This detailed account of the history and personalities that gained Texas independence in 1836 is quite an earful. The author goes way back into the ancestry of Houston and Austin families, gives a nice view of Jacksonian politics (Sam Houston was a protégé of Andrew Jackson), and lets his audience in on the story of Mexican politics. All of this is quite fascinating, and at the end one marvels at the miracle of Texas gaining its independence and the tragedies that resulted from it in 1846 and then in 1861. Don Leslie gives a splendid and energetic reading. He does well with the narrative and renders credible accents for the quotations, which are often lengthy.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The Gilded Age race to invent automated typesetting was packed with colorful characters and grim reversals of fortune.
Energy more than artistry propels this rich and thoroughly engrossing history of automated printing and its impact on modern media. Author Jarvis isn’t the smoothest of narrators, but his enthusiastic delivery heightens the narrative. And what he delivers sounds very much like a gold rush tale. Setting type remained the final, seemingly impossible step in automating the printing process, and many failures preceded the successful Linotype, which remained the standard for decades thereafter. Mark Twain’s losses after he invested in a competitor are lamentable, but they’re merely tangential to the far more interesting stories of those who succeeded.
The Gilded Age race to invent automated typesetting was packed with colorful characters and grim reversals of fortune.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798216477341
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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