Limestone hills, cold spring-fed streams, live oaks and cedar, old German towns—the Texas Hill Country may well be the most beloved region of the state. Unlike West Texas with its dramatic expanses of plains and sky, or the eastern Piney Woods in their lush fecundity, the Hill Country never overwhelms. Its intimate landscapes of rolling hills, fields of wildflowers, and cypress-shaded rivers impart a peace and serenity that draws the urban-weary from across Texas and even beyond.
In this volume, two of the state's most respected artists join their talents to create an unsurpassed portrait of the Texas Hill Country. With an unerring eye for landscape photography, Wyman Meinzer distills the visual essence of the Hill Country—long vistas of oak-and-cedar-covered hills, clear streams running over rocks, bluebonnets turning fields into lapis-colored seas. His photographs also go beyond the familiar to reveal surprising contrasts and juxtapositions—prickly pear cactus delicately frosted with ice, black-eyed susans growing among granite boulders.
With an equally true feeling for what makes the Hill Country distinct, John Graves writes about the land and its people and how they have shaped one another. He pays tribute to the tenacious German pioneers who turned unpromising land into farms and ranches, the Anglo-American "cedar-choppers" who harvested the region's pest plant, and even the generations of vacationers who have found solace in the Hill Country. As Graves observes, "since well over a century ago, the region has been a sort of reference point for natives of other parts of the state, and mention of it usually brings smiles and nods."
Together, John Graves and Wyman Meinzer once again demonstrate that they are the foremost artists of the Texas landscape. The portrait they create in images and words is as close as you can come to the heart of the Hill Country without being there.

Texas Hill Country

Arts & Photography

Graves, John

Meinzer, Wyman

Photography & Video

University of Texas Press

Between heaven and Texas, there's a sky that goes on forever. On cloudless mornings after a norther has blown through, the sky is such a perfect cobalt blue that you forget the "between" and know that heaven is Texas, or Texas is heaven—it doesn't really matter which. But most days there are clouds between Texas and heaven—puffy white clouds that set us dreaming on lazy summer days or roiling storm clouds that unleash lightning, tornadoes, and hail. The sky between heaven and Texas is a stage for drama more often than not, just like the lives we live below it. Perhaps that's why we're always looking up. In this beautiful book, noted photographer Wyman Meinzer revisits the place that inspires his most creative work—the Texas sky. His photographs capture the vast dramas that occur between heaven and Texas—rainstorms that blot out mountain ranges, lightning strikes that dazzle a night-black prairie, trains of clouds that rumble for miles over wheat fields, sunsets that lave the whole wide sky in crimson, gold, and pink. Meinzer's striking images reveal that in the sky above, no less than on the land below, endless variety is commonplace in Texas. Joining Meinzer in this celebration of the Texas sky are two fine writers, Sarah Bird and Naomi Shihab Nye. In her wonderfully personal introduction, Sarah Bird describes growing up as a dedicated cloud-watcher who, after several years among the cotton candy clouds and cool fogs of Japan, was shocked and exhilarated by the limitless hot skies of Texas. Naomi Nye has chosen poems by twenty-six Texas poets, including herself, which explore a spectrum of emotion about the sky above Texas and the weather in our lives beneath it. Together, photographs, memoir, and poems create a lasting connection with the power and presence of what Meinzer calls "that vast frontier and ocean above"—the sky between heaven and Texas.

Between Heaven and Texas

Individual Artists

Whether it shows a summer thunderstorm rolling across the plains of the Llano Estacado or a full moon rising on a clear winter night, the sky is the most commanding presence in the Texas landscape. As Georgia O'Keeffe once wrote from Canyon to a friend, "I am loving the plains more than ever it seems—and the SKY—Anita you have never seen SKY—it is wonderful." Wyman Meinzer observes that "recording the vibrant and sometimes forbidding nature of the sky has been one of the most enjoyable photographic endeavors of my career." The one hundred breathtaking color images in this book reveal the beauty, drama, unpredictability, and sheer expanse of Texas' sky. Meinzer observes the sky from first light to the star trails in a night exposure. He presents the full palette of sunrise and sunset hues, the endless variety of cloud formations, and the cobalt blue of the sky after a winter norther. Most of all, he captures the feelings of freedom and power that so many people experience under the Texas sky. In a beautifully written essay, John Graves connects Meinzer's photos to the land and the people of Texas. Meinzer's preface describes the careful planning and lucky chances that yielded many of these photographs, while interspersed among them are quotes from Texas skywatchers past and present. Taken together, the stunning images and eloquent words say all there is to say about the Texas sky.

