Book Recommendations for Father's Day

We have gift recommendations for books that make great Father's Day gifts, including books for guitar gear heads, taco lovers, shutterbugs, architects, swimming hole aficionados, and more. Shop at your local independent bookstore!

* Top Pick for Father's Day * "'Bang!' went my heart when I opened the photographer Jack Spencer’s powerful This Land: An American Portrait." Dominique Browning, New York Times Book Review

This Land An American Portrait Photographs by Jack Spencer; foreword by Jon Meacham Created across thirteen years, forty-eight states, and eighty thousand miles, this startlingly fresh photographic portrait of the American landscape shares artistic affinities with the works of such American masters as Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Mark Rothko, and Albert Bierstadt. Hardcover, $45.00 284 pages | 13 x 11 | 142 color photos | ISBN: 978-1-4773-1189-9

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A Perfectly Good Guitar By Chuck Holley Musicians including Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, JD Souther, Jorma Kaukonen, Bill Frisell, and Kelly Willis pose with and tell stories about the classic Gibsons, Fenders, Martins, and other guitars that have become their most prized instruments. Hardcover, $34.95 208 pages | 7 x 9 | 91 color photos, 4 b&w photos | ISBN: 978-1-4773-1257-5

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Rosanne Cash, JD Souther, and Sonny Landreth's Prized Guitars

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One More Warbler A Life with Birds By Victor Emanuel, with S. Kirk Walsh With stories of sighting rare birds ranging from an Eskimo Curlew to the cranes of Asia, one of America’s foremost birders recalls a lifetime of birding adventures, including friendships with luminaries Roger Tory Peterson, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. Hardcover, $29.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1238-4 Order Now The Texanist By David Courtney and Jack Unruh The first collection of acclaimed illustrator Jack Unruh’s work, this book gathers the best of the illustrations he created for The Texanist, Texas Monthly’s back-page column, along with the serious and not-so-serious questions that inspired them. Hardcover, $24.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1297-1 Order Now Rewrite Man The Life and Career of Screenwriter Warren Skaaren By Alison Macor This lively biography of the screenwriter of 1980s hit movies Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, Beetlejuice, and Batman illuminates issues of film authorship that have become even more contested in the era of blockbuster filmmaking.  Hardcover, $35.00 ISBN: 978-0-292-75945-9 Order Now T Bone Burnett A Life in Pursuit By Lloyd Sachs This first critical appreciation of T Bone Burnett reveals how the proponent of Americana music and producer of artists ranging from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss to B. B. King and Elvis Costello has profoundly influenced American music and culture. Hardcover, $26.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-0377-1 Order Now The American Idea of Home: Conversations about Architecture and Design By Bernard Friedman; foreword by Meghan Daum Wide-ranging interviews with leading architectural thinkers, including Thom Mayne, Richard Meier, Robert Venturi, Paul Goldberger, Robert Ivy, Denise Scott Brown, Kenneth Frampton, and Robert A. M. Stern, spotlight some of the most significant issues in architecture today. Hardcover, $27.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1286-5  Order Now

The Tacos of Texas By Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece With authentic recipes, behind-the-scenes stories, and recommendations of where the locals eat, this is the indispensable guide to Texas’s appetizingly diverse tacos and taco culture by the authors of Austin Breakfast Tacos. Paperback, $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1043-4 Order Now Armadillo World Headquarters A Memoir By Eddie Wilson, with Jesse Sublett, Foreword by Dave Marsh The founder of Armadillo World Headquarters recalls the lively history of this legendary music venue and its role in launching cosmic cowboy/redneck rock and making Austin, Texas, the live music capital of the world. Hardcover, $34.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1382-4 Order Now Project 258: Making Dinner at Fish & Game By Zakary Pelaccio and Peter Barrett "Project 258 is a thoughtful celebration of the evolution of ingredients that will make you feel hungry and fulfilled at the same time. It’s more about living as a cook than a mere series of collectible recipes. It’s a way of shopping, cooking, and thriving in joy, love, and life! It is inspiring the way reading Thoreau is inspiring." —Mario Batali, Chef, author, entrepreneur Hardcover,  $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1225-4 Order Now They Came from the Sky The Spanish Arrive in Texas By Stephen Harrigan This signed edition presents a spellbinding preview of the inaugural volume of the Texas Bookshelf—a major new history of Texas by the New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan. Paperback, $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1294-0 Order Now The Devil's Sinkhole Two Centuries of American Quilts from the Briscoe Center By Bill Wittliff; illustrated by Joe Ciardiello In this engrossing sequel to The Devil’s Backbone, the young man Papa and his cowboy amigo Calley Pearsall confront a legendary killer with a thirst for revenge and a psychopathic boy as the two friends search for the beautiful captive Pela Rosa. Hardcover, $29.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-0974-2 Order Now

