This Publication of
the Texas Folklore Society has something for everyone. The first section
features a good bit of occupational lore, including articles on cowboys—both
legendary ones and the relatively unknown men who worked their trade day by day
wherever they could. You’ll also find a unique, personal look at a famous
outlaw and learn about a teacher’s passion for encouraging her students to
discover their own family culture, as well as unusual weddings, somewhat
questionable ways to fish, and one woman’s love affair with a bull.

The backbone of the PTFS series has always
been miscellanies—diverse examinations of the many types of lore found
throughout Texas and the Southwest. These books offer a glimpse of what goes on
at our annual meetings, as the best of the papers presented are frequently
selected for our publications. Of course, the presentations are only a part of
what the Society does at the meetings, but reading these publications offers
insight into our members’ interests in everything from bikers and pioneers of
Tejana music to serial killers and simple folk from small-town Texas. These
works also suggest the importance of the “telling of the tale,” with an
emphasis on oral tradition, as well as some of the customs we share. All of
these things together— the focus on tradition at our meetings, the fellowship
among members, and the diversity of our research—are what sustain the Texas
Folklore Society.