Dream of empire;: A human history of the Republic of Texas, 1836-1846,

by John Edward Weems

"The story of the decade in which Texas was a sovereign nation"

377 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Wayland Smith]

A very well researched book about the brief period of time when Texas was an independent Republic. The author took a different approach, skipping both the Battle of the Alamo and the follow up Texans' revenge at San Jacinto. In his view, both stories have been told many, many times. What he did was assemble original sources from 12 people who lived through those times, and left behind letters, journals, diaries, and various paperwork. It's an interesting story about a country that was around for roughly ten years, which many people don't know was ever its own nation.

The author has done thorough research, and Texan heroes Sam Houston and Stephen Austin come off not as perfect as some would like to imagine. There were many things I didn't know, and better detail about things I was vaguely aware of, like the Texan Navy and its efforts to keep operating in spite of then-President Houston's best efforts.

An interesting book about an often overlooked period in history, with a very different take on the research. Recommended for fans of history in general, Texan history in specific, and the Old West period, although properly speaking this is arguably a bit before then.

[Brandon Wilson]

Great book about the beginning of the Republic of Texas and its eventual transition to becoming part of the United States. Anyone who enjoys U.S. history will appreciate the substantial history of Texas. The multiple story lines in the book match up with each other very nicely. This book was based on actual accounts of Texas pioneers which is pretty neat. I enjoyed every minute of this book and couldn't put it down. I'd recommend this easy to follow book to anyone interested in U.S. and Texas history.

[Martin Lowery]

It was an interesting history of Texas taken from the perspective of 12 unique characters from history.

It wasnt the gritty political and economic history I was expecting, but it provided enough context from military, naval and political matters that it presented an enlightening history of the Texas Republic.

[Fredrick Danysh]

A history of Texas during the period when it was an independent nation prior to joining the United States. Will help the reader to understand why Texans consider themselves special.