Folk toys are made with available materials by amateurs in the tradition of the area's culture. Folk games are the traditional games passed along in the playground. This delightful illustrated volume combines how-to descriptions and personal reminiscences contributed by people across the state of Texas. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This is a society that you join because you want to. The purpose of the society is to collect and make known to he public sons and ballads, superstitions, games, plays, and proverbs.

Francis Edward Abernethy served as the Secretary-Editor of the Texas Folklore Society for 33 years. He played an integral part in the process of moving the headquarters from the University of Texas to Stephen F. Austin State University in 1971; for more than three decades, he managed the organization’s daily operations and helped it continue to grow—sometimes through lean years, both financially and in terms of academic interest. In addition to fostering many new members and guiding their contributions to folklore scholarship, his editorial accomplishments were substantial. In all, he edited two dozen volumes of the PTFS series, including the three volumes he wrote himself that serve as the Society’s history, from its beginning in 1909 up until the year 2000. While some publications during his tenure as Secretary-Editor may list the name of another writer (for an Extra Book) or a guest editor (for a special-topic PTFS), he most assuredly provided critical and creative input regarding the style, layout, content, and other aspects of the manuscript to make sure it was worthy of being identified as a TFS book. This Publication of the Texas Folklore Society celebrates Ab Abernethy’s many years of leadership and dedication to collecting, preserving, and presenting the folklore of Texas and the Southwest. Ab’s contributions to the Society’s publications cover a variety of topics. Here, they’ve been organized into some basic categories that serve as chapters. The prefaces to some of the more memorable volumes he edited are included, along with articles he wrote on music, teaching folklore, interesting anecdotes about historical figures and events, and a generalized category of articles on “cultural” examinations of the things we hold dear. In all, these pieces tell us what was important to Ab. In part, it also seems fair to say that these topics are what was—and still is—reflective of what’s important to the Texas Folklore Society.

Thirteen essays treat children from the pre-Civil War generation to 1950 as active, influential participants in society. The essays are organized into four topics: cultural and regional variation, toys and play, family life, and the ways evolving memories of childhood shape how adults think of themselves.

This is a brief account of the history of a small log cabin in Walker County, Texas. The Roberts-Farris Cabin was built around 1840 for Allen Roberts, a stepson of one of the original Walker County settlers, Hezekiah Farris.

Lucy Pier Stevens, a twenty-one-year-old woman from Ohio, began a visit to her aunt’s family near Bellville, Texas, on Christmas Day, 1859. Little did she know how drastically her life would change on April 4, 1861, when the outbreak of the Civil War made returning home impossible. Stranded in enemy territory for the duration of the war, how would she reconcile her Northern upbringing with the Southern sentiments surrounding her? Lucy Stevens’s diary—one of few women’s diaries from Civil War–era Texas and the only one written by a Northerner—offers a unique perspective on daily life at the fringes of America’s bloodiest conflict. An articulate, educated, and keen observer, Stevens took note of seemingly everything—the weather, illnesses, food shortages, parties, church attendance, chores, schools, childbirth, death, the family’s slaves, and political and military news. As she confided her private thoughts to her journal, she unwittingly revealed how her love for her Texas family and the Confederate soldier boys she came to care for blurred her loyalties, even as she continued to long for her home in Ohio. Showing how the ties of heritage, kinship, friendship, and community transcended the sharpest division in US history, this rare diary and Vicki Adams Tongate’s insightful historical commentary on it provide a trove of information on women’s history, Texas history, and Civil War history.

American folklife is steeped in world cultures, or invented as new culture, always evolving, yet often practiced as it was created many years or even centuries ago. This fascinating encyclopedia explores the rich and varied cultural traditions of folklife in America - from barn raisings to the Internet, tattoos, and Zydeco - through expressions that include ritual, custom, crafts, architecture, food, clothing, and art. Featuring more than 350 A-Z entries, "Encyclopedia of American Folklife" is wide-ranging and inclusive. Entries cover major cities and urban centers; new and established immigrant groups as well as native Americans; American territories, such as Guam and Samoa; major issues, such as education and intellectual property; and expressions of material culture, such as homes, dress, food, and crafts. This encyclopedia covers notable folklife areas as well as general regional categories. It addresses religious groups (reflecting diversity within groups such as the Amish and the Jews), age groups (both old age and youth gangs), and contemporary folk groups (skateboarders and psychobillies) - placing all of them in the vivid tapestry of folklife in America. In addition, this resource offers useful insights on folklife concepts through entries such as "community and group" and "tradition and culture." The set also features complete indexes in each volume, as well as a bibliography for further research.

The Texas Folklore Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations in the state. Its secret for longevity lies in those things that make it unique, such as its annual meeting that seems more like a social event or family reunion than a formal academic gathering. This book examines the Society's members and their substantial contributions to the field of folklore over the last century. Some articles focus on the research that was done in the past, while others offer studies that continue today. This book does more than present a history of the Texas Folklore Society: it explains why the TFS has lasted so long, and why it will continue.