"As has often been said, there is no State in the Union whose history presents such varied and romantic scenes as does that of Texas. This alone would recommend it to the general reader and the earnest student. But there is in addition to its interest a weighty reason why every school in the State should give Texas History a place in its course of study. No one who learns well the lessons taught can fail to become a better and wiser citizen.1 -Anna J. Hardwicke Pennybacker, A New History of Texas for Schools (1888) Mrs. Pennybacker's "new" history of Texas presents a traditional view of the state's history. The copy we used when writing this book originally belonged to Earl B. Persons, the great-uncle of one of the authors, Ken Collier. In the century since young Earl Persons first read this quotation in his schoolbook, Texans have written some new history and revised some old. Mr. Persons served in World War I before taking part in the rise of the oil business in East Texas-a period during which he saw his pastures become more valuable for the oil under them than the cattle that grazed on them. The next generation of Texans saw America through World War II, the Cold War, and the space race directed from NASA in Houston. That generation grew up on Texas History Movies, a comic version of Texas history sponsored by an oil company. Another generation saw the high-tech boom take root in the state. Texans born today may never own a printed book on the state's politics and history, and thus they will be unlikely to leave their names scrawled in a textbook to remind descendants of the Texas their ancestors knew. (However, today's students can still preserve the Texas they know by buying copies of this text and setting them aside so that their children and grandchildren can share the fun of Texas circa 2025- please contact CQ Press for inquiries regarding bulk sales.)"--