Whether you like to read up on your destination before you go or find that your curiosity is piqued by the trip, below are books recommended to enrich your experience, arranged here alphabetically by author.
Ajilvsgi, Geyata. Wildflowers of Texas. Fredericksburg, TX: Shearer Publishing, 2003.
Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of Texas. New York: DK Publishing, 2002.
Awbrey, Betty Dooley. Why Stop? Texas Roadside Markers: A Guide to Texas Historical Roadside Markers. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005.
Barkley, Roy, ed. The Handbook of Texas Music. Austin, TX: Texas State Historical Association, 2003.
Bryant, Helen. Fixin’ to Be Texan. Plano, TX: Republic of Texas, 1998.
Bull, David. The Driskill Hotel: Stories of Austin’s Legendary Hotel/A Cookbook for Special Occasions. Austin, TX: The Driskill Hotel. Packed with tidbits of juicy local lore and history.
Caro, Robert. The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1). New York: Vintage Books, 1981.
———. Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2). New York: Vintage Books, 1990.
———. Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson. New York: Knopf, 2002.
Cerf, Bennett and Van H. Cartmell, eds. The Best Short Stories of O. Henry. New York: Modern Library, 1994. Though O. Henry’s muse was New York City, he spent part of his formative years in Austin.
Cornell, Kari A. Our Texas. Osceola, WI: Voyageur Press, 2004. Coffee-table book.
Dallek, Robert. Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Fisher, Lewis F. Saving San Antonio: The Precarious Preservation of a Heritage. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press, 1996.
———. The Spanish Missions of San Antonio. San Antonio, TX: Maverick Publishing, 1998.
Ford, Norman D. 25 Bicycle Tours in the Texas Hill Country and West Texas. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 1995.
Friedman, Kinky. Kinky Friedman’s Guide to Texas Etiquette: Or How to Get to Heaven or Hell without Going Through Dallas–Fort Worth. New York: HaperCollins, 2001. Kinky is a Texas original whose personality, politics, and antics are threaded through the contemporary social history of Central Texas.
Gilliland, Tom, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood, Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art. Frederickburg, TX: Shearer Publishing, 2005. A feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. New York: St. Martin’s, 1991.
Ivins, Molly. Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She? New York: Vintage, 1992. Witty commentary on Texas politics.
Loughmiller, Campbell, Lynn Loughmiller, and Damon Waitt. Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide, revised edition. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2006. Updated version of a 1984 classic.
Meinzer, Wyman, and John Graves (introduction). Texas Sky. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1998. Photographs of the awesome Texas sky.
Michener, James A. Texas. New York; Fawcett, 1987. Packed with drama and stereotypes, Michener’s book paints a bold picture of the state.
Moran, Mark, Mike Sceurman, Wesley Treat, and Heather Shades. Weird Texas. New York: Sterling, 2005.
Peterson, Roger Tory. Field Guide to the Birds of Texas. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Written by an expert.
Rather, Rebecca, and Alison Oresman. The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery & Café. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2004.
Reid, Jan, and Scott Newton. The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock: New Edition (Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2004.
Richards, David. Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2002.
Rucker, Sid, Clifford E. Shackelford, Madge M. Lindsay, C. Mark Klym, Shirly Rucker, and Clemente Guzman III. Hummingbirds of Texas. College Station, TX: Texas A&M Press, 2006.
Rybczyk, Mark Louis. San Antonio Uncovered. Plano, TX: Republic of Texas, 2000. A good look at the history of San Antonio.
Taylor, Tom, and Johnny Molloy. 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Antonio and Austin. Birmingham, AL: Menasha Ridge Press, 2004.
Tekiela, Stan. Birds of Texas Field Guide. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, 2004.
Thompson, Karen R., and Kathy R. Howell. Austin (Scenes of America). Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2006.
Tveten, John L. The Birds of Texas. Fredericksburg, TX: Shearer Publishing, 1993. Miraculous photos.
Walsh, Robb. Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from the Pit Bosses. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002.
Woods, Randall. LBJ: Architect of American Ambition. New York: Free Press, 2006.