"Home of the Last Frontier" is how the local radio station aptly describes the Big Bend and Davis Mountains region of West Texas, the sparsely populated area of desert and mountain close to the Mexican border. After 1848, the first settlers started to move in. They came to make a living, and a few made a fortune. Mysterious cattle baron Milton Faver ran 10,000 cattle in the 1870s. Others came for their health, like J.O. Langford, his wife, and young daughters who, seeking a dry climate, came to homestead on the Rio Grande. Today's newcomers are equally pioneering in their own way. Donald Judd was the catalyst that changed Marfa from a moribund cow town to an internationally recognized art center. Edie Elfring, an immigrant from a small island in the Baltic Sea, has picked up trash and tended Alpine's public gardens--unasked and unpaid--for years. They were drawn to what their predecessors found: a boundless landscape peopled by a few hardy, independent souls.

A larger-than-life narrative of the making of the classic film, marking the rise of America as a superpower, the ascent of Hollywood celebrity, and the flowering of Texas culture as mythology. Featuring James Dean, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor, Giant is an epic film of fame and materialism, based around the discovery of oil at Spindletop and the establishment of the King Ranch of south Texas. Isolating his star cast in the wilds of West Texas, director George Stevens brought together a volatile mix of egos, insecurities, sexual proclivities, and talent. Stevens knew he was overwhelmed with Hudson’s promiscuity, Taylor’s high diva-dom, and Dean’s egotistical eccentricity. Yet he coaxed performances out of them that made cinematic history, winning Stevens the Academy Award for Best Director and garnering nine other nominations, including a nomination for Best Actor for James Dean, who died before the film was finished. In this compelling and impeccably researched narrative history of the making of the film, Don Graham chronicles the stories of Stevens, whose trauma in World War II intensified his ambition to make films that would tell the story of America; Edna Ferber, a considerable literary celebrity, who meets her match in the imposing Robert Kleberg, proprietor of the vast King Ranch; and Glenn McCarthy, an American oil tycoon; and Errol Flynn lookalike with a taste for Hollywood. Drawing on archival sources Graham’s Giant is a comprehensive depiction of the film’s production showing readers how reality became fiction and fiction became cinema.

This collection explores Mexican lore and southwestern history as it relates to the emerging Mexican-American way of life in the much-romanticized old west of cowboys and Indians.

A unique, unmistakable voice in American fiction, Dagoberto Gilb is also a singular writer of personal and journalistic essays. In A Passing West he casts a penetrating gaze upon the culture and history of the Southwest, Mexican American identity, and his own family. Gilb has a forceful message for readers: there is a Mexican America, and its culture is the lifeblood of the Southwest United States, which was Mexican land until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The rest of the country, Gilb declares, does not want to know or respect the long history of Mexican America. His mission is to defend and proclaim its beauty and importance. Ranging from accounts of research in Spain’s Archivo General de Indias and the culture of farming corn in Iowa to meditations on Mexican and Mexican American writers, deconstructions of Mexican American food, and the experience of teaching students confused about their own culture and identity, these sharply observed portraits are both thought provoking and entertaining. His parent, his youth and manhood, his new disabled life, and snapshots of Mexico City and Guatemala, California, and Texas—all are unforgettable thanks to Gilb’s brilliant vision and style.

This book will guide you from historic towns where cattle barons once vied with oil magnates, to expanses of prairie and desert where buffalo once roamed. Whether you're rafting down the Rio Grande, sampling chili in Terlingua, border-hopping between old El Paso and Juarez, or dancing in Turkey to Bob Will's music, this is what Texas is all about.

Insight Guide to USA On The Road is a pictorial travel guide in a magazine style providing answers to the key questions before or during your trip: deciding when to go to USA On The Road, choosing what to see, from exploring the Grand Canyon to discovering the Everglades or creating a travel plan to cover key places like the Big Sur, Yellowstone National Park. This is an ideal travel guide for travellers seeking inspiration, in-depth cultural and historical information about the USA as well as a great selection of places to see during your trip. The Insight Guide USA ON THE ROAD covers: The Atlantic Route; The Northern Route; The Central Route; The Southern Route; The Pacific Route. In this travel guide you will find: IN-DEPTH CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL FEATURES Created to explore the culture and the history of the USA to get a greater understanding of its modern-day life, people and politics BEST OF The top attractions and Editor's Choice highlighting the most special places to visit around the USA. CURATED PLACES, HIGH QUALITY MAPS Geographically organised text cross-referenced against full-colour, high quality travel maps for quick orientation in New York City and many more locations in the USA. COLOUR-CODED CHAPTERS Every part of the USA, from New York to Washington has its own colour assigned for easy navigation. TIPS AND FACTS Up-to-date historical timeline and in-depth cultural background to the USA as well as an introduction to the USA's Food and Drink and fun destination-specific features. PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATION A-Z of useful advice on everything from when to go to the USA, how to get there and how to get around, as well as the USA's climate, advice on tipping, etiquette and more. STRIKING PICTURES Features inspirational colour photography, including the stunning "drowned forests" in Louisiana and the spectacular Niagara Falls.

""Wildflowers Across Texas"" brings us fields of bright, beloved Texas bluebonnets, lakes full of wild water lilies, and rare, isolated agave blossoms. The beauty of the Texas landscape is here in its full glory.--Amazon.com.

Plan the perfect road trip with Insight Guide USA On The Road, an inspiring, full-colour travel guide to the ultimate American travel experience - taking you to the open road across the USA: An inspirational Best of the United States section illustrates on-the-road highlights, making sure you don't miss anything these spectacular trips have to offer, from historical sites to best diners. With a longer and more in-depth history and culture section than its competitors, this guide is essential background reading for anyone who's ever dreamt of driving across the USA. The informative text, written by regional experts, is a pleasure to read and accompanied by stunning photography. Five routes covered in detail: the Atlantic Route (New York City to Florida Keys), The Northern Route (Boston to the Olympic Peninsula), the Central Route (Washington, DC to Los Angeles), the Southern Route (Atlanta to San Diego) and the Pacific Route (San Diego to Washington State). Special features on American Artists and the Road and the legendary Route 66. Lavish photo features illustrate how to make the most of your time in America's main cities. Selective listings hand-picked by our local writers for where to stay and eat; comprehensive advice to help you plan your trip. About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-color print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travelers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure. 'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine