Many Texans give Sarah Bradley Dodson credit for having made the first Lone Star flag. Of all the early Texas flags, her creation most closely resembles the official Lone Star flag that has flown proudly in Texas since 1839. Most of the people named in this book actually lived in early Texas and experienced the historical events related here.

Texans are fiercely proud of their “Lone Star” flag. It has flown from foxholes, been displayed at military bases around the world, and even been to space. Most Americans don’t even know that the state has had a grand total of fifty-nine different flags over the course of its great history. Texas and Her Fifty-Nine Flags explores the standards for a different approach to a history of Texas. Throughout each chapter, the author provides a story taken from history texts, research and anecdotes collected during his teaching and travels, which took fifteen years. This unique history of Texas will captivate the reader from the first Spanish flag through revolutions and pirates, to the “Bonnie Blue Flag” of the Civil War.

The region north of Houston, Texas, is a cultural enclave of communities and sites distinctive in Texas history. Here, significant contributions to the history of the great state of Texas emerged, along with some of its most noted and distinctive personalities, communities, and historical sites. Thoroughly researched and ambitious in scope, The Cradle of Texas Road explores this region of Texas to demonstrate how the Lone Star State has become a model of cultural integration in the United States. Robin and Joy Montgomery trace the evolution of this region beginning with the birth of the province of Texas through Ren Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salles influence with Spain to the modern pioneers who provide inspiration for Texas and beyond. This historical study shows how regional pride can and should spill over into the rest of the area, thereby providing greater unity to the state itself. Focus is also given to selected communities and historical sites that harbor a significant event or personality. These include the gravesite of Sam Houston; Huntsvilles Andrew Female College; Bedias, home to the original Native Americans; and the Alamo, where William B. Travis drew a line in the sand. Step back into history and discover some of the most dynamic examples of cultural innovation in the United States with The Cradle of Texas Road.

"Among the fifty or so Texan survivors of the siege of the Alamo was Joe, the personal slave of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis. First interrogated by Santa Anna, Joe was allowed to depart (along with Susana Dickinson) and eventually made his way to the seat of the revolutionary government at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Joe was then returned to the Travis estate in Columbia, Texas, near the coast. He escaped in 1837 and was never captured. Ron J. Jackson and Lee White have meticulously researched plantation ledgers, journals, memoirs, slave narratives, ship logs, newspapers, personal letters, and court documents to fill in the gaps of Joe's story. "Joe, the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend" provides not only a recovered biography of an individual lost to history, but also offers a fresh vantage point from which to view the events of the Texas Revolution"--

Laura's List presents the First Lady's published list of recommended books, and builds on her public commitment to books and learning. Parents need basic tools to give their children opportunities to grow, and here is an easy-to-understand guide to great reading for kids-from a highly visible source, Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush's own background and dedication to reading gives rise to this collection and can inspire others to take up her passion for reading as a means to expanding a child's world. Simple and powerful in conception, Laura's List discusses each book that our First Lady has publicly recommended, providing summaries and excerpts. It examines the values taught by each selection, and offers a reader's guide, listing prevalent themes and questions to ask after reading. Also Included are: - a short biography of the First Lady; - appendices of themes found in each book; and - Laura Bush's reading recommendations for adults.

Texans will decorate almost anything with their state flag, and E. Joe Deering has the pictures to prove it. In Lovin’ That Lone Star Flag, photographer Deering has collected more than a hundred of his favorite images, showing state-flag-adorned pickup trucks, belt buckles, hang gliders, rooftops, and more. Starting when he was a staff photographer for the Houston Chronicle, Deering began noticing, as he toured the state on various assignments, how often he saw the image of the Texas flag painted on buildings, vehicles, barn doors, and other places. His curiosity led to an idea for a photographic essay, published by the Chronicle, and this in turn resulted in an exhibit at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station of his “flagotography.” Paired with Deering’s lively captions recording the circumstances and locations of these uniquely Texan creations as well as former Chronicle colleague Ruth Rendon’s introduction of Deering and his work, these striking photographs capture Texans’ infectious enjoyment of their state symbol on land, on water, and in the air. Lovin’ That Lone Star Flag will bring a smile to your face. It might even get you in the mood for a little Texas Two-Step. . . .