New Releases by Donna Ingham

With this compilation of Texas--and Texanized--favorite myths and legends, award-winning tale teller Donna Ingham applies her own unmistakable voice to traverse her home state through such stories as: "The Coming of the Bluebonnet"--an oft-collected Commanche myth about love and sacrifice and the origin of the Texas state flower "The Story Behind the Story"--about two early cattlemen and the basis for an episode in Larry McMurtry''s "Lonesome Dove" "The Life and Times of Pecos Bill"--a selection of tales about this legendary folk hero "Diamond Bill"--about an east Texas rattlesnake who fought in the Civil War "Cupid Was a Mama''s Boy"--a Texanized classic Greek myth

From blue bells to armadillos and the San Antonio River Walk to Cadillac Ranch, here''s the inside story about the very things that give the state its character. Did you know that Texas has more bird species than any other state? That Texas is the largest producer of oil and gas in the United States and the nation''s leader in pickup sales? That Texas has museums and larger-than-life statues that honor native sons and daughters such as Lyndon B. Johnson, Barbara Jordan, Buddy Holly, and J. Frank Dobie?

Texas Myths and Legends explores unusual phenomena, strange events, and mysteries in Texas’s history. Each episode included in the book is a story unto itself, and the tone and style of the book is lively and easy to read for a general audience interested in Texas history. The more than a dozen stories answer questions such as: Is the "Navidad Wildman"—aka Bigfoot—alive and well in Texas? Was the creature in one Texas woman''s freezer the legendary blood-sucking beast known as the chupacabra? Just what are the mysterious Marfa Lights? Manifestations of otherworldly beings? Can they be explained scientifically? Is Jefferson the most haunted city in Texas? Or should the title go to San Antonio, which has enough ghosts to warrant at least three advertised ghost hunt tours? From rumors of Jean Lafitte''s buried treasures to the hanging of Chipita Rodriguez and the love story of Frenchy McCormick, Texas Myths and Legends makes history fun and pulls back the curtain on some of the state''s most fascinating and compelling stories.

Beautiful photographs and evocative essays showcase 50 iconic places, events, inventions, foods and "objects" -- some obvious, some unexpected -- that convey the personality of Texas.

Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Texas History features 15 short biographies of notorious badguys, perpetrators of mischief, visionary if misunderstood thinkers, and other colorful anti-heroes from the history of the nation''s capital.

Part of our growing Mysteries and Legends series, Mysteries and Legends of Texas explores unusual phenomena, strange events, and mysteries in Texas’s history. Each episode included in the book is a story unto itself, and the tone and style of the book is lively and easy to read for a general audience interested in Texas history.

A celebration for residents and a field guide for the uninitiated, this delightful book highlights the beloved customs, recipes, people, and places that make Texas a state apart.