The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963 Page: 176
641 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
'oaak /Reviews
A Time to Stand. By Walter Lord. New York (Harper & Broth-
ers), 1961. Pp. 255. Illustrations, maps, bibliography, index.
$4.95.
The appearance of Walter Lord's book raises the obvious ques-
tion of why another book about the Alamo within such a short
time after Lon Tinkle's excellent work, Thirteen Days to Glory.
Perhaps the best answer may be found in Tinkle's quotation from
James Atkins Shackford.
I suppose no event in recent historical times, with a basis in fact,
has been more conducive to the creation of legend, fiction, gossip,
error and falsehood than the destruction of the fortress at San An-
tonio de Bexar. ... Except for the date and the fact of its fall, there
is almost no single point about the Alamo upon which the testimony
of the few survivors does not disagree.
There would appear to be a need for both of the books, and a
prior reading of Thirteen Days to Glory made A Time to Stand
even more interesting. Prior to their publication a great deal of
research in an exceptional library would have been necessary to
get anything like a comprehensive story of the battle of the Alamo.
Amelia Williams' excellent work was never published as a book
and other writers have limited the scope of their works. This
reviewer has no intention of making a choice between the books
or even attempting a separate evaluation.
Texans will probably enjoy and appreciate Lord's story, or
rather his interpretation of the story of the Alamo, and he should
rank high among such Texas historians as Porter, De Zavala, De
Shields, Williams, Chabot, Meyers, and Tinkle. Lord is one of
the finest present-day writers who has attempted the Alamo story,
and obviously he has devoted a great deal of time to the study and
research of his subject. Lord is neither a Texan nor a historian,
and his prior experience with Texas history has been limited to
editing of The Freemantle Diary in 1954. A Time to Stand is
convincing proof, however, that neither the historian nor the
Texan classification is a prerequisite for handling one of the most
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963, periodical, 1963; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101196/m1/194/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.