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Kings of Texas: The 150-Year Saga of an American Ranching Empire [Hardcover]

Don Graham (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: Dec 1 2002
Praise for KINGS OF TEXAS

"Kings of Texas is a fresh and very welcome history of the great King Ranch. It's concise but thorough, crisply written, meticulous, and very readable. It should find a wide audience."
-Larry McMurtry, author of Sin Killer and the Pulitzer Prize--winning Lonesome Dove

"This book is about the King Ranch, but it is about much more than that. A compelling chronicle of war, peace, love, betrayal, birth, and death in the region where the Texas-Mexico border blurs in the haze of the Wild Horse Desert, it is also an intriguing detective story with links to the present-and a first-rate read."
-H.W. Brands, author of The Age of Gold and the bestselling Pulitzer Prize finalist The First American

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Review

* Full of myth and misunderstanding, there's a Texas for everyone... Graham writes about Texas recognizing the wide-open country that we love, while at the same time putting longitude and latitude in proper perspective... "Kings of Texas" is a pleasure to read. (Austin American Statesman)

 "is the right man for the task of chronicling this Jonesian expanse of archetypal Texana...a pleasure to read". (Austin American-Statesman, January 19, 2003)

My mother grew up in Texas in the 1930s and recalls driving with her father for hours past seemingly endless miles of King Ranch Property. Covering 850,000 acres even today, a spread as big as the state of Rhode Island, the King Ranch has been an icon of Texas ranching culture since the 19th century. For six generations, descendants of founder Richard King ran the ranch and its various enterprises until Stephen Kleberg was voted out as ranch manager by the corporate board in 1998. The changing face of the King Ranch from family-run enterprise to corporate entity captures attention precisely because so many ranches and farms have already gone this rou te in the West, and here is the largest of them all following in their footsteps. Graham (literature, Univ. of Texas, Austin) has written several books on Texas life and culture. His latest is an easy-to-read popular narrative that complements another recent title of the King Ranch, John Cypher's Bob Kleberg and the King Ranch: A worldwide Sea of Grass& lt;/I> (1995) which is a amore scholarly look at this modern corporate empire. Highly recommended for Southwestern libraries, both public and academic. Charlie Cowling, SUNY at Brockport Lib. (Library Journal, March 1, 2003)

"A crisp history of the King Ranch... a good read about an era long gone."--Boston Globe

Review

"This book is about the King Ranch, but it is about much more than that. A compelling chronicle of war, peace, love, betrayal, birth and death in the region where the Texas-Mexico border blurs in the haze of the Wild Horse Desert, it is also an intriguing detective story with links to the present--and a first-rate read." —H.W. Brands, author THE AGE OF GOLD and the bestselling Pulitzer Prize finalist THE FIRST AMERICAN.

"KINGS OF TEXAS is a fresh and very welcome history of the great King Ranch. It's concise but thorough, crisply written, meticulous and very readable. It should find a wide audience." —Larry McMurtry, author of Sin Killer and the Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove

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First Sentence
The Rincon de Santa Gertrudis, an old Spanish land grant, lies at the heart of King Ranch, for it was here, on these untenanted lands, that Capt.Richard King, in 1853, first laid claim to a dream of ownership that would make his nascent rancho the envy of the world. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising insight into King Domain May 5 2004
By dikybabe
Format:Hardcover
I bought this tome for my spouse and it sat around the house, unread, until I picked it up myself. I was surprised that this slim volume could explain so much about the founding of the King Ranch and the controversy surrounding its ownership. I was especially interested in the property rights of the missing character, a military cohort and investor of King's whose heirs later sued the King heirs for their ancestor's part of the ranch. All unsuccessfully, of course.

However, this work by Don Graham, whose work I often read in "Texas Monthly Magazine", which centers more on Kleberg than on the later years and workings, is quite interesting. I couldn't put it down until the end. And after yakking it up to my husband, he finally indulged himself in the read. We both recommend it for anyone fascinated by the legends of this gigantic property and its landlords.

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3.0 out of 5 stars History mixed with Bitterness. April 10 2004
By "dogberry"
Format:Hardcover
Graham begins his tale by informing the reader that he was denied access to the King Ranch's Archives. This immediately sets the tone for the rest of his book as he views the King Ranch through a bitter lens. He spends much of his time writing on the history of the area around the Ranch. He intersperses the document with his personal pronouns and anecdotes of his own experiences. This all culminates in the Big Trials of the King Ranch. This is where his bias against the King Ranch shines. He is clearly opposed to the King Ranch. Foregoing an impartial view of events his prose begins to be colored by his frustrations. This book does give some history of Southern Texas, so it rates a 3 out of 5.
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4.0 out of 5 stars King of Texas more than Kings Nov 14 2003
By Matt Fabian
Format:Hardcover
I took one star away because I dont think the title tells you what the book is about. Most (9 of 14 chapters) of the book is about Richard King, the founder, and the history that took place in South Texas. Only one chapter is devoted to the men who ran the ranch after King. Robert Kleberg, who really made the ranch so wealthy is given little treatment.

However, I did like this book. Its well-written and easy to read. One really gets a sense of what life was like in the late 1800's in South Texas. The later part of the book deals with the impending lawsuit against the King Ranch. Did Richard King swindle his partner's widow out of what was rightfully her's? (about 7,000 acres of prime real estate). The widow's descendants sure think so. Can they win their claim over the power King Ranch? This is a complicated question to answer but the author digs deep into the story. The only bad part is that the case has not yet been settled, so there is no resolution to the engaging battel for money and land.

If you like Texas or western history, you should read this book.

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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars this man can write
as a yankee, i didn't think i would be so fascinated by a texas history. what's sad is, we just don't have sprawling sagas like this up in new jersey.
Published on Sep 10 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars First 2/3's was really great, sort of slides after that
The King Ranch is on of the U.S.'s largest working ranches. Its development is a big story in Texas. Its owner, Richard King, migrated to Texas before the Civil War. Read more
Published on July 3 2003 by John C. Dunbar
2.0 out of 5 stars Postcard from the edge
Mr. Graham sub-titles his book 'the 150 year saga of a ranching empire' but his enthusiasm for the saga seems to have died with Captain King. Read more
Published on May 16 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated and revealing and VERY well written
Don Graham is a sharp thinker and a sort of curmudgeon for all seasons. He is therefore the ideal writer to tell the story of Texas's very own mini-Soviet empire, the Kleberg/King... Read more
Published on Mar 18 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this read!
Don Graham's KINGS OF TEXAS is a compelling account of the fabled King Ranch from its earliest days to a contemporary lawsuit that sums up the mythic and the real history of south... Read more
Published on Mar 1 2003 by Elizabeth Rama
1.0 out of 5 stars Kings of Texas
The worst book on King Ranch I've ever read. Not very interesting, does not hold your attention. If you aren't paying close attention, you'll read right over when Capt. King dies. Read more
Published on Feb 17 2003 by L. H. Mcdaniellll
5.0 out of 5 stars Kings of Texas
The story of King Ranch is fascinating. Don Graham's book is the best historical look at King Ranch that I have read yet.
Published on Jan 23 2003
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