Book describing folk building in Texas, including information about the construction of churches, cabins, sheds, barns, fences, and other folk building techniques. The index begins on page 277.

"This book provides a well-researched, exhaustive, and fascinating examination of the life of Benjamin Bickerstaff, a desperado who preyed on blacks, Unionists, and others in northeastern Texas during the Reconstruction era until armed citizens killed him in the town of Alvarado in 1869. The work adds to our knowledge of Reconstruction violence and graphically supports the idea that the Civil War in Texas did not really end in 1865 but continued long afterward.”—Carl Moneyhon, author of Texas after the Civil War: The Struggle of Reconstruction

Compilation of letters written by Gideon Lincecum, a natural scientist and philosopher living in Texas, discussing various events and his experiences during the Civil War as a proponent of the Confederacy. The collection includes editorial notes and commentary. Index starts on page 373.

Book describing the history of the U.S. Navy facility at Indian Head, Maryland, which researches, develops, tests, and evaluates chemical compounds used in gun and rocket propellants as well as cockpit ejection seats. "It is the story of how an institution adapted to changes in military technology, the individuals who shaped it, and the heritage they built" (front cover flap).