In Lost, Texas: Photographs of Forgotten Buildings, Bronson Dorsey takes us on a tour of old, abandoned buildings in Texas that evoke the mystique of bygone days and shifting population patterns. With a skilled photographer’s eye, he captures the character of these buildings, mostly tucked away in the far corners of rural Texas—though, surprisingly, some of his finds are in the midst of thriving communities, even, in one case, the Dallas metroplex. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in a state of decay, though a handful have been repurposed as museums, residences, or other functional structures. Encompassing all regions of the state, from the Piney Woods to the Panhandle, the images in Lost, Texas evoke distinctive memories of the past. They grant a sense of how those who preceded us lived and how the Texas of earlier days became the Texas of today. Some of the historic sites include a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Beeville, a lumberyard built over two generations, a beautiful, mission-style schoolhouse raised in a small farming community, the skeleton of a boomtown gas station near the Yates oilfield, and what remains of the only silver mining operation in Texas. With Dorsey as a guide, readers may explore these hidden and neglected gems and learn the basic facts of their origins and intended uses, as well as the principal reasons for their demise. Along the way and in the background, he quietly makes the case for preserving these buildings that, while no longer central to the ongoing function of their communities, still serve as important emblems of the past.

His career is in her hands—will he risk his future to save her? Clarice Sutton, daughter of privilege, was raised to lead society, but that life feels increasingly empty, so instead of taking her proper place in their social set, she's taken a job her parents abhor: police department psychologist. The company she keeps and the people she meets horrify her oh-so-proper parents and their friends. Santino "Saint" Valdez—hardnosed detective who is anything but saintly—is under investigation by Internal Affairs for killing a predator he's not at all sorry to have eliminated. Now he's supposed to spill his guts to Miss Prim and Prissy? No way—not ever. Yet she's not what he expects, and he surprises her, as well. A growing attraction complicates both their lives, and time spent together only strengthens the unwise bond between the mongrel from the streets and the society girl. Saint's future depends on Clarice's professional evaluation, yet her feelings toward him are increasingly anything but professional. An Internal Affairs detective who trusts her wants Saint's head in a noose, so the stakes couldn't be higher. New on the job, Clarice can't afford to falter, yet the urge to defend the man who won't defend himself is powerful. And when Clarice learns that the parents she's tried so hard to please have lied to her all her life, the only person she trusts to understand how lost and alone she feels is the very man she must avoid in order to save him. As the forces against Saint gather, he knows the worst thing he can do is spend time with her and risk tainting her evaluation…yet how can he turn away from her soft and valiant heart when she's suffering so? And when those out to get him endanger her safety, will Saint risk everything to save her?

In no other state is the identity of its people so closely tied to the land as it is in Texas. Texans have historically & passionately defined themselves through their sense of place. As one considers the remarkable diversity of the landscape of Texas & the array of cultures that have arisen from the land, the fierce individuality of the people is easy to understand. Today, the very foundation of that deep sense of who we are is threatened by forces that are changing the character of the land more rapidly & profoundly than at any other time since the introduction of agriculture. Few remnants of the real Texas remain, & the realities of public policy & finance in the nineties present an uncertain climate for protecting those natural treasures that have managed to survive. And some have survived. The best & most significant of them are presented in this book, along with a twenty-first century strategy for protecting them. If we want our children to understand what it means to be Texan, we can do no less. PUBLICATION DATE: OCTOBER 1995. 160 PAGE--FULL COLOR THROUGHOUT, HARDBACK COST: $39.95 ISBN#: 0-9647023-0-4. FOR MORE INFORMATION: GULF PUBLISHING - 713-529-4301.

Learn about the Iditarod, the northern lights, the Kodiak bear, and more with Larry the pup. While traveling on a cruise to Alaska, Larry the pup and his owner Pete observe the native wildlife and spectacular scenery of the Alaska coast. But when Larry finds himself on a sea plane ride after chasing down a tasty treat, the dog and his owner must race across Alaska to find each other. Now in paperback, Alaska visitors and locals can journey into the heart of the Alaskan wilderness with Larry as he encounters bald eagles, fishermen, the North Pole, polar bears, and a team of sled dogs before finally being reunited with Pete. From the Hardcover edition.

In an isolated pine forest on the eastern edge of Central Texas, there lies an island of abundant and diversified life known as the Lost Pines. Separated from the rest of the state’s East Texas pine forests by more than one hundred miles, the Lost Pines marks the westernmost stand of the loblolly pine and is a refuge for plants and animals more typically associated with the southeastern United States where the tree originated. Surrounded now by pastures and scattered oak woodlands, the Lost Pines supports a remarkable ecosystem, a primeval sanctuary amidst the urban bustle of nearby Austin and of neighboring communities Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville. This 100,000 acre island includes portions of Bastrop and Buescher State Parks, and it was here that Stephen W. Taber and Scott Fleenor encountered insect life of astonishing diversity. Setting out to identify and describe the insects and related animals most readily observed in the Lost Pines, they also discovered some hidden, rare, and never-before-described species. The result is this book, a bestiary of more than 280 species of invertebrates including insects, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, mollusks, and worms. Each species description includes common and scientific names; information on biology, distribution, and similar species; and the authors’ special remarks. Many of these animals occur outside the forest, making Insects of the Texas Lost Pines a useful guide to Texas invertebrates in general. When you visit Bastrop State Park, you are likely to see more bugs and spineless creatures than any other form of animal life. The next time you go, turn over a few logs, look at the ants, and don’t swat the flies. Take along this new guide and open up a world of life in one of Texas's most unique and popular landscapes.

A postcard craze gripped the nation from 1905 to 1920, as the rise of outdoor photography coincided with a wave of settlement and prosperity in Texas. Hundreds of people took up cameras, and photographers of note chose some of their best work for duplication as photo postcards—sold for a nickel and mailed for a penny to distant friends and relatives. These postcards, which now enjoy another kind of craze in the collecting world, left what author John Miller Morris calls a "significant visual legacy" of the history and social geography of Texas. For more than a decade, Morris has been finding and studying the photographers and methodically gathering their postcards. In Taming the Land, he shares those finds with readers, introducing each photographer and providing interpretive descriptions of the places, people, or events depicted in the photographs. The stories the cards tell—in the images captured and the messages carried—add an exceptional dimension to our understanding of life in rural Texas a century ago. Taming the Land presents postcards from twenty-four counties in the booming Texas Panhandle. This is the first book in a set called Plains of Light, which will collect and document turn-of-the-twentieth-century photo postcards from all over West Texas.

Known to some as "Capitol City," "River City," and "Groover's Paradise," Austin is a diverse mix of university professors, students, politicians, musicians, state employees, artists, and both blue-collar and white-collar workers. The city is also home to the main campus of the University of Texas and several other universities. As Austin has grown to become more cosmopolitan, remnants of its small-town heritage have faded away. Austin's uniqueness--both past and present --is reflected in its food, architecture, historic places, music, and businesses. Many of these beloved institutions have moved on into history. While some are far removed in the mists of time, others are more recent and generate fond memories of good times and vivid experiences. Images of America: Lost Austin explores, through the collections of the Austin History Center and others, where Austinites once shopped, ate, drank, and played.