Beyond Myths and Legends : A Narrative History of Texas

It is the goal of this textbook to move beyond the myths and legends that cloud our understanding of the past and to present a straightforward narrative history of Texas from the prehistoric era to the present. The authors have combined the most recent scholarship with primary research, providing students with the best narrative history of the state written to date. The authors' focus primarily rests on the cultural, social, and political history of the state, but they have also included a healthy dose of economic and military history. The Fourth Edition includes new introductions and conclusions to each chapter, which are designed to capture the students' attention and provide them a way to broadly conceptualize the information covered within the chapter. The book is written in a ''student friendly'' style, providing a comprehensive overview and clear understanding of concepts. In part to accomplish this purpose, each chapter contains a detailed study guide, a feature that no other Texas history textbook has to date. Texas Voices: Documents & Biographcal Sketches, written and edited by Keith Volanto, contains five primary source documents, three compact biographies, and photographs for each chapter to supplement the text and awaken the students' interest in Texas's past and appreciate the relevance course material.