The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 69, July 1965 - April, 1966 Page: 256

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

had enemies but also was a formidable enemy himself. It should
be emphasized, however, that these are minor criticisms and do
not detract one iota from the value of the book. On the other
hand, the twelve well-chosen photographs and the map add
greatly to reader interest. EUGENE O. PORTER
Texas Western College
Rawhide Texas. By Wayne Gard. Norman (University of Okla-
homa Press), 1965. Pp. xi+236. Illustrations, bibliography,
index. $5.95.
In his introduction the author says, "This book is neither a
formal social history nor an argument for a thesis. It is merely
a series of informal sketches of various aspects of life in Texas.
They depict some of the more heroic and colorful activities of a
bygone era, and together they may throw a bit of light on the
emerging Texas character." This statement aptly describes the
contents of the book. Gard has taken thousands of isolated facts
and incidents from all manner of places, some from original, but
mostly from secondary sources, and grouped them under a num-
ber of categories. They include vagrancies of the weather, In-
dian raids, hunting wild animals, early plantation life, the cattle
and sheep industries, pioneer settlements, early amusements, cir-
cuit riders, saddlebag doctors, log cabin schools, frontier jour-
nalism, lawlessness and law enforcement, bad roads and high
water, colonization of ranches, oil, and a short but disappointing
chapter on culture.
But as I read the book I failed to get the elation I anticipated.
I wish I could be more enthusiastic. Wayne Gard is one of the
finest persons I know. He is a good writer with a vivid editorial
style, a diligent researcher, and an honest craftsman. His narra-
tive and description fairly sparkled in his Frontier Justice and
Chisholm Trail. In this book he seems to have pushed his facts
and incidents around in a mechanical manner. Lacking is a sense
of continuity and cohesion.
The book, however, is informative for the newcomer, or any-
one not versed in the social history of Texas. It is splendid sup-
plemental reading for history students in high school and college.
Those who have kept up with the historical literature of the
state will find much old material reshuffled.

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