They were men who could not be stampeded, said the late Colonel Homer Garrison Jr. of the men who wore the badge of the Texas Rangers. Colonist Stephen F. Austin, during the earliest days of Anglo settlement in Texas, wrote that he would employ 10 men to act as 'rangers' for the common defense... and thus, the famous Texas Rangers came into being. An important part of Texas history, these few good men were distinguished, unique even among themselves, and soon, even mythical. The myths and traditions surrounding the Rangers have endured and evolved. Today the Texas Rangers are among the most respected law enforcement agencies in the world. Texas Ranger Tales is a collection of legendary Texas Ranger stories, from new takes on the famous tales to fresh stories few, if any, have heard.
I am the author of 15 nonfiction books, the most recent being "Time of the Rangers" (New York: Forge Books, 2009), the second of my two-volume history of the Texas Rangers. Also just out is "Historic Photos of Texas Oil," (Nashville: Turner Publishing), a coffeetable book containing some 200 vintage photos from the oil patch. My other books include a study of Texas disasters, three other books on the Texas Rangers, one true crime story, a biography, a memoir and three local histories, as well as numerous magazine articles, essays and introductions for other books. I have been an elected member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 1993.
My byline regularly appears in a number of national and statewide magazines and I have been an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly 20 years, most of that time with the Austin American-Statesman.