The Alamo (Bison Book) [Paperback]

John Myers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bison Book | Publication Date: January 1, 1973

"The majority of the stories of the Alamo fight have been partly legendary, partly hearsay and at best fragmentary. It has been left to John Myers Myers to present an exhaustively researched book which reveals the chronicle of the siege of the Alamo in an entirely different light. . . . Myers' story will stand as the best that has yet been written on the Alamo. . . . It's a classic."-Boston Post "Here is a historian with the vitality and drive to match his subject. A reporter of the first rank, he can clothe the dry bones of history with the living stuff of which today's news is made."-Chicago Tribune John Myers Myers authored sixteen books, including Doc Holliday and Tombstone's Early Years, also available as Bison Books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''Here is a historian with the vitality and drive to match his subject. A reporter of the first rank, he can clothe the dry bones of history with the living stuff of which today's news is made.'' --Chicago Tribune

''The majority of the stories of the Alamo fight have been partly legendary, partly hearsay, and at best fragmentary. It has been left to John Myers Myers to present an exhaustively researched book which reveals the chronicle of the siege of the Alamo in an entirely different light . . . Myers' story will stand as the best that has yet been written on the Alamo . . . It's a classic.'' --Boston Post --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

JOHN MYERS MYERS, noted for his thorough research and vivid style, is also the author of Doc Holiday, Tombstone's Early Years, and The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Bison; 1st Bison edition (January 1, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803257791
• ISBN-13: 978-0803257795
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,170,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All action account!, May 7, 1999

By 

Robert Jarvis ([e-mail]) (El Salvador) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alamo (Bison Book) (Paperback)

Most people are aware of the history of the Alamo. This book gives us some in-depth background of the incredible story of how a group of a little over one hundred men, chose certain death, instead of surrender, or retreat, in front of a hopeless situation. More incredible still, is the fact that only nine of the Alamo defenders (curiously, all of Mexican origin!) were actually born in Texas! How were these passions created? The book is short & always to the point. Myers deals with the social & historical factors that drove the action in a logical, simple & interesting way. The central characters are beautifully developed. The reader actually cares about their welfare & ultimate fate. So important in holding one's attention. The whole account runs logically & unfussily to the momentous final conclusion. Here too, the author does not disappoint. The battle scenes are rousing, all-action & the tactics, weaponry, etc., are clearly described. Throughout, Myers is very careful to differenciate between known fact & heresay. He shows great impartiality too, between the Mexican & American positions. All in all, I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to both serious & occasional military history readers. Totally entertaining!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the best on the Alamo, June 30, 2003

By 

Miz Storge (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alamo (Bison Book) (Paperback)

Newer books have been written based on more recently available sources, but this book stands the test of time. It is based on solid research, it doesn't spend entire chapters digressing into, for instance, the ins and outs of the Bowies' business dealings, and it keeps speculation on the motivations of Travis, Crockett, Bowie and Santa Anna to a couple of paragraphs each. Any speculation is just the author's guesswork, and I find Myers guesses to be kept more brief - and more to my personal taste - than, say, William C. Davis' in "Three Roads to the Alamo". It has been said that a revisionist is one who, lacking the notion of honor in his/her own character, cannot understand it when encountered in others. While Myers examines the actions of the three main personalities in a journalistic manner, the enormity of their patriotic sacrifice is never deprecated as is the fashion in modern, revisionist historical writing.

This book remains not only the best single volume on the siege, it provides a great introduction to the historic and social melieu of the era for those seeking to understand the background of the Mexican-American War. -

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Background, and a Strong Voice to Tell the Tale, October 30, 2004

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alamo (Bison Book) (Paperback)

John Myers Myers, in the last sentences of his book, The Alamo, perfectly captures the essence of what this story means to America. He writes, "The Alamo isn't a structure now; it is a symbol of valor in the minds of men. It can never fall again." Though he closes with that thought, it is obvious that he wrote this history with the knowledge that this particular event is just as important as myth as it is as history, and that it presents unique challenges to the historian to distinguish between the two. In the forward, he addresses the issue of how hard it is to find solid, historical evidence about the Alamo. The combatants were killed to a man, and as for the non-combatants who survived to tell their tales, none were professional writers, and no historian bothered to interviewed any of them during their lifetimes. He explains in some detail how he decided the veracity of the various surviving source materials: letters, journals, official orders of the Mexican officers, and interviews of survivors. He then launches into the tale.
Myers divides his book into three sections. The first third is devoted to the history of the structure of the Alamo, from mission to military outpost, and to the history of the roots of the conflict between the Texians and Mexico. This is vital information to understanding what happened at Bexar during those fateful twelve days in 1836. The fact that Myers devotes so many pages to explaining this background and placing the story in its proper historical context is one of the books strongest points.
In the second third of the book, Myers introduces the principal players who history associates with the Alamo - Bowie, Travis, Crockett, and Santa Anna. A chapter is devoted to each of them, and Myers does an admirable job of placing each within the context of their own personal histories without resorting to what later became so controversial as detracting "revisionism". He notes that while Bowie and Crockett were already legends in their own time, that Travis' fame is tied exclusively to his participation in the Texian revolution. He solidly establishes who they were as flesh and blood men, rather than the demigods of myth that they became, yet does so respectfully. Likewise, he paints a balanced portrait of Santa Anna rather than simply demonizing him.
In the book's final section, Myers writes skillfully of the siege and storming of the Alamo. It is a tale that comes with its own in-built drama, which requires only an expert storyteller to assure its success, and Myers is indeed an outstanding storyteller. He has an idiosyncratic style of writing that lends itself perfectly to the telling of this particular tale. Throughout, he is generally faithful to the more traditional interpretations of what happened at Bexar, but does acknowledge some of the elements that smack more of legend than of historical fact (such as Travis' saber-drawn line in the sand).
Myers has written a fine history of an event that has become an indispensable part of our national mythology. His research is firm, his writing style captivating, and his tone respectful to both the history and the legend. I heartily recommend it.

Theo Logos