Bøger af James L. Haley

Utilizing many sources new to publication, James L. Haley delivers a most readable and enjoyable narrative history of Texas, told through stories--the words and recollections of Texans who actually lived the state's spectacular history. From Jim Bowie's and Davy Crockett's myth-enshrouded stand at the Alamo, to the Mexican-American War, and to Sam Houston's heroic failed effort to keep Texas in the Union during the Civil War, the transitions in Texas history have often been as painful and tense as the "normal" periods in between. Here, in all of its epic grandeur, is the story of Texas as its own passionate nation. "Texas native Haley does an outstanding job of narrating the outsized and dramatic history of the Lone Star State. John Steinbeck observed, 'Like most passionate nations, Texas has its own private history based on, but not limited by, facts.' Cognizant of this, Haley takes pains to separate folklore from fact. He's a good storyteller, but then it's hard to go wrong with the colorful characters he has to work with: pioneer nationalists Sam Houston and Davy Crockett, Quaker abolitionist Benjamin Lundy, a wagonload of liquored-up turn-of-the-century oilmen and such latter-day heroes as Lyndon Johnson, John Connally and Janis Joplin."--Publishers Weekly Starred Review "A hugely entertaining read . . . humanizes the eras and events of Texas' past with a keen eye for the poignant, often humorous, always colorful moment."--Dallas Morning News "Haley steps boldly and without apology into Texas' past. His self-assurance is supported by a highly readable, almost breezy prose that guides the reader through a story as dense as the Big Thicket; but, thanks to economical chapters and clear organization, it is much more comfortable to traverse. It's also aided by a writing ethos that is well informed, erudite, free of sentimentality or defensive bluster, and amazingly comprehensive in its scope."-- Texas Books in Review

Texas is the second most populous state in the U.S., with nearly 29 million residents, plus it has a rich and varied history that is the source of broad interest and fascination. This primer on the history, culture, and people of Texas is ideal for student, educator, history buff, Texas resident, and visiting tourist alike. A great gift.

In the decades preceding the Civil War, few figures in the United States were as influential or as controversial as Sam Houston. In this volume, James Haley explores Houston's momentous career and the complex man behind it.

Offers a lively narrative history of Texas's highest court and how it helped to shape the Lone Star State during its first 150 years

Captain Bliven Putnam returns, venturing into the Pacific to fight pirates in Malaya and match wits with the royals in Hawaii, in this next installment of award-winner James L. Haley's gripping naval saga.Following the naval victories of the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War, the United States is finally expanding its navy to take a place of prominence in world affairs. Bliven Putnam, now Captain of the sloop of war Rappahannock, has come into his own as a leader and is ordered to the Pacific. But with this new tour of duty to last more than two years, his patient wife, Clarity, unwilling to accept such a brief time together, at last puts her foot down. If she can't keep Putnam with her, then she'll just have to go with him.As Putnam sets sail for his new home port in Honolulu, Clarity joins a new missionary effort from Boston to Hawaii. On their respective paths, the Putnams encounter a new breed of pirate and meet an unexpected force of nature: Kahumanu, the formidable queen of the Hawaiian Islands. Inspried by the real-life Olowalu Massacre and the famed Congregationalist missoin of 1819, this third outing will be unlike any adventure the Putnams have faced before.

Apaches: A History and Culture Portrait, James L. Haley’s dramatic saga of the Apaches’ doomed guerrilla war against the whites, was a radical departure from the method followed by previous histories of white-native conflict. Arguing that “you cannot understand the history unless you understand the culture,” Haley begins by discussing the lifeway of the Apaches—their mythology and folklore, religious customs, everyday life, and social mores. Haley then explores the tumultuous decades of trade and treaty and of betrayal and bloodshed that preceded the Apaches’ final military defeat in 1886. He emphasizes figures that played a decisive role in the conflict: Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, and Geronimo on the one hand, and Royal Whitman, George Crook, and John Clum on the other. With a new preface that places the book in the context of contemporary scholarship, Apaches is a well-rounded overview of Apache history and culture.

Gen. Phil Sheridan called the Red River War of 1874 the most successful Indian campaign ever waged. Many of its incidents have become frontier legends, but only here is the extraordinary episode chronicled in full in all of its intricate ad amazing detail. Author/historian James L. Haley has carefully analyzed the causes of the Indian unrest, centering upon the great buffalo slaughter which threatened to destroy forever the foundation of Indian life. The competing factions which shaped the course of events during the conflicts---war and peace factions' competing for control within the Indian tribes, officers' competing for commands and promotions within the U.S. Army and the Indian Bureau's competing for policy control within government bureaucracies--are brilliantly researched and described, as are the battle strategies and engagements that made the Buffalo War such a curious blend of savagery, heroics, accidents and confusion on both sides. Mr. Haley's extensive research heavily on contemporary letters and reports, and his many new findings overturned a number of myths and prejudices which had surfaced during the hundred years since the Red River uprising. The result is an exciting, authentic narrative filled with colorful events and personalities of a crucial time in the history of the American frontiers, included are fifty-eight rare photographs of the Indian leaders, buffalo hunters, army officers and Indian agents who played roles in the history of the Buffalo War.