Texas Folklore Society Extra Book
Vol. 29: Rare Integrity: A Portrait of L. W. Payne, Jr.
Published: November, 2021 Pages: 172 Features: 1 b&w illus. Notes. Index.
Leonidas Warren Payne, Jr. (1873-1945), counted Robert Frost among his friends and a member of the inner circle of poets who embraced him and sought his advice. He altered forever the perception of Texas when he created the Texas Folklore Society that continues to record, publish, and promote Texas history, myth, music, and customs. He guided J. Frank Dobie back into The University of Texas fold, where Dobie produced his finest work and established a voice for Texas literature. L. W. Payne, Jr., influenced generations of American school children through his anthologies that became basic English textbooks. more... about Rare Integrity: A Portrait of L. W. Payne, Jr.
Vol. 28: A Biscuit for Your Shoe: A Memoir of County Line, a Texas Freedom Colony
Published: November, 2020 Pages: 288 Features: 40 b&w illus. Index.
A Biscuit for Your Shoe captures the lore of a community which began as a freedom colony west of Nacogdoches in East Texas, through the eyes of Beatrice Upshaw. The book is a memoir, but it shares more than merely family memories of significant events. It tells of beliefs, home remedies, folk games, and customs, as well as the importance of religion and education to a community of like-minded people. The narrative is a rich source of colloquial language and proverbial sayings that help define a group of people and their strong sense of place. more... about A Biscuit for Your Shoe: A Memoir of County Line, a Texas Freedom Colony
Vol. 27: A Boyhood Dream Realized: Half a Century of Texas Culture, One Newspaper Column at a Time
Published: November, 2019 Pages: 352 Features: 20 b&w illus. Index.
This collection of columns from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is Texas Folklore Society Extra Book #27. The editorial columns included herein tell stories, and tell about telling stories. They also reflect boyhood dreams… and foolishness, fears, beliefs, customs, traditions, and sometimes things that are no longer part of our culture but we wish were. All reflect what was—and for many, still is—important. If “the traditional knowledge of a culture” is how we define what folklore is, this volume provides an intimate look at the folklore of Lubbock, Texas, and the greater area of the South Plains. more... about A Boyhood Dream Realized: Half a Century of Texas Culture, One Newspaper Column at a Time
Vol. 26: The San Saba Treasure: Legends of Silver Creek
Published: December, 2018 Pages: 240 Features: 20 b&w illus. Index.
In 1868, four treasure hunters from San Marcos, Texas, searched for a lost mine on the San Saba River, near today’s Menard. It was popularized as folklore in J. Frank Dobie’s treasure legend classic Coronado’s Children. One hundred and fifty years later, a descendant of one of those four men set out to discover the history behind the legend. This book recounts that search, from the founding of the ill-fated 1757 mission on the San Saba River up to the last attempt, in 1990, to find the treasure in this particular legend. It describes Jim Bowie, a fake treasure map industry, murder trials, a rattlesnake dancer, fortunes lost, a very long Texas cave, and surprising twists to the story popularized by Dobie. more... about The San Saba Treasure: Legends of Silver Creek
Vol. 25: Folktales from the Helotes Settlement
Published: December, 2014 Pages: 160 Features: 15 b&w photos. Index.
The Texas Folklore Society has been publishing a regular volume of folklore research (our PTFS series) for the past several decades. Most of these books are what we call miscellanies, compilations of the works of multiple folklorists, and they feature articles on many types of lore. We’ve also published over twenty “Extra Books,” which are single-author manuscripts that examine a more focused topic. more... about Folktales from the Helotes Settlement
Vol. 24: Short Call: Snippets from the Smallest Places in Texas, 1935-2000
Published: December, 2014 Pages: 160 Features: 15 b&w photos.
The Texas Folklore Society has been publishing a regular volume of folklore research (our PTFS series) for the past several decades. Most of these books are what we call miscellanies, compilations of the works of multiple folklorists, and they feature articles on many types of lore. We’ve also published over twenty “Extra Books,” which are single-author manuscripts that examine a more focused topic. more... about Short Call: Snippets from the Smallest Places in Texas, 1935-2000
Vol. 23: Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War
Published: December, 2010 Pages: 304 Features: 22 b&w illus. 1 map. Notes. Bib. Index.
Louisiana’s Neutral Strip, an area of pine forests, squats between the Calcasieu and Sabine Rivers on the border of East Texas. Early in its history, the region developed a reputation as a harsh frontier where grit and tenacity became indispensable tools of survival. During the Louisiana Purchase, bureaucrats from both Spain and the United States squabbled over the exact boundary line between the two rival powers. Both governments removed militia from the contested land to avoid war. Intensifying its reputation, the region served as an official buffer zone. Without the security of a military presence, residents quickly realized they would need to protect and govern themselves. Soon, tight-knit communities formed, and residents developed a reliance on self, kin, and neighbor. more... about Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War