Tolbert of Texas: The Man and His Work

This little book is a very entertaining collection of short portraits of eccentric characters (both historical and more recent) from all corners and regions of Texas, whom the author Mr. Tolbert, over the years, either personally interviewed, or historically researched, as part of his daily columns in the Dallas News. The subjects range from very distinguished people, to semi-literate but hard-working backwoods characters, and everything in between. Mr. Tolbert draws attention to some overlooked but fascinating Texas people and incidents who have been neglected and under-appreciated. I learned some things about Texas pioneer history and culture from this book.

I grew up reading Mr. Tolbert's column in The Dallas Morning News. This book is a collection of some of his Texas tales, written in the literate, but very casual style that represented Mr. Tolbert's columns.