History of the development of Oak Cliff. Filled with wonderful pictures from the early beginnings and showing the energetic strength of the founders of this great part of Dallas

Oak Cliff and the Missing Pieces is the first book written about the area's history in over three decades. It not only captures the beginnings of the early settlement, it takes the reader beyond a century and a half of growth and tracks how the community has evolved. The book is unique in that it captures the history of West Dallas in conjunction with its Oak Cliff neighbor and how the two transformed together over time into what we see today. The collection of historical accounts and hundreds of photos identify individuals and places of prominence finally memorialized in one anthology. The narrative also takes readers through facts and stories that have been ignored or concealed, revealing an authentic depiction of how the community was, at times, abused and neglected. Readers will enjoy this introspective examination of the area south and west of the Trinity and will once and for all put together the missing pieces of the storied land that has long been misunderstood. All proceeds from the sale of Oak Cliff and the Missing Pieces will go to benefit non-profit organizations in Oak Cliff and West Dallas.

In this stunning collection of black-and-white photographs, photographer Richard Doherty takes a deep visual dive into Oak Cliff, the southwest Dallas neighborhood where he has lived for the past four decades. Using a variety of film cameras, Doherty combines vivid, sweeping panoramic images on the main business drag, Jefferson Boulevard, with intimate portraits of people in their workplaces, homes, and yards. These evocative, richly detailed images reveal the unique character of the diverse people, social landscapes, and personal spaces in this often-overlooked section of Dallas. Doherty’s photographs are a testament to his love of Oak Cliff, a place where he has made his home and raised his family. They are also a powerful reminder of the beauty and complexity of everyday life in a modern city. In addition to Doherty’s photographs, the book features a concise history of Oak Cliff by bestselling author Bill Minutaglio, as well as essays by curators John Rohrbach of the Amon Carter Museum and Christopher Blay of the Houston Museum of African American Culture. These essays provide context for the photographs and anchor them in the landscape of contemporary photography. Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood is a must-have for anyone who loves photography, history, or the city of Dallas. This photographic work is a beautiful and insightful portrait of a unique and vibrant place.

In essays, scholars demonstrate that the history of Texans' quests to secure inalienable rights and expand government-protected civil rights has been one of stops and starts, successes and failures, progress and retrenchment.

A history of the 1947 disaster that rocked a segregated Texas boomtown and revealed disturbing negligence by the private sector and the US government. First published in 2003, City on Fire is a gripping, intimate account of the explosions of two ships loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer that demolished Texas City, Texas, in April 1947, in one of the most catastrophic disasters in American history. “Remarkable. . . . A terrific nonfiction work that has the narrative force of an adventure novel.” —Washington Post “[Among] the greatest life-or-death tales ever told.” —Esquire “City on Fire will stand on its own as one of the finest books ever written about Texas.” —Texas Observer “Incendiary reading. . . . A harrowing mosaic about a blaze during a time of racial divisions and environmental plundering…evocatively told. . . . The book vividly details the carnage as well as some acts of heroism and selflessness.” —Publishers Weekly “Riveting . . . Reminiscent of New York City’s rise from the askes after September 11, the chronicle of Texas City’s devastation and resurrection will strike a chord with contemporary readers.” —Booklist “History at its best, at once thrilling and illuminating. The story of ambition, hubris, tragedy, and bravery . . . is as timeless today in all of America as it was back in Texas more than half a century ago.” —David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story

Dallas has a reputation as a progressive city--always ready to build something new to replace the old. In the late 19th century, as Dallas became the transportation and commercial center for North Texas, brick and stone edifices supplanted the simple frame structures of the early days. By the 1920s, the city was the financial capital of the region and boasted the tallest building west of the Mississippi. In 1936, Dallas hosted the Texas Centennial Exposition in Fair Park, an ensemble of art deco buildings that is a National Historic Landmark. As business grew, so did the skyline. Today Dallas has a rich collection of historic buildings that chronicle the city's growth and progress.

The rich, complex lives of African Americans in Texas were often neglected by the mainstream media, which historically seldom ventured into Houston's Fourth Ward, San Antonio's East Side, South Dallas, or the black neighborhoods in smaller cities. When Bill Minutaglio began writing for Texas newspapers in the 1970s, few large publications had more than a token number of African American journalists, and they barely acknowledged the things of lasting importance to the African American community. Though hardly the most likely reporter—as a white, Italian American transplant from New York City—for the black Texas beat, Minutaglio was drawn to the African American heritage, seeking its soul in churches, on front porches, at juke joints, and anywhere else that people would allow him into their lives. His nationally award-winning writing offered many Americans their first deeper understanding of Texas's singular, complicated African American history. This eclectic collection gathers the best of Minutaglio's writing about the soul of black Texas. He profiles individuals both unknown and famous, including blues legends Lightnin' Hopkins, Amos Milburn, Robert Shaw, and Dr. Hepcat. He looks at neglected, even intentionally hidden, communities. And he wades into the musical undercurrent that touches on African Americans' joys, longings, and frustrations, and the passing of generations. Minutaglio's stories offer an understanding of the sweeping evolution of music, race, and justice in Texas. Moved forward by the musical heartbeat of the blues and defined by the long shadow of racism, the stories measure how far Texas has come . . . or still has to go.