The Courthouses of Texas

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in Texas courthouses, especially if you like the historic ones. It is arranged alphabetically and it is easy to navigate through the book. A photo as well as a description of each courthouse illustrates nicely and makes a great guide. Every state should have a book like this!

A must for those interested in the history of Texas county courthouses. Very helpful in planning visits to admire these buildings.

The second edition of Dr. Kelsey's guide book to Texas courthouses is a joy, either to carry on your next road trip or to use in browsing Texas's 254 county courthouses from home. Published in 2007 by Texas A & M University Press, the book retains Dr. Kelsey's "Personal Tour" section, but has updated photos, county population, and appendixes. I agree with "SchylarRex" that Michale Andrews' work, "Historic Texas Courthouses," is excellent. I have it too, and would not want to be without it. That said, however, I believe it's important to distinguish between the purposes served by "Historic Texas Courthouses" and "The Courthouses of Texas-A Guide." Andrews' book looks at 100 of state's the most architecturally significant historic courthouses. It measures approximately 11 inches by 10.75 inches in height and width. "The Courthouses of Texas" weighs in at 9 x 6 inches and is a handy size to throw in the back back and go. As has been already noted, each of the 254 Texas courthouses is represented. The Texas Historic Commission website says about the Kelsey and Dyal book: "This is the first resource to buy if you want to go 'courthouseing.'" http://www.texascourthousetrail.com/resources.htm I hope this helps clear up any confusion that may have inadvertantly resulted from the customer reviews. In my opinion, the two make excellent companions to each other. In my opinion, the color photos in "The Courthouses of Texas," though only about 2.5" x 3.5" in size, are clear, clean, and uncluttered. The alphabetical county listing makes finding any particular courthouse easy. The comments retain descriptions of courthouse styles, names of architects, and brief historical notes that you'd not likely pick up when just passing through town. It's also fun to track down a copy of Coursey Clark's 1962 classic "Courthouses of Texas" (in black and white) for comparison. On my wish list for third edition of Kelsey and Dyal's great guidebook, I'd suggest adding one feature from Clark's format--tiny outlines of the state and its many counties on each page with the particular county highlighted for easy geographical reference. With so many counties, just keeping up with their location is no easy feat! Elaine Ward

This book made me want to start my quest to visit ALL of the courthouses of Texas. This has become something of a burden to me now. Some of the most beautiful ones are quite remote. Be warned - when you see a really beautiful courthouse - you will want to see more.

an excellant book on so esoteric a subject. I found the majority of the information provided to be very useful. this book has assissted me on my travels to see these great buildings.