Texas was published by Random House in 1985. The novel spans the entire history of Texas from the arrival of Spanish missionaries through the battle of the Alamo, the Republic period, the Civil War, the cattle drives, the oil boom, and modern Texas politics and culture. Multiple families — Anglo, Mexican, German immigrant — carry the narrative across centuries.
Michener’s Texas is a place where mythology and reality are inseparable: the Alamo is both a military engagement and a creation myth, the cattle drive is both an economic activity and a cultural ritual, and oil is both a commodity and a form of secular religion. The novel captures the distinctive Texas psychology — the outsized self-regard, the genuine toughness, the racial complexity, the relationship between land and wealth — with both affection and critical distance.
Collecting Texas
First edition (Random House, New York, 1985): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $40–$100
- Very good: $15–$40
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The Texas Mythology
At over 1,000 pages, Texas is one of Michener’s longest novels and tackles one of America’s most mythology-laden states. Michener examines the gap between Texas’s self-image (heroic independence, rugged individualism, the Alamo) and its reality (slavery, oil exploitation, political corruption, racial violence). The novel was a bestseller in Texas despite — or because of — its willingness to challenge state mythology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Michener a native of any of the places he wrote about? No. Michener was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and was likely an orphan (his origins were uncertain). His peripatetic life — living in dozens of countries and states — gave him the outsider’s perspective that defined his method. He observed each place with fresh eyes rather than native familiarity.