Many Texas travel guides are all hat and no cattle, put together by temporary or transplanted Texans who aren’t well familiar with the state in its entirety, much less the experiences and marvels that express bona fide Lone Star spirit. Award-winning author E. R. Bills’s 100 Things to Do in Texas Before You Die is a definitive, quick-reference travel guide put together by a native-born, lifelong Texan who has traveled the state all his life and spent the last several years writing about its distinct treasures, attractions and history. From the Big Bend to the Big Thicket, the Panhandle to the Padre Island National Seashore and all points in between, join Bills in this Lone Star bucket list that emphasizes authentic Texas in in all of its amazing diversity, stark beauty and unparalleled presence in the lower forty-eight.

Information on the range, size, identification, and scientific name of 100 flowers native to Texas.

Not a travel guide and not exactly a Texas brags book, 100 Great Things is a celebration of 100 subtle and not-so-subtle, serious and not-so-serious things that make Texas the special place that it is. "A great little gift book." -- Round-up Magazine "Sure to spark the interest of native and non-native Texans alike." -- Review of Texas Books "A small book perfect for those 'one-more-gift' gifts." -- Kerrville Daily Times "A fun addition to the loot for my grown children and grandchildren." -- Brazosport Facts "This is one of those little stocking-stuffer books that's simply a fun read." -- Bryan-College Station Eagle

A county courthouse stands not only as the center of government, but also as the center of civic pride. Some with stately towers and arched doors or windows, some with high brick chimneys and mansard roofs, some in modern concrete and glass, the 254 courthouses of Texas provide an invitation to public life, a testament to the ideal of justice, and an introduction to period architecture. It is no wonder, then, that many tourists each year visit these edifices. This new edition of a classic, indispensable, full-color guide—a true collector’s item for Texas history fans—will help travelers choose which courthouses they want to add to their trips and view them knowledgeably. For each county a color photograph pictures the courthouse and an account sketches the sequence of the seats of government, the location and style of the current building, and tidbits of fascinating lore about county and county seat names and history. Courthouses and the “squares” around many of them offer a bonanza for history buffs, antique collectors, genealogists, architecture enthusiasts, and photographers. Many of them house or are near local history museums, and many display historical markers that introduce the area to visitors. Especially in many smaller county seats, the courthouse square offers a genre scene of a special moment in Texas’ life. Included in this updated edition are the latest views of some of Texas’ most historic and architecturally significant courthouses, including those restored under the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Courthouse Preservation Program. For all those who plan their travels to see courthouses, and all those who in their travels for other reasons enjoy detours into the heritage and pride of a people, this beautiful and informative book opens the way.

Cartooning Texas presents a century of this state's history through a craft that is one of the nation's liveliest art forms. Few states have enjoyed as rich a history of political cartooning as the great state of Texas. William Sydney (O. Henry) Porter and his depiction of railroad graft, turn-of-the century Tobe Bateman and his trademark goat, Pulitzer Prize winner Ben Sargent--these cartoonists have helped readers understand what this country's changes would mean to them. Even the first cartoon known to have lampooned native son Lyndon Johnson appears in these pages. Their sometimes humorous, always pointed lines have appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, the Rolling Stone, the Houston Post, the Dallas Morning News, and other state papers. With deft movements of pen across page, they have portrayed the events and personalities that have shaped public life. Lone Star cartoonists have provided a record that will amuse and educate new generations of Texans as well as those who remember the originals. Maury B. Forman and Robert A. Calvert provide context and explanations for each cartoon and overviews of each decade's main developments in the art.