The Alamo: A Cultural History - Hardcover

Frank Thompson is an author, filmmaker, and film historian with a lifelong interest in the Alamo. Among his previous twenty books are two on the subject: The Alamo: A Cultural History and Alamo Movies. He has also written many articles on the Alamo for publications ranging from Texas Monthly magazine to The Philadelphia Inquirer. As an Alamo authority, Thompson has appeared in the television documentaries The Alamo (the History Channel, 1996) and History vs. Hollywood: The Alamo (History Channel, 2001). As a producer, he prepared the current video releases of Martyrs of the Alamo (1915), With Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo (1926), Heroes of the Alamo (1937), and The Alamo: Shrine of Texas Liberty (1938). For the latter film Thompson also wrote, produced, and narrated a documentary, The Alamo: Shrine of Texas Liberty . . . Lost and Found (2000).

There are certain icons of U.S. history that resonate in our collective imagination, and the Alamo is one of them. In a new and fascinating trend, books such as Lorett Treese's Valley Forge: Making and Remaking a National Symbol (LJ 5/15/95) are not only exploring the history of these icons but are also looking at the story of these sites over the years since they gained fame. Thompson, a writer and film historian, has done the same here for the Alamo. He examines the fort's beginnings as a 1718 Franciscan mission and the subsequent famous battle, then looks at such things as the history of the site since the fighting, its place in popular culture, literature, films, television, and much more. There are of course many titles on the Alamo, but they mostly focus on the event itself or on particular personalities such as Davy Crockett, Santa Anna, or William Travis. Thompson's amply illustrated and well-documented book is a new approach. This engaging and stimulating title will be popular in many public and academic libraries. Charlie Cowling, SUNY at Brockport Lib.
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