Basic Texas Books: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works for a Research Library Page: X
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x PREFACE
articles rather than from the Guide. Other quotations about the books
are from the bibliographies cited for each entry or from book reviews.
Since my purpose in quoting from these reviewers was merely to show
what other writers had said about the books, I have omitted citing the
exact source of each. The Barker Library of the University of Texas
maintains permanent and extensive files of reviews of books by Texas
authors. Anyone desiring a detailed reference to any review I have
quoted may easily obtain it from that library. Quotations from obscure
sources are cited within my text.
This is a guide for a research library, not a guide to good reading.
I have arbitrarily excluded all works of fiction and creative writing.
Fortunately, A. C. Greene has recently issued a checklist of "the fifty
best Texas books," which consists of his choices of the best works of
Texas literature. Greene is a competent judge of creative writing (which
I am not) and I believe that his list, though eccentric, is a good selection
of the best examples of belles lettres produced by Texans.
This guide also excludes works having a scope which is larger than
Texas proper, except for a few where Texas comprises either the majority
of the text or the main thrust of the thesis. To do otherwise would
necessitate the inclusion of so many works that the purpose of this guide
would be defeated. Also excluded are works that relate to Texas after
1940.
Because of their multiplicity and generally poor quality, all histories
of religious denominations have been omitted, as have histories of
counties, towns, schools, and institutions, except for a few containing
content of a more general nature. I have also excluded most fine press
books, since this bibliography is a guide to research content rather than
external design. The publications of the Book Club of Texas, for
example, are beautiful books, but erratic in content. Al Lowman's
Printing Arts in Texas is an excellent study of Texas fine printing and
serves quite adequately as a guide in that respect.
Excluded, too, are all periodicals, although no Texas research
library would be complete without a file of Southwestern Historical Quarterly
and of Southwest Review. There are other valuable Texas periodicals, of
course, especially Texana Magazine, Military History of Texas and the South-
west, Texas Quarterly, and Frontier Times, as well as the journals of the
various historical and special interest associations throughout the state.
The criteria for inclusion, therefore, are those works about Texas
which I believe are fundamental for use in general research, arbitrarily
excluding (i) works of fiction; (2) works whose scope is larger than
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Jenkins, John Holmes. Basic Texas Books: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works for a Research Library, book, 1988; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth296838/m1/11/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.