TFS Publications
The Texas Folklore Society produced its first publication in 1912, with W. H. Thomas's Some Current Folk-Songs of the Negro. In 1916, the Society came out with its first full-length collection of articles that had been given at annual meetings; since then, it has published over seventy regular volumes in its Publications of the Texas Folklore Society series, including a three-volume history of the organization from 1909 through 2000. The Society has also supported the publication over two dozen single-author "Extra Books" on folklore. Many publications are miscellanies, covering a wide range of research interests, while other books have a specific focus, such as folk songs and music or hunting and fishing lore.
TFS also publishes two newsletters each year, one in January and another in June. Our January issue includes information on our annual meeting as well as registration information, and our June issue provides exciting highlights of the meeting and previews the upcoming publication. Each newsletter now features a Member Spotlight that provides information on a random member. To download our latest newsletter for free, visit our "newsletters" page.
TFS books are published by the University of North Texas Press and distributed by Texas A&M University Press and the Texas Book Consortium. The University of North Texas Press has also made most TFS publications available electronically, through The Portal to Texas History at https://texashistory.unt.edu/. Practically every volume is available through print-on-demand, and current members receive a 20% discount on all TFS books. The toll-free number to order is 1-800-826-8911.
Coming Soon!
Our 2019 publication will be #27 in our series of extra books, A Boyhood Dream Realized: Half a Century of Texas Culture, One Newspaper Column at a Time. As the title suggests, the book will be a collection of columns the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal brought to us by journalism legend Burle Pettit, who worked in the newspaper industry for half a century. These columns represent decades of observations of local lore, customs, traditions, legends, beliefs, and folkways of West Texas. Although the newspaper industry has changed a great deal from the time Burle Pettit first began his career, newspapers still reflect what is most important to a group of people. They are, in a way, the heartbeat of a region, and they serve as a record of people’s livelihoods and losses, their triumphs and tragedies, and their musings and memories.
Purchase our latest book!
The TFS is proud to announce #26 in our series of extra
books, The San Saba Treasure: Legends of Silver Creek. In 1868, four treasure
hunters from San Marcos, Texas, searched for a lost mine on the San Saba River
filled with thousands of silver bars left by Spanish miners. Now TFS member
David C. Lewis, a descendant of one of those adventurers, is on his own quest
to find the history behind the legend once popularized by J. Frank Dobie in his
classic book Coronado’s Children. While the author warns that this book, though
it does contain a map, will not lead you to silver and gold, it will lead you
to a treasure trove of mystery, wonder, and dozens strange and interesting
characters.
Join the adventure today: Extra Book #26