The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 101, July 1997 - April, 1998 Page: 122
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12 2 Southwestern Historical Quarterly July
Other important themes developed in great detail through samples of bilin-
gual translations from the press are those of language and cultural erosion, chal-
lenges to stereotypes, the development of historical consciousness, and the iden-
tity crises faced by Neomexicanos as they entered the twentieth century.
This book is not easy to read, yet the extensive translations of prose and poet-
ry, as well as its heavy theoretical sections, are well worth the effort. This is an
important book for all those who want to take seriously the literary history of the
Spanish-speaking peoples in the United States.
San Diego State University RICHARD GRISWOLD DEL CASTILLO
The Texas State Capitol: Selected Essays from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.
(Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1995. Pp. 166. Index. ISBN o-
87611-15o-9. $15. 95, paper.)
This book is number fourteen in the Fred H. and Ella Mae Moore Texas
History Reprint Series. It consists of five essays on various aspects of the planning
and building of the Texas State Capitol, an episode that unfolded between 1881
and 1888. The essay by William Elton Green explains the design competition
which resulted in the hiring of architect Elijah E. Myers. It is followed by Paul
Goeldner's piece which describes and analyzes Myers's work, concluding that
Myers "was a talented, dishonest, hard-working, spiteful, clever, unbalanced, self-
assured, self-destructive hypochondriac" (p. 61). This essay is by far the best in
the collection and by itself makes the volume worth reading.
Marjory Harper's essay describes some of the major labor problems which
beset the capitol project. Emily Cutrer's piece analyzes the art-paintings and
sculpture-in the building, showing how it reflects the heroic Texas myth.
Finally, Bonnie Ann Campbell describes the original furnishings and the pro-
curement process. Reflecting the penny-wise, pound foolishness that has always
dogged the financial affairs of the state, Campbell shows that after going
through the elaborate and excruciating process of planning and building a mag-
nificent structure, the politicians could not bring themselves to appropriate
enough money to furnish it completely.
Willard Robinson's introductory essay summarizes the entire capitol project
and serves as the "glue" that holds this collection together. All in all, this is a use-
ful and excellent piece of work and should be in the libraries of all students of
Texas history.
Midwestern State University KENNETH E. HENDRICKSON JR.
Historic Towns of Texas: Columbus, Gonzales, Jefferson. By Joe Tom Davis. (Austin:
Eakin Press, 1996. Pp. ix+291. Acknowledgments, introduction, notes, bibli-
ography, index. ISBN 1-57168-044-6. $22.95, cloth.)
This is the second in Joe Tom Davis's series on historic towns of Texas. His
first volume presented information on East and West Columbia, Egypt,
Matagorda, Houston, Texana, and Helena; now comes a similar treatment of
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 101, July 1997 - April, 1998, periodical, 1998; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117155/m1/150/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.