The Republic of Football Legends of the Texas High School Game By Chad S. Conine With interviews and stories of celebrated players, including past and present NFL stars, as well as legendary coaches and dynastic teams from across Texas, The Republic of Football captures the standout moments in Friday night lights. Hardcover, $24.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-0371-9 Order Now Eddie Adams Bigger than the Frame By Eddie Adams; foreword by Don Carleton; preface by Alyssa Adams; essay by Anne Wilkes Tucker This career-spanning collection of both iconic and rarely seen images celebrates the work of Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist Eddie Adams, whose potent visual storytelling ran the gamut from the horrors of war to the lives of the famous and powerful. Hardcover, $60.00 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1185-1 Order Now The Swimming Holes of Texas By Julie Wernersbach and Carolyn Tracy Photography by Carolyn Tracy Full of practical information to help plan your visits and enticing color photos of one hundred freshwater swimming holes, here is the first-ever guide to the best places to swim in Texas. Paperback, $21.95 ISBN: 978-1-4773-1297-1  Order Now A Pure Solar World Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism By Paul Youngquist Surveying the range of Sun Ra’s extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of Afrofuturism brought “space music” to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the aspirations of black people in an inhospitable white world. Hardcover, $27.95 ISBN: 978-0-292-72636-9 Order Now Two Prospectors The Letters of Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark By Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark Edited by Chad Hammett A compelling portrait of a complex, decades-long friendship, these deeply honest letters and candid family photographs offer the most intimate glimpse we may ever get into the life, personal philosophy, and creative process of America’s leading dramatist. Paberback, $19.95 ISBN: 978-0-292-76196-4 Order Now

Indie Booksellers Praise Two Prospectors

We’re very excited to have a repeat appearance on an IndieBound Next List. Last October, it was the hardback edition of Jan Reid’s Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richards (now a paperback pick for $11.36 on our website). This month, independent booksellers heaped praise on our new book Two Prospectors: The Letters of Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark, deeming it worthy of hype alongside the latest from Amy Tan, Wally Lamb, and Ann Patchett. Check out some of the rave reviews of Two Prospectors from independent booksellers across the country – and thank you IndieBound!

“Two Prospectors is an amazing read and the closest thing we'll probably get as far as a memoir from Sam Shepard since he's stated that he has no interest in writing one. Comprised of nearly forty years of correspondence and taped conversations between Shepard and his ex-father-in-law, Johnny Dark, the book is intimate and revealing (who knew that Shepard was into Gurdjieff?) not only about Shepard's craft but also his interior life. Perhaps even more surprising is the fascinating figure that Dark becomes as we get to know him through the letters. All in all, this is a one of a kind literary treasure that will probably not be seen in coming decades with the rise of email. Superbly edited by Hammett and beautifully put together by UT Press with lots of pictures and facsimiles of letters, this is my sleeper pick for one of the best books of the year.”
—Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS

"This collection is unique in American letters. I don't know of any writer as open about his life and work as Sam Shepard. In addition, Shepard's a voracious reader who loves to discus what he's reading. This book is a tale of two life long friends trying to keep it together, living the writing life."
—Bob Contant, Saint Mark's Bookshop, New York, NY

"I loved Two Prospectors. The candor with which Shepard and Dark discuss art, love, sex, mortality, aging, time and pretty much everything else in life made this an addicting read. It's fascinating to watch the evolution of their relationship over the course of decades. This is a unique correspondence that made me think deeply about my own attitude towards friendship. Whether you're a Shepard fan or not makes no difference. Anyone with a creative bone will find a lot to chew on in their conversations. Ditto for anyone who spends any time thinking about what it is to live a life. I'm grateful they saved these letters". 

