Heritage, Volume 5, Number 3, Autumn 1987 Page: 33
38 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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es into sexist territory. Archaeological
fiction, in good hands, can be eloquent
and imaginative, as Ursula K. LeGuin
demonstrates in her recent novel,
Always Coming Home. Here the narrative
is wooden and dull.
This book is a collaboration of many
writers, artists and photographers, and
the archaeological work in the region
over the years has benefited from many
perspectives and participants. Thus, it
seems odd that since the majority of the
book was not written by Shafer, that he
should get sole credit. The piece by
Peter Furst on shamanism is in itself a
publishing coup, and deserves more recognition.
Likewise, Jim Zintgraff is
credited for the photography, but a
glance at the end-notes reveals a good
many of them were by other photographers.
Even with its problems, the
book is a fine contribution to public
knowledge of the region. Next time,
though, Texas Monthly Press ought to
throw a wider net so that nothing is left
out, be more thorough in its copyediting,
and commit the fiction to more
practiced hands.
Review by John Peterson
Backcountry Mexico:
A Traveler's Guide and
Phrase Book
Backcountry Mexico: A Traveler's Guide
and Phrase Book. Bob Burleson and
David H. Riskind; University of Texas
Press; $35.00.
Another good way to get a handle on
the prehistory of the borderlands
would be to follow the wetback trails
through northern Chihuahua and Coahuila,
West Texas and southern New Mexico.
There are legends about lost cliff
dwellings and caves filled with Spanish
armour, that the workers stumble
across during their treks north. Some of
that country is so remote that only they
and the local vaqueros and mota farmers
know it. Bob Burleson and David
Riskind's Backcountry Mexico: A Traveler's Guide and Phrase Book would be a
handy companion along the mojado
trails. It's filled with sage advice about
rural etiquette, things that ought to betaken for granted, like announcing your
arrival instead of just walking into someone's
house; getting permission to enter
private property; and choosing campsites
away from houses or community
property.
This book should be reduced to
pocket size in format and content. There
isn't much need for the authors' anecdotes
and lectures when you're out on
the trail. And since the authors' encourage
feedback for future editions, the
book could be put out in a looseleaf,
modular format, like a volkswagon of
camping guides. After you've read the
introduction and the general sections,
you could pull them out and replace
them with vocabularies and local information
updates.
On second thought, maybe the book
is better off the way it is. A few eccentric
yankees wandering around off the
road in central Mexico are tolerable,
but legions of Banana Republicans
would be insult added to injury. Knowledgeable
and sensitive travelers like
Burleson or Weisman are enough to
serve as our emissaries, and as interpreters
of a different way of life. For
the rest, maybe the fears of banditos and
the sting of mordida, along with the
lures of the border mercados, and cheap
booze will keep them entertained. Even
better, maybe we could learn from
these accounts that the border is a
complex, volatile region, with a deep
history and rich culture that deserves a
closer and more empathic look.
Review by John Peterson, Associate Book
Review Editor, Heritage.
Plantation Life in Texas
Plantation Life in Texas. By Elizabeth
Silverthome; Texas A&M University
Press; 7x10. 256 pp. 56 b&w illus.
$22.50
As one who has occasionally been
called upon to review books of, hopefully,
historical merit, I've come to
appreciate books that have three essential ingredients: one, a good subject;
two, a competent and entertaining literary
effort; and three, a complimentary
presentation of that literary effort.Those who might be confused by the
latter, that means: good illustrations
and printing techniques. Most books are
lacking at least one of these ingredients,
too frequently in all three. Plantation
Life in Texas by Elizabeth Silverthorne
is an exception. It touches the high
ground in all three categories.
The subject of Plantation Life in
Texas sparks the romantic side of most
good Texas historians. The author has
presented more than a competent literary
effort. It is a book that brushes
across all our senses, and is one which
you'll enjoy reading, not just once, but a
second time. The presentation by the
Texas A&M Press and the illustrations
are outstanding. More on all these
points later.
As did the author, I grew up in
Brazoria County, Texas. It is called the
"Cradle of Texas History", since
Austin's first settlers landed at the
mouth of the Brazos River in presentday
Brazoria County. My relatives, the
Bryans and the Perrys, were early
plantation owners in Texas, and as such,
were slave-owners. For years I have
carried romantic images of plantation
life in Texas which, though it stood in
lilliputian splendor to the great plantation
traditions of the deep South, was
nevertheless, one of the most interesting
and least well-researched subjects in
Texas history.
Interwoven amongst my fantasy with
antebellum Texas were childhood memories
of my relationships and affections
for many black people. In those days,
we called them colored; no one thought
that was a disparaging remark. Some of
these had been slaves, but most were
offspring of slaves who had retained a
close relationship with our families.
Through them I learned to discriminate
between good and excellent barbecue,
eat possum, hunt coons to the far-off
sound of barking dogs, enjoy cracklin'
bread, pull cotton, and eat sugarcane
until my gums split. I experienced the
last tattered remains of an era truly
gone with the wind. As I grew up, my
father and uncles saw that I was adequately
exposed to what remained of
the plantation system in Brazoria
County. I viewed the remnants of thesugar mills, the brick cisterns, and the
few remaining plantation "big houses"
left as a present reminder of a distant
past. This is a long introduction to say
33
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 5, Number 3, Autumn 1987, periodical, Autumn 1987; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45439/m1/33/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.