Texas Sky

Desert Sanctuaries: The Chinatis of the Big Bend

Explore, as few have intimately done, the Big Bend Ranch State Park and the Chinati Mountains State Natural Area. Trust Wyman Meinzer to see as no one ever has the desert sanctuaries of the vast Big Bend and to pay tribute to their best-kept secret, the twin canyons of the Chinati Mountains, San Antonio and Los Pelos. Trust, too, that the images he delivers are as true as his eye, that the light bathing cholla at sunrise, on the eastern rim of San Antonio Canyon, is unfiltered. Meinzer is one photographer who still waits for and catches the light, even if he has only a thirty-second window. “Placing a border around the vastness of the Big Bend is typically an invitation to disappointment. Reducing its depth to a medium of two dimensions tends to flatten a landscape known to be anything but flat. Catching the ever-changing moods of light and color in fractions of a second normally embalms the scene. So how does Wyman give us photos full of expansive depth and color? His skill is his passion for the beauty of Texas and his unwavering will to get to the toughest spots. He is an adventurer first and a photographer second. Wyman feels the land and sky. He becomes a part of the terrain, and his photos make you part of the scenery.” From the Introduction

Texas Tech University Press

Explore, as few have intimately done, the Big Bend Ranch State Park and the Chinati Mountains State Natural Area. Trust Wyman Meinzer to see as no one ever has the desert sanctuaries of the vast Big Bend and to pay tribute to their best-kept secret, the twin canyons of the Chinati Mountains, San Antonio and Los Pelos. Trust, too, that the images he delivers are as true as his eye, that the light bathing cholla at sunrise, on the eastern rim of San Antonio Canyon, is unfiltered. Meinzer is one photographer who still waits for and catches the light, even if he has only a thirty-second window. “Placing a border around the vastness of the Big Bend is typically an invitation to disappointment. Reducing its depth to a medium of two dimensions tends to flatten a landscape known to be anything but flat. Catching the ever-changing moods of light and color in fractions of a second normally embalms the scene. So how does Wyman give us photos full of expansive depth and color? His skill is his passion for the beauty of Texas and his unwavering will to get to the toughest spots. He is an adventurer first and a photographer second. Wyman feels the land and sky. He becomes a part of the terrain, and his photos make you part of the scenery.” ―David Alloway, from the Introduction

The Roadrunner: The Tenth Anniversary Edition

For everyone who loves the bird we call roadrunner, camino corres, paisano, chaparral. . . .Southwesterners are well accustomed to this sleek, mostly brown and white, long-tailed nemesis of coyote as it darts across roads or perches on a post or branch never too far from the ground. Equally familiar is the stylized image of the roadrunner, which adorns everything from Native American pottery and jewelry to clothing and logos. Clearly the roadrunner continues to thrive as a cultural icon. Yet no other study comes close to equaling Wyman Meinzer’s stunning classic, now available in this tenth anniversary edition.Meinzer’s photo study is his personal account of the years he has spent observing and recording the daily routine of several roadrunner families. Through his lens, Meinzer chronicled roadrunners’ courting, mating, nesting, hunting, and rearing their young.Punctuated by humor and poignancy, his story possesses an unmatched connectedness and insights afforded only those who develop a longstanding relationship with their subjects of study. Many of the roadrunners that Meinzer recorded became comfortable with his presence—one even permitted his assistance in catching a lizard.Though it is hard to improve upon a classic, this new edition, celebrating the book’s tenth year of publication, includes a