The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 61, July 1957 - April, 1958 Page: 426

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

the end of the century the towns of the county were beginning to
build sewage, light, water, and telephone systems.
A chapter on county development since 1900oo tells the story of
how the communities arrived at their present status. A descrip-
tion of the effects of the two World Wars and the depression of
1932 is included. At the end of the book are two appendices giving
a list of the Milam County dead in the world conflicts.
Mrs. Batte ends her book with an alphabetical listing of the
communities, a brief history of education, and a history of re-
ligious development in the county.
The author writes as a resident-citizen of Milam County. She
talks about the people and towns as though they are her friends
and have been so for many years. Throughout the book Mrs.
Batte is loyal and sympathetic to her subject. Her writing is
always clear but in places it is choppy and does not provide smooth
reading. The story is arranged in chronological order and seems
to cover the subject completely.
The book has a blue cover on which is imprinted a picture
of Ben Milam's statue. Inside the cover, front and back, is a map
of Texas during the days of the Republic. Included are thirty-
two pages of photographs which add to the authenticity of the
book. The pictures include representations of old pioneers and
old homes in Milam County. The index is thirty-six pages in
length and is quite adequate.
Collectors of county histories will certainly want to add this
book to their shelves, and Mrs. Batte is to be congratulated for
her contribution. JAMES M. DAY
Empire on the Pacific: A Study in American Continental Expan-
sion. By Norman A. Graebner. New York (The Ronald
Press), 1955. Pp. 265.
Professor Graebner has written an informative and a stimulat-
ing book. One of its merits is that the author has succeeded in
presenting a broad unified or integrated view of three important
questions which are often treated separately-the Texas question,
the California question, and the Oregon question, as these weighty
problems pressed for solution from about 1844 forward to the
end of Polk's presidency. Graebner's book is intended as a work

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