—Julie Wernersbach, Publicist at Book People, Austin, TX

Two Prospectors Book Trailer

We're proud to announce that Two Prospectors: The Letters of Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark is an IndieBound Next List pick for November. See the full list here>>

Two Prospectors features the letters of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard and long-time friend Johnny Dark. Get a glimpse into the life, philosophy, and creativity of one of America's leading dramatists by watching this book trailer and, of course, picking up the book:

Directed by Jana Birchum
Archival material courtesy of the Sam Shepard Archive, the Wittliff Collections, 
Texas State University

Buy Two Prospectors: The Letters of Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark

Editor Chad Hammett on Understanding Sam Shepard Through His Letters

Chad Hammett teaches fiction at Texas State University and edited the letters of Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark to create the highly anticipated fall 2013 title: Two Prospectors. Coinciding with the release of the book this week, Chad shares how he poured through years of correspondence to discover these 'two prospectors':

Buy Two Prospectors: The Letters of Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark

I’m the East Texas son of farmers and honkytonkers and I happen to like to read.  I like to write, too, but reading came first and that is what compelled me to make a life of literature. I found out in college that they called it being an English major for a reason. You experience quite a bit of writing done under the Union Jack. You read Americans, too, like Hawthorne and Melville, but the lives of Puritans and whalers seemed a far cry from my own background. Then I picked up Shepard’s play Fool For Love. When I got to the line in the stage directions that read, “In the dark, Merle Haggard’s tune ‘Wake Up’ from his The Way I Am album is heard,” I took a look around to see if someone was playing a joke on me. I knew that song. My dad had that album. You could start a play with the Hag? I guess you could say Shepard had me at Haggard. 

When I began this editorial project after the sale of Johnny Dark and Sam Shepard’s correspondence to Texas State University’s Wittliff Collections, the name Shepard is what piqued my interest. Of course, by this point, I knew a lot about the man’s career. He was a Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright with more than a dozen Obies on his shelf as well as an Oscar nomination to his name. I’d watched (and re-watched  the climatic peepshow scene of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas (written by Shepard) as many times as my VCR let me rewind the frayed rental tape and I could quote from True West at whim: “There aren’t any mountains in the panhandle! It’s flat!”

I’d already committed a year’s worth of work sifting through the Shepard material housed at the Wittliff’s Southwestern Writer’s Collection archive and I’d discovered the way critics delved into the man’s biography in search of clues to illuminate his life and work, and also Shepard’s legendary need for privacy (likely a result of all that biographical digging). So I felt I knew Shepard.

Johnny Dark was a mystery. By this point, I was well aware of the fact that he’d been married to Scarlett, Shepard’s mother-in-law during his fifteen-year marriage to O-Lan Jones Shepard and that Dark had taken the photographs that appeared in Shepard’s Motel Chronicles. And, naturally I knew a mention of Dark opened the Rolling Thunder Logbook, Shepard’s account of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue. 

To be honest, my initial search through the entire collection of correspondence turned out to be a hunt for something that wasn’t there. I’d hoped the letters would provide salient and multiple examples of Shepard talking about process and meaning, especially of plays like Buried Child and Lie of the Mind. Granted, there is some of that discussion of the writing and acting life, but my hope was naive, it turns out, so there’s something else I thought I knew. I soon discovered, though, as Shepard himself puts it in his wonderful collection Cruising Paradise, sometimes “the mind shuts down, and then suddenly, something new begins to appear.”

What emerged was more than a glance into the artistic activity of one of our most important twentieth-century writers; the story told by these letters is a tale about male friendship and masculinity, addiction, fidelity, and the changes our society has been through in the last half-century as the era of letter-writing comes to a close. Turns out this Haggard fan didn’t know a thing.

— Chad Hammett will appear at the Texas Book Festival Saturday, October 26th. Click here to add him to your schedule.

Watch the new book trailer for Two Prospectors: