Austin College students interested in Texas History should be aware a new survey book about Texas has just been published by the University of Texas Press, Stephen Harrigan's "Big Wonderful Thing." The title comes from a quotation about the state made by the artist Georgia O'Keefe. This book is a masterful synthesis of the state's history from Native American times to the present. It is designed to replace in the literature the landmark book published by T. R. Fehrenback in 1968, "Lone Star." That it will do. Harrigan's book is well-suited for students to read in a number of ways. It is written for the general reader, not academic specialists. The author is an accomplished writer and journalist who has published novels, magazine articles, written screen plays, and been a member of the writing staff at Texas Monthly. The book concentrates on presenting stories about people and their experiences as Texans. Each chapter has an emphasis on a particular person around which the larger contexts of history revolve. It provides admirable coverage of women, racial minorities, and the sometimes less-than praiseworthy events of Texas history, all of which add solid historical perspective to the self-congratulatory and glory-filled narrative sometimes found in some popular books about the state written for general readers.
Last night I attended the formal book launch held at the Bob Bullock Museum in Austin. Several hundred guests enjoyed a reception at which Stephen Harrigan circulated and visited with the attendees, many of whom represented people from the literary world, the University Texas Press, the University, and supporters of the State Museum. I enjoyed talking to a number of people I have known for many years, and who I don't often get to see.
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| Stephen Harrigan and Dan Rather |
A highlight of the evening was an interview of Stephen Harrigan by Dan Rather, who is himself a Texan. I found their conversation most enlightening. In particular, Harrigan noted that he wrote this volume to be fun to read, with each chapter having many of the attributes of a non-fiction magazine article. Having already read this book, I agree. It is, in many respects, a fine example of long form journalism. Austin College students will thus find it a very comfortable book. Harrigan also explained that in the six years he researched and wrote this volume, he traveled the state and personally saw most of it. He also gave a bit a writing advice all undergraduates should heed: start writing right away. That is important, since so many student writers delay in the hopes of mastering all and every last bit of their research before setting their ideas on paper.
All in all, this book will be an important one for readers of Texas history. It should be noted that this is not a volume of academic history. It does not have burdensome footnotes or address the array of historiographical questions which form the bedrock of college-level courses in Texas history. That is a good thing, because undergraduates already have access to a large and voluminous number of academic books about Texas history. Instead, this book fills an important niche which has been needed for many decades.
Addendum: Since this entry was originally posted, Judge Ken Wise has devoted one of his Texas history podcasts (episode 75) to an interview he conduced with Stephen Harrigan on the afternoon of this book launch. Judge Wise is a passionate devotee of Texas history who regularly podcasts about items of interest relating to the Lone Star state and its colorful past.
Click here to visit that podcast site, which is entitled "Wise About Texas."
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| Stephen Harrigan signing his new book |
