Post by neferetus on Jan 1, 2007 20:47:55 GMT -5
It’s strange that it would take 112 years for the very first book about the Alamo to be written, but such was the case. Barring Captain Reuben Marmaduke Potter’s 1860 pamphlet and Frederick Chabot’s limited edition “Altar of Texas Liberty” (1930), the first full-length, scholarly attempt at telling the Alamo story came in January, 1948 with the release of John Myers Myers THE ALAMO. The pattern for Myers’ book has been followed by numerous authors ever since. An explanation of the socio-political antecedents of the Texian revolt is followed by short biographies of the Alamo’s central characters, Bowie, Crockett, Travis and Santa Anna, respectively. Next comes a section on the fort and the garrison, followed by the siege of the Alamo and its aftermath. While the ‘facts’ presented in it have since worn a little thin, for its time, THE ALAMO was a ground-breaking work. Lon Tinkle’s entertaining novel 13 DAYS TO GLORY, while following Myers’ formula, does not eclipse it by any means and Walter Lord’s A TIME TO STAND merely emulates Myers with updated information.
John Myers Myers THE ALAMO was the first adult book I ever read on the Alamo---and, in 1960, I had to go into the Adult section of the library to read it! The plat of the Alamo by Reuben Potter mesmerized me and I learned to copy it freehand, in no time. My God, I thought, the Alamo was a small town! How could those few defenders hope to hold it? And Myer’s detailed explanation of the layout of the compound has stayed with me, even to this day.
In 1970, I acquired a gem for my book collection from a Hollywood book shop, namely the REPUBLIC PRODUCTIONS RESEARCH DEPT. copy of Myers THE ALAMO that was used in researching both LAST COMMAND and John Wayne’s THE ALAMO. And, in spite of Wayne’s insistence that Lon Tinke was the historical advisor for his film, just looking at all the dog-eared pages with their scraps of notes, circlings and underlinings leads me to believe otherwise.
Time passes...things and attitudes change and John Myers Myers THE ALAMO is no longer the first book to go to when doing research on the Alamo. But, exactly 59 years later I’m still thanking Myers for getting the proverbial ball rolling.
John Myers Myers THE ALAMO was the first adult book I ever read on the Alamo---and, in 1960, I had to go into the Adult section of the library to read it! The plat of the Alamo by Reuben Potter mesmerized me and I learned to copy it freehand, in no time. My God, I thought, the Alamo was a small town! How could those few defenders hope to hold it? And Myer’s detailed explanation of the layout of the compound has stayed with me, even to this day.
In 1970, I acquired a gem for my book collection from a Hollywood book shop, namely the REPUBLIC PRODUCTIONS RESEARCH DEPT. copy of Myers THE ALAMO that was used in researching both LAST COMMAND and John Wayne’s THE ALAMO. And, in spite of Wayne’s insistence that Lon Tinke was the historical advisor for his film, just looking at all the dog-eared pages with their scraps of notes, circlings and underlinings leads me to believe otherwise.
Time passes...things and attitudes change and John Myers Myers THE ALAMO is no longer the first book to go to when doing research on the Alamo. But, exactly 59 years later I’m still thanking Myers for getting the proverbial ball rolling.
