Additional Resources

Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

    Selective Bibliography for Teachers and Others

There have been hundreds of books written about the Alamo, the battle, the defenders, the Mexican viewpoint, and its meaning, but there seems to be no definitive book. Each author contradicts the next one, and there seem to be no conclusive answers to most questions that can be asked about the Alamo. The following books have been selected because they are currently in print and are interesting.

Chariton, Wallace O. Exploring the Alamo Legends. Plano: Wordware Publishing, Inc., 1990.

This is the single best book for studying the evidence around the various questions about the battle of the Alamo. Each chapter traces the history of the changes in the evidence around specific issues about the battle, with information current to 1990.

Fehrenbach, T.R. Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans. Toronto: Macmillan Company, 1981.

This book, first published in 1968, provides a quick overview account of the battle with details about the lives of its most famous defenders.

Davis, William C. Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1998.

While only two of the 22 chapters of this book address the fall of the Alamo, it is THE definitive book for all questions on the Alamo. It is a hefty book of 587 pages tracing the lives of the three heroes and is based on an overwhelming body of research and inclusive of literally all sources, including archival material in Mexico City that has not been available to others. The author cuts through the myths and brings to bear exhaustive research for his conclusions in the 187 pages of endnotes and bibliography.

Groneman, Bill. Alamo Defenders, A Genealogy: The People and Their Words. Austin: Eakin Press, 1990.

This book pulls together the sketchy information known about the individual defenders of the Alamo and has an excellent bibliography.

Hardin, Stephen L. Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994.

If you are a devotee of military histories and strategies of war, then this is your book. It presents a good contemporary analysis of the revolution plus great military information. The illustrations by Gary S. Zaboly are wonderful.

Shackford, James Atkins. David Crockett: The Man and the Legend. Austin: Pemberton Press, 1968.

This is a definitive book on David Crockett, which covers his complete life. The extensive endnotes and bibliography are a researcher's delight. It brings together rare letters and news articles hard to obtain.

Lord, Walter. A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1961.

This book is the old standard on the Alamo. It reads easily and is comprehensive and still the best overall book on the Alamo, despite recent discoveries.

McComb, David G. Texas: A Modern History. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1989.

This provides a welcome contemporary overview and summary of the history of Texas and puts historical events into a broader perspective that takes into account non-Anglo perspectives.

Nofi, Albert A. The Alamo and the Texas War for Independence. 1982; reprint, New York: Da Capo Press, 1994.

While this book also has a military focus, the sidebars with biographies and topical information such as weapons of the Texas Revolution are invaluable. The charts bring together contradictory information of other authors so it is quickly understood. For anyone currently doing research on the Alamo, this book is a good place to begin.

Ragsdale, Crystal Sasse. Women and Children of the Alamo. Austin: State House Press, 1994.

This book provides much background information on Juana Alsbury, Madame Candelaria, Susanna Dickinson, Concepción Losoya, Ana de Esparza, and Enrique Esparza, which is absent from most other books about the Alamo.

The New Handbook of Texas. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996.

These volumes can be used as an encyclopedia for any topic, person, or event relating to the Alamo. They are invaluable for obtaining quick and useful information.