"There just is not a better or more human document of early days in Texas than Noah Smithwick's. He came to Texas in 1831. Smithwick rose above the general pettiness of so many Texas colonists. On more than one occasion he sides with the Indians and with Negroes who had been unjustly or prejudicially handled. He shows a keen sense of humor, not the least about himself. There is scarcely a name in Republic of Texas history he doesn't mention personally. His book is not about heroes; it is about everyday people." --A.C. Greene THE 50 BEST BOOKS ABOUT TEXAS.