Shooting the Sun. Cartographic Results of Military Activities in Texas, 1689-1829.: LANDMARK IN THE STUDY OF TEXAS MAPS

Jackson, Jack. Shooting the Sun. Cartographic Results of Military Activities in Texas, 1689-1829. Lubbock: Book Club of Texas. 1998. Reddish brown cloth in matching slipcase. Two volumes in clip case. Limited edition. One of 325 numbered copies. 40 cm. Includes bibliographical references (pages 544-564) and index. Pp. xi, 3, 275 + [3], 279-582 + colophon leaf in each volume. Inscribed by the author. Minor rubbing to the slipcase, both volumes are near fine, gift quality copies.

OCLC shows 47 holdings. Kate Broocks Bates Award for Historical Research, 1999. Designed and printed by Wind River Press, Austin. 110 maps printed in black & white. This book focuses on the cartographic history of the Texas interior. "The two-volume work concentrates on the maps them-selves and the history they reveal. Jackson's intention in writing the book was to give the reader a 'useful survey of Texas maps and mapmakers from the time Europeans first set foot on the land until the era of the Texas Revolution' (p. vii). And he succeeds magnificently. Jackson begins the complex but interesting history of Texas maps in 1689, when Don Carlos de Siguenza y Gongora used the diaries of Alonso de Leon, written as a result of his search for La Salle's Fort St. Louis, to produce the first 'scientific' map of Texas. He ends the book with a detailed look at the maps that Stephen F. Austin produced and their impact on the mapmakers who followed him. Between Siguenza and Austin, Jackson introduces the reader to the work of major and minor figures in the history of Texas mapping, always paying close attention to the maps they produced and what these maps contributed to the unfolding of knowledge about the land. Spanish, French, German, and American mapmakers are examined in detail, and Jackson is never at a loss to express his opinion about them and their accomplishments. … While it may be expensive, it is worth every penny." – Gerald Saxon, Southwestern Hist. Quarterly Vol. 104 July 2000 p. 308-310.