Art of the State Texas

Years ago, when preparing for my 50-state road trip I'd purchased a load of travel guides to help plan what to see in each state. The guides satisfied me until I stumbled upon the first ART OF STATE book in Iowa and quickly purchased all the other states available. This curious book series made all other travel books pale by comparison. Deceptively small, slim, lightweight and light read, these books pack a punch of meaningful, inspirational information. Beautifully designed and written, they are thoroughly engaging and a joy to read--like finding an ancestor's scrapbook or diary in the attic and reading a fascinating family heritage while peering over images of a buried past. Each author must be a native or a deliberate transplant, for they tell each state's story lovingly, with a deep appreciation of the state--and not just its good features, but the blemishes, too, described evenhandedly. Photographs of architecture, landscapes paintings, crafts and memorabilia complement the words. Each book presents the state's history, climate, landscape, traditions, symbols, recipes, must-see destinations and a statewide calendar of events. I've purchased all the books in the series (20 of the 50 states as of 2007). If your budget won't allow you to buy all 20, at least buy two: one of your home state and one of your adopted state. You'll be amazed at what you discover. I apologize for raving so much about THE ART OF STATE series, but it was such a find, like discovering a diamond in a sea of glass. I can't help but gush. Now, about the Texas edition. Each book in the series has a wallpaper design inside cover treatment: a background color, unique to the state, dotted with a state motif. I always try to guess what the wallpaper will be before opening the book. Sometimes I guess correctly, but not often. Texas was easy: the gold Lone Star motif against a tanned leather brown. I was at first disappointed that Corpus Christie was barely mentioned and the rich cultural landscape of Austin and San Antonio briefly covered, but soon realized that Texas, once a nation unto itself, is simply too large--in land, history, economy and ecology--to satisfy all curiosities. The Alamo gets a full two-page spread as does the founding of the Republic of Texas, that 9 year period ( 1836-1845) when Texas was a nation unto itself. There's a nice sampling of Texas politicians--the "good ol' boys" and "good ol' gals," from the nation's first- elected president, Sam Houston to LBJ, to Governor Ann Richards, and the woman unfortunately named Ima Hogg, daughter of a former governor who "hadn't thought it through" when he named her after a heroine in a Civil War poem. There's a clever distinction between the two different Texas cultures: the cotton versus the cattle culture--before oil was discovered. The oil boom and its towering skyscraper legacy also gets good coverage as do the chips: Frito-Lay's corn chips and Texas Instrument's computer chips . The influx of German im