The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense

It arrived timely and in excellent condition - a wonderful read - I love it!

Dr. Webb's account about the Texas Ranger, should spark an interest to the reader's love for Texas History. His account of people's down to earth lives is so remarkable that even President Lyndon B Johnson foward the work. Money well spent. I will add it to the western section of my personal library.

This classic was first published in 1935. The consummate western historian Walter Prescott Webb, assimilated a history of the first century (actually from 1823 - 1935) of the Texas Rangers in his book, THE TEXAS RANGERS: A CENTURY OF FRONTIER DEFENSE. This 1965 reprinting contains a foreword by Lyndon B. Johnson. Webb covers not only the history of the Texas Rangers, but also focuses on some of its more noteworthy, or to some, notorious, men who wore the star. From Jack Hays to Frank Hamer, the reader is given some of the high points of their careers, from the Battle of Plum Creek to the capture of Bonnie and Clyde. Webb, great historian that he was, was not a great writer and the book reads rather slowly at times. For entertainment value, I preferred Robert Utley's book of a similar name, Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers, but this one does cover some interesting material you wont find in Utley's book, so both should be considered for a better understanding of the early years of the Rangers. One frustrating thing about this book, because of its age, most of the books mentioned in the brief bibliography are long out of print and nearly impossible to find. Utley's book being far more recent (2202) contains numerous resources that are more available for further study. Please don't consider that a knock on this valuable book, however, as much of what is provided here is quite detailed of major events. Webb gives a good account of many specific events in Ranger history and a good narrative of the Ranger's role in shaping the Texas frontier. Monty Rainey www.juntosociety.com

Full of stories of heroes and bad guys, this is a book you can read to your kids and enjoy it as much yourself. If you want to know about the sometimes brutal history of Texas, and the brave men who made our state a safer place to live, this is THE BOOK to read on the rangers.

Written in 1935, this book takes a look at the first 100 years of the Texas Rangers. Not an easy read it is very detailed . This book should be used in Texas History Classes where that course is taught. It offers a realistic look at the brutality of life in frontier Texas. Although slow going at times this book has fascinated me for the twenty odd years I have owned it. I use the index as a source of reference when I want to look back into my native Texas' history. I enjoyed this book and readily recommend it for those interested in the early history of Texas.