and folklore pieces are short (1 paragraph to 3 pages) and quite consumable. Some is the expected fodder, but most will be rather fresh to the usual reader. Here you find Three-Legged Williamson resting next to Bessie Coleman, the pioneer African American aviatrix and Barbara Jordan, known to all. It’s not secret, but here’s a version of how Box 13 was stolen for LBJ in 1948. The plains of Ector County reminded the early settlers of Russia, so you get the town of Odessa. Did Crockett’s “Old Betsy” come to Texas, or was it just too new fangled for tough Texas?

University of Texas Trivia Book - Margaret Berry

The University of Texas Trivia Book.

By Margaret C. Berry, foreword by De Loss Dodds. Athens, GA: Hill Street Press, 2007. pbk. 152 pages $10.95 http://www.hillstreetpress.com/

Another Margaret Berry production on UT. She knows the rocks and the details.

Over 500 bits and pieces of trivia and quotations in seven chapters: Student Life and Traditions / Faculty / Alumni / Founders and Leaders / Town and Gown / Campus / Longhorn Sports. What direction do the “river” and “tree” streets run? What do Sweat Palm and Heman Swante have in common? How tall’s the UT tower? What’s MoPac? Is Eeyore’s Birthday Party on Sixth Street? What did Kelsey A. Douglass want in 1837?

You Know You're in Texas - Donna Ingham

You Know You’re in Texas When

….101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Lone Star State.

By Donna Ingham.

Guilford, Conn.: Insider’s Guides / Globe Pequot Press, 2007. pbk 103 pages ISBN 0-7627-3811-1 $9.95 Designed in pleasing shades of blue, with a boot and stars on the cover. http://www.globepequot.com/

I have favorites. Armadillos cross roads more often than chickens. Dale Evans’ “Happy Trails” is on your iPod. Lonesome Dove is not a bird. It’s alright to boast and feel independent. Each page carries an extra tidbit, e.g., tumbleweeds are recent Russian emigrants. Altogether, a pleasant reading and handling experience.

Tales with a Twist - Donna Ingham

Tales With a Texas Twist: Original Stories and Everlasting Folklore from the Lone Star State.

By Donna Ingham and Illus by Paul G. Hoffman. Guilford, Cn.: GlobePequot/Insiders Guide, 2005.

http://www.globepequot.com/globepequot/index.cfm Pbk,, 160 pages, b&w ills., bib., 5.25 x 8 inches, ISBN: 0-7627-3899-5 Price: $12.95

The tall tale returns. Anecdotes, folklore, humor, social life, and customs wrapped in the skillful creation or re-telling by this college English professor. Ingham is a proven, delightful liar in the popular and academic Austin communities. Here she re-casts Texas traditional facts, folktales, and legends into sharp new molds. And to some outrageous success, the story-teller takes old Greek mythology (Persephone, Cupid, Psyche, etc) and reveals their Texan backgrounds.

Ingham draws some of her tales from J. Frank Dobie’s Texas Folklore Society’s publications, Southern traditions including Br’er Rabbit, and old historical stories of Cindy Ann Parker, Big Foot Wallace, Mollie Bailey, Goodnight & Loving, and Sam Bass.

The first lines of “The Coming of the Bluebonnet” reveals the spinner’s skill as she neatly combines rhythm and rhyme, followed by other combinations of number, sound, and repetition. The tone is Andy Griffith folksy, by her preference.

These 28 stories refresh the old reader’s response to these old stories. She’s a welcome voice who should follow-up with other volumes. For instance, why not take Pecos Bill’s family and give this 20th century tall tale a full-fleshed family of fantastic foibles and futures.

Recommended for readers, junior high to senior citizens, who enjoy a good laugh and even a cry as the short stories unfold.

TEXAS by Mary Jo Powell

Texas. By Mary Jo Powell.

Northampton, Mass.: Interlink Publishing, 2005. http://interlinkbooks.com/. 5" x 9", 288 pages, full-color photos, maps, paperback. ISBN 1-56656-564-2; Price: $18.95

This tall, paperback by Austinite Powell is a pleasant collection of past and present – Cabeza de Vaca to Branch Davidians. Over 10% of the pages have photos or graphics, color and b&w. Objectivity and the writer’s liveliness of short narratives and sidebars keep the reader interested. The few final pages devoted to movies, music, and literature make good diving boards for the modestly adventurous. Each title in this “On-the-Road Histories” series should include: maps, famous sons & daughters, tidbits, literary extracts, tourist sites, etc. and a bibliography. For medium and large libraries.