Spanning four and a half centuries, James A. Michener’s monumental saga chronicles the epic history of Texas, from its Spanish roots in the age of the conquistadors to its current reputation as one of America’s most affluent, diverse, and provocative states. Among his finely drawn cast of characters, emotional and political alliances are made and broken, as the loyalties established over the … course of each turbulent age inevitably collapse under the weight of wealth and industry. With Michener as our guide, Texas is a tale of patriotism and statesmanship, growth and development, violence and betrayal—a stunning achievement by a literary master.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener’s Hawaii.
Praise for Texas
“Fascinating.”—Time
“A book about oil and water, rangers and outlaws, frontier and settlement, money and power . . . [James A. Michener] manages to make history vivid.”—The Boston Globe
“A sweeping panorama . . . [Michener] grapples earnestly with the Texas character in a way that Texas’s own writers often don’t.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Vast, sprawling, and eclectic in population and geography, the state has just the sort of larger-than-life history that lends itself to Mr. Michener’s taste for multigenerational epics.”—The New York Times
more
No one tells history in fiction like James Michener. Texas explains the state’s journey of heroes and villains, hard earnest working people, and cheats. You can’t help loving the unlovable in this exploration of one of our nation’s most colorful and ambitious states, and interesting to say, the history and culture of the people very well explain …
Very good book. I’ half way thru it. Page 647.
I love Michener! He takes his readers on long, informative rides… and l’ve rarely been disappointed. Texas was truly a LONG book and apparently Texas’ history is longer than the US. Read this if you really want to try to understand Texas.. I still don’t
I enjoy the research the author uses in telling his tales. ‘Centennial’meant a lot to me, as I live in Colorado, ‘Texas’ has filled in what I knew about the creation of that state, and explains the highly individual attitudes of Texans. A lot of violence in the pioneering days is shocking, and it took stalwart people to hold on and create the …
I am a Texas expat, and love this epic tale of my home state! I have read it more than once, loving it every time. Being from West Texas, I really enjoyed finding family names and names of local families with whom I am acquainted. This author always delivers!
For fans of authentic historical fiction or if you really want to learn about Texas, this is you starting point. For fans of Michener, this book delivers in his thorough, interesting and entertaining style. It is a sweeping saga across years and family generations. And it doesn’t disappoint.
takes a commitment to read. Absolutely well worth it
Michener researches and has an easy and enjoyable way of writing. I usually can’t put his books down once I start!
great story intwining multiple characters to tell the story of texas both wonderful and tragic,
I read this book many years ago and enjoyed it very much.
Learned a lot about Texas history and culture while being entertained
For those who enjoy books that last a long time. An interesting representation of history through the eyes of the characters.
slow at first as always with michner but great learning tool
A massive epic. I’m not a Texan and don’t have a historian’s knowledge, but I get a strong sense that Michener really did his homework. The book is magnificent, fascinating, and exhausting, and the list of resources employed impressive.
I love reading Micheners books, but this one was harder to get through. It was better in the beginning than the more recent years. I really liked the way that the book was set up. I thought it was a creative way to present each time period. I understand the people of Texas much better as you can see how their free spirits developed throughout the …
Vert difficult to get into
Slow and tedious. I go back to it on occasion to see if It gets more interesting. So far my least favorite Michener writing.
One of the best books I have ever read. So many actual facts and event to learn!
This is Texas!
As a boomer, Texas Rangers were a staple for Saturday morning entertainment on the B/W Zenith TV. Refreshing to get a true perspective on their actual deeds.