Thursday, June 30, 2011

A book-loving ape and a tech-savvy donkey talk digital vs. print?



Watch the It's a Book trailer here!!!


Judging by the book trailer, It’s a Book by author and illustrator Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press), will sure be a hit! A book “for the technorati and literati alike”, it features a book-loving ape and a tech-savvy donkey talking digital vs. print. Quite a treat for those of us who fondly remember a time before e-readers, computers, iPods and WiFi.

This is a must read for book lovers, book readers and just anyone who needs a little lesson in what a book is and what a book is not.

To learn more about author/illustrator Lane Smith, check out his website here!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Serious Tomato Problem!

What if your next tomato harvest produced 200 tomatoes?!

Cliff Shackelford, author of Hummingbirds of Texas has a serious problem with tomatoes! After reading a copy of The Texas Tomato Lovers Handbook (Texas A&M University Press), by Bill Adams, his kitchen is now over-run with homegrown tomatoes. Obviously, this is a VERY good problem to have!

Shackelford says:
". . . Holy smokes! They are juicy, tasty, and wonderful. We've enjoyed a lot of tomato sandwiches, fresh tomato sauce, Julie's homemade pico-de-gallo, and more. Because we cannot eat them all, a small sack-full can sure put a smile on the faces of friends."


Tomatoes from Cliff’s own kitchen. (His set of keys in the photo are merely to demonstrate that these are not little tomatoes.)

Looking to create your own “tomato problem?” Order your own copy of The Texas Tomato Lovers Handbook here!

New York Times features TAMU Press author!




Did you know a student can participate in both professional and college rodeo at the same time?


“Our students may have a college rodeo one weekend and a professional rodeo the next weekend,” said Roger Walters, commissioner of NIRA and a former rodeo coach at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Tex. “Or they may be up in a college rodeo on Friday and a professional rodeo on Thursday.”


Read more about these incredible students in the New York Times.


Sylvia Mahoney, author of College Rodeo: From Show to Sport is featured in the article!


Mahoney’s book College Rodeo: From Show to Sport gives readers an inside look to a sport that most people know very little about. In fact, seldom does a college sport exist for eighty years without having a book written about it, but college rodeo has. Sylvia Gann Mahoney has written the first history of the sport, tracing its growth parallel to the development of professional rodeo and the growth of the organizational structure that governs college rodeo. Mahoney draws on personal interviews as well as the archives of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and newspaper accounts from participating schools and their hometowns.

Mahoney chronicles the events, profiles winners, and analyzes the organizational efforts that have contributed to the colorful history of college rodeo. She traces the changing role of women, noting their victories that were ignored by much of the contemporary press in the early days of the sport. College Rodeo highlights outstanding individuals through extensive interviews, giving credit to the pioneers of college rodeo. This book includes rare photographs of rodeo teams, champions, and rodeo queens, blended with the true life details of sweat and tears that make intercollegiate rodeo such a popular sport.


Read more about College Rodeo here and order your own copy!





But I am not a Tomato Lover?!








Not a Tomato Lover? Who cares?!

Betsy Friauf of The Dallas Morning News reports that William D. Adams’s Texas Tomato Lover’s Handbook is advice that is “applicable to gardening in general, especially vegetable gardening, making [the] book a bargain.”

Friauf describes her judgement of the book's $25.00 price:
"At first I thought $25 might be pricey for this slender little book. I wasn’t reassured by the first chapter’s title: “History of the Garden Tomato.” Who has time for history when sudden 100-degree weather has seared my once-robust tomato vines?"

But after reading the first paragraph, she was hooked:
"..the first paragraph hooked me. For it’s the history lesson that tells me the tomato is not, as I’d imagined, a naturally tough customer that loves heat. No, it’s a native of mid- and high-altitude Peru, where mild climate and fertile soil combine to make tomatoes flourish. Now I understand where these babies are coming from."

Want to read Friauf's full article? Visit the Dallas Morning News website!

Read more about William D. Adams and his book, Texas Tomato Lover’s Handbook here and order your own copy now!




Monday, June 27, 2011

Author Thomas Hatfield featured in Humanities Texas

Thomas Hatfield’s "Rudder: From Leader to Legend" was recently featured in the June 2011 Humanities Texas e-newsletter! Check out this excerpt “The First Night on Point du Hoc” for a quick look into the book. You can order your own copy on our website here!






Reveille-The First Lady of Texas A&M

Reveille needs no introduction to Aggies; she is surrounded by traditions, honored and privileged anywhere on campus. Reveille By Rusty Burson and Vannessa Burson gives readers an inside look to the First Lady of Texas A&M.



Check out this video of Reveilles VII and VIII visit the spa for shampoo, blowout and trim!

Supporting in more ways than one: Aggie Moms


Aggie Mothers Know Best, about Aggie Moms’ Clubs and Mothers’ Club representatives talk about scholarships these clubs sponsor and what these gifts mean to both parents and students. Watch here!

Not only do Aggie Moms' Clubs offer great support to Aggie students, but they sure can cook! Their recipes are featured in the TAMU Press's book: Aggies, Moms, and Apple Pie, edited by Edna Smith.


The college experience revolves around many things, not the least important of which is food. From dorm room cuisine to tailgate parties to care packages, higher education can present some distinctive new demands on a person's cooking skills, time, and recipe file. This special cookbook will help both students and parents meet these challenges. It offers an array of good fare for late-night suppers, gatherings at your house, and regional specialties to impress the new roommate from New Jersey. Edna M. Smith, mother of two Texas Aggies, prepared this specially tailored cookbook from the recipes submitted by the members of seventy Federation of Texas A&M University Mothers' Clubs. The nearly five hundred recipes focus on the needs of families with college students and of the students themselves. Those who are novice cooks, perhaps just starting their own families and traditions, will appreciate the helpful suggestions for solving culinary mysteries. Any cook will enjoy the varied dishes that have been favorites for parties, covered dish suppers, and family feasts.

Read more and order your own copy of Aggies, Moms, and Apple Pie here!