The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 95, July 1991 - April, 1992 Page: 434

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

this interview effectively provides a great deal of information about Carter, his
artistic concerns and his understanding of the region, one is still left wanting to
know more about his East Texas subjects. These strong images thrive on ambi-
guity and do not need explanations, but the impact of this fine book could have
been increased by even more East Texas fact and lore.
Amon Carter Museum THOMAS W. SOUTHALL
Houston Architectural Guzde. Text by Stephen Fox. Edited by Nancy Hadley. Pho-
tos by Gerald Moorhead. Foreword by Peter C. Papademetriou. (Houston:
The American Institute of Architects/Houston Chapter and Herring Press,
1990. Pp. 318. Foreword, introduction, maps, black-and-white photo-
graphs, index. $15, paper.)
Urban history is a lot more than architecture, but the built environment pro-
vides the unique "signature" of a city. The explosive growth in the 197os and
early 198os accompanied by an attitude that the future was more important
than the past gave Houston a showcase of modern and postmodern buildings.
Almost all of the great architects of the twentieth century found concrete ex-
pression in the Bayou City. Consequently, for the 1990 meeting of the Ameri-
can Institute of Architects in Houston, Stephen Fox, Gerald Moorhead, and
Nancy Hadley prepared this guidebook of 850 places in the city and suburbs.
Each entry offers a photograph, address, name, date of construction, archi-
tect, and brief description. They are efficiently arranged in nineteen driving
tours with easy maps and a general orientation. Most are buildings and homes,
but there are included a few statues, bridges, and parks. The text, as might be
expected, is sprinkled with architectural terms, but it is not overbearing. More-
over, the descriptions often provide critical comments such as these involving
the Astrodome: "In 1989 the historic integrity of this Houston landmark was
ruthlessly destroyed by its owner, Harris County. The scoreboard was demol-
ished to provide space for more seating and four, giant cylindrical drums were
added to the perimeter of the dome to contain new circulation ramps" (p. 126).
The beauty of architecture, like art, often lies in the eye of the beholder, but
critical and accurate evaluation like this can sharpen historical analysis. Steven
Fox, who wrote the text, is both witty and perceptive. The guide, which touches
everything of importance, seems excessive at times. Did they really need to in-
clude the country store at Clodine? Well, maybe. As time passes and Houston
goes its way, we may need this guidebook to let us know what once existed.
Colorado State Unzverszty DAVID G. MCCOMB
The Eagle and The Raven. By James A. Michener. (Austin: State House Press,
1990. Pp. 213. Acknowledgments, prologue, illustrations, chronology,
maps. $19.95.)
Chalk it up to serendipity. While she still was working as secretary to James
Michener, Debbie Brothers saw deleted from his Texas manuscript a chapter
entitled "The Eagle and the Raven." In retrospect, it was "more historical than

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