The William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies
And DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University
Announcing a New Publication in the Library of Texas Series,
Edited by David Farmer and David J. Weber
Frederick Law Olmsted's
A Journey through Texas, or a Saddle-Trip on the
Western Frontier.
Edited by Randolph B. Campbell
A landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, is known today for his design of university campuses, private estates, and parks—most notably Central Park in New York City. In his younger life, though, Olmsted was hired by the New York Daily Times to write about the land and people of Texas and, above all, to judge the impact of slavery on that frontier state. Between December 1853 and May 1854, Olmsted traveled from the Sabine River to the Rio Grande, penning fifteen letters published in the Times. Frederick’s younger brother John, who traveled with him, compiled the letters and published them in book form in 1857. The first printing of Journey through Texas (2,500 copies) was a great success and since then has become a classic for its revealing portrait of Texas society before the Civil War. It has been reprinted in various editions, in both German and English, but none have had the benefit, as does this edition, of scholarly annotation or an index.
The Library of Texas edition comes with an authoritative introduction and annotation by Randolph B. Campbell, Regent’s Professor in the Department of History at the University of North Texas and author of a number of acclaimed books, including Gone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State (2003). This edition of Olmsted was handsomely designed by Bradley Hutchison and printed on acid-free paper. We have printed 500 copies, of which 450 are for sale. Our edition cannot be purchased through retail bookshops.
For details about ordering this book and others in the Library of Texas series, please contact Betty Friedrich at (214) 768-3231 or bfriedri@smu.edu or by mail at DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, Box 750396, Dallas, TX 75275-0396.
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ORDER FORM for Olmsted's A Journey through Texas, or a Saddle-Trip on the Western Frontier
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Last updated May 17, 2006.