On May 27, 1997, an F5 tornado ground its way through the Double Creek Subdivision in Jarrell, Texas, a community of about 400 people just north of Austin. The slow-moving twister left behind foundations scoured clean and twenty-seven fatalities. Especially heart-breaking was the number of children who were killed-14. Some in the severe weather community consider this tornado one of the fiercest ever to strike the United States. Stories usually have several characters or groups of characters. This one has six: the tornado itself (the weather), the first-responders and rescuers, the survivors, the victims and their families, those who wanted to help in the aftermath, and the community as a whole. All of their stories meld into one that exemplifies the best of the American spirit, the spirit of picking up the pieces and moving on but never forgetting.

Tornadoes are not just a part of Texas culture; they are a part of many towns and communities throughout the state. The more than fifteen thousand tornadoes that have touched down somewhere within the boundaries of the Lone Star State have claimed more than eighteen hundred lives since 1880. Some have left behind such destruction that just the mention of them sends shivers up spines: Waco, Wichita Falls, Saragosa, Jarrell. Texas Tornadoes details all tornadoes and outbreaks that killed ten or more, achieved a rare F5 rating, were historically important, or exhibited unusual characteristics. The accounts encompass more than eighty counties and hundreds of communities, both large and small, that endured these monsters of nature from 1854 through 2015.

New Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundaton (Andrea C. Harkins), Bass Foundation, Ruth Andersson May, Mary G. Palko, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Margret M. Rimmer, Mike and Eva Sandlin.

The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st Century William Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone are the acclaimed masters of the American frontier and national bestsellers. Now, they take on the deadliest and most feared outlaw to ever walk the Old West--John Wesley Hardin. First he became a killer. Then he became a legend. He was 15 when he killed his first man. Before his murderous ways ended, Hardin killed 42 men in cold blood--one, the legend goes, because he snored too loudly. From then on John Wesley Hardin stayed true to his calling, killing man after man after man, spending most of his life being pursued by both local lawmen and federal troops. Hardin lived a fever dream of lightning fast draws and flying lead. By the age of seventeen, Hardin earned a deadly reputation for cold-blooded killing that drew traitors, backstabbers and wanna-be gunslingers--all for a chance to gun down the man who had turned killing into an all-American legend. . .

Vols. 65-96 include "Central law journal's international law list."

The Texas Centennial of 1936, commemorated by statewide celebrations of independence from Mexico, proved to be a powerful catalyst for the formation of a distinctly Mexican American identity. Confronted by a media frenzy that vilified "Meskins" as the antithesis of Texan liberty, Mexican Americans created literary responses that critiqued these racialized representations while forging a new bilingual, bicultural community within the United States. The development of a modern Tejana identity, controversies surrounding bicultural nationalism, and other conflictual aspects of the transformation from mexicano to Mexican American are explored in this study. Capturing this fascinating aesthetic and political rebirth, Border Renaissance presents innovative readings of important novels by María Elena Zamora O'Shea, Américo Paredes, and Jovita González. In addition, the previously overlooked literary texts by members of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) are given their first detailed consideration in this compelling work of intellectual and literary history. Drawing on extensive archival research in the English and Spanish languages, John Morán González revisits the 1930s as a crucial decade for the vibrant Mexican American reclamation of Texas history. Border Renaissance pays tribute to this vital turning point in the Mexican American struggle for civil rights.

April 12, 1927, a low-pressure system was moving across the Edwards Plateau of Texas. A blustery, gritty wind had been blowing all day and the townspeople were expecting rain. Three miles northwest of town, a monster tornado descended from the clouds. It took direct aim at Rocksprings, population 800. The first warning the townspeople had was the thunderous hail, breaking windows and crashing through rooftops. Moments later, at 7:50 p.m., the F5 tornado, now a mile wide, unleashed its fury with winds of over 260 miles per hour, destroying nearly everything in its path. In less than ten minutes, it was all over. The town was in ruins, lit only by a fierce lightning storm and the buildings that were burning. Almost 80 people were dead, dying or missing. Some were never found. Over 150 were injured. The torrential rain rendered many roads almost impassable. Yet rescuers came from all over to help. Over the next several days, the severely injured and dying were transported to San Antonio, 140 miles away, by cars, trucks, ambulances, and trains. Gathered from personal accounts and historical records, this is the first book to tell the story of the tornado and the people who suffered through the Rocksprings tornado and those who came to their aid. The F5 tornado still ranks as the third deadliest in Texas since 1900.

Nature takes a surprising turn in the heart of Texas. The flat Gulf Coastal Plains, which become the fertile Blackland Prairies in Central Texas, end abruptly at the Balcones Escarpment, one of the state’s most dramatic geological features, and the rolling, more sparsely vegetated Hill Country begins. The animal life varies as dramatically as the land. More than 400 species of birds alone, nearly three-fourths of all Texas birds, can be spotted in the region. This handbook offers a concise natural history of Central Texas and a complete checklist of all native and naturalized vertebrate animals, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, as well as invertebrates that include butterflies and land snails. The listings cite both scientific and common names for each species, relative abundance in the region, and preferred habitats. A distinguishing feature of the handbook is its list of parks and recreational areas in the region, which includes the counties of Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Lee, Llano, Milam, Travis, and Williamson. The authors describe the recreational facilities available in each park and list the animal species likely to be encountered there. For birdwatchers, naturalists, visitors, and residents alike, this popular handbook will be the essential "where-to-find-it" reference.

Geo-Texas succeeds in bringing together astronomy, geology, meteorology, oceanography, and environmental studies in a highly informative, one-of-a-kind guide to Earth sciences in the Lone Star State. Eric R. Swanson draws on the latest scientific findings in treating the natural history of Texas from the oldest known rock, through the age of the dinosaurs, to the geologic present, from the early development of Texas' water and land resources to the current crisis of environmental pollution. In examining Texas natural sciences-and the abiding connection between Texans and their physical surroundings-Geo-Texas is engagingly anecdotal and draws freely on the wry humor with which Texans have always observed and regarded their environment. Entertaining accounts of natural phenomena, such as a meteorite scoring a direct hit on a swimming pool and a Texas twister sweeping up a farmer and returning him to earth unharmed, supplement the scholarship in each chapter to show how cultural and scientific issues converge. Students and teachers of Texas Earth science will find Geo-Texas indispensable. With more than eighty illustrations and valuable appendices listing rock hound clubs, Earth science organizations, and points of interest throughout the state, Geo-Texas will also appeal to the general reader and serve as the Earth science guide for lovers of Texas and its multifaceted environment.

As Audubon's "Birds of America" was the most magnificent ornithological publication of the 19th century, "Of Birds and Texas" may rightfully claim that honor for the 20th. A.C. Greene praised it as "the most stunning and prodigious book in Texas history (and possibly forever)." 50 color plates.