Texas has been home to so many colorful characters, out-of-staters might wonder if any normal people live here. And it's true that the "Texian" desire to act out sometimes overcomes even the most sober citizens-which makes it a real challenge for the genuine eccentrics to distinguish themselves from the rest of us. Fortunately, though, many maverick Texans have risen to the test, and in this book, Gene Fowler introduces us to a gallery of Texas eccentrics from the worlds of oil, ranching, real estate, politics, rodeo, metaphysics, showbiz, art, and folklore.

Mavericks rounds up dozens of Fowler's favorite Texas characters, folks like the Trinity River prophet Commodore Basil Muse Hatfield; the colorful poet-politician Cyclone Davis Jr.; Big Bend tourist attraction Bobcat Carter; and the dynamic chief executive of the East Texas Oil Field Governor Willie. Fowler persuasively argues that many of these characters should be viewed as folk performance artists who created "happenings" long before the modern art world took up that practice in the 1960s. Other featured mavericks run the demographic gamut from inspirational connoisseurs of the region's native quirkiness to creative con artists and carnival oddities. But, artist or poser, all of the eccentrics in Mavericks completely embody the style and spirit that makes Texas so interesting, entertaining, and culturally unique.

"Although other books exist on Texas characters, they are fluff. Fowler's book is much more solid and extremely well researched. I like his take-it's serious as well as refreshing... There's a fair amount of appeal here to a general readership, especially given that cool photographs back up the fun stories. The pictures are a major plus." -- Anne Dingus, writer-at-large, Texas Monthly

About the Author

Gene Fowler grew up in a Dallas showbiz family and has been writing and performing for theater since the 1960s. His previous books include Border Radio, Mystic Healers and Medicine Shows, and Crazy Water.

Reviews
I recently picked up a book that is so good that I was tempted to lift several chapters from it for my columns. Instead I decided to write a column about it. It is Mavericks: A Gallery of Texas Characters, by Gene Fowler, published by the University of Texas Press in 2008. -- Lonn Taylor * Big Bend Now *



Book Information
ISBN 9780292718197
Author Gene Fowler
Format Paperback
Page Count 179
Imprint University of Texas Press
Publisher University of Texas Press
Weight(grams) 286g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 15mm