Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Meet Stephen Harrigan On Tour for ‘Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas'












The University of Texas Press is pleased to announce a fall book tour celebrating Stephen Harrigan's comprehensive, definitive history of Texas titled Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas. Join us in October and November in:



About the book

Big Wonderful Thing:
A History of Texas

Stephen Harrigan
$35.00 Hardcover

The story of Texas is the story of struggle and triumph in a land of extremes. It is a story of drought and flood, invasion and war, boom and bust, and of the myriad peoples who, over centuries of conflict, gave rise to a place that has helped shape the identity of the United States and the destiny of the world.

Harrigan’s book brings to life with novelistic immediacy the generations of driven men and women who shaped Texas, including Spanish explorers, American filibusters, Comanche warriors, wildcatters, Tejano activists, and spellbinding artists—all of them taking their part in the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an indelible idea.


Confirmed Tour Dates

October 1 — Austin, TX
Interview with Dan Rather

October 4-5 — Boerne, TX

October 8 — Dallas, TX
In Conversation with Skip Hollandsworth

October 15 — San Antonio, TX
In Conversation with Clay Smith

October 17  Waco, TX
FABLED BOOKSHOP


October 26-27 — Austin, TX

October 29 — Tempe, AZ
In Conversation with Mark Athitakis (tentative)

November 3 — Albuquerque, NM
In Conversation with Paul Hutton (tentative)

November 5 — Tulsa, OK

November 6 — Oklahoma City, OK
In Conversation with Lou Berney

November 8 — Dallas, TX
Texas Monthly Live! with

November 13 — Houston, TX

November 18 — New York City, NY
HILL COUNTRY BBQ
In Conversation with Elise Jordan

November 19 — Washington, D.C.

November 20 — Austin, TX
In Conversation with Mimi Swartz

December 5 — Kerrville, TX

December 6 — Alpine, TX

December 14 — Dallas, TX


Praise for Big Wonderful Thing

"Exhilarating . . . As good a state history as has ever been written and a must-read for Texas aficionados."

Kirkus, Starred Review

“Harrigan uses his stupendous storytelling skills to great effect [in Big Wonderful Thing]. He covers the state's major historical events from inventive angles, introduces newly discovered archaeological and archival research, and excels at puffing up many of Texas's larger-than-life personalities.”


Foreword Reviews

“Harrigan describes post-Columbian Texas in novelistic style in this eloquent homage to the Lone Star state...History lovers will enjoy this packed, fascinating account of a singular state.”


Publishers Weekly

“Stephen Harrigan has given us a wonderful new history of Texas. It tells us all we need to know and little that we don't need to know. A splendid effort.”


—Larry McMurtry

“History at its best—comprehensive, deeply informed, pleasurable, and filled with surprise and delight. It is at once a gift to the people of Texas and an unflinching explanation to the world at large of America’s most controversial state.”


—Lawrence Wright, author of God Save Texas

“No one tells the story of Texas better than Stephen Harrigan. He brings to Big Wonderful Thing contemporary and thoughtful analysis along with the most graceful writing anywhere. Harrigan pulls no punches but uses humor and pathos to examine the complexities and contradictions that have made us who we are. Finally, Texas has the rich and honest history it deserves.”


—Mimi Swartz

“Harrigan tacks brilliantly through the shifting winds of Texas history by telling a series of rip-snorting good tales.”


—S.C. Gwynne

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