This book is so poorly written I stopped reading it after the first 80 pages or so. Some background information provided at the beginning is interesting, but the book failed to hold my interest--a remarkable feat, given how fascinating a man Sam Houston is. A much better biography is Sword of San Jacinto, by Marshall de Bruhl.

I'm not sure if the first reviewer read the same book that I did. As a doctoral student in history, I have read many history books and must defend Williams's book as SUPERBLY written and carefully researched; Williams obviously wrote this book for a larger audience. Such an excellent combination of readability and academic rigor is the envy of every serious historian.

I highly recommend this biography for the causal reader and the serious scholar, which certainly ranks among the best bios of Sam Houston to date.

I'm not sure if the first reviewer read the same book that I did. As a doctoral student in history, I have read many history books and must say this was a SUPERBLY written and researched account. Williams's prose is highly accessible to the average reader, while meeting the rigors of serious academic work. An excellent book for the casual reader and scholar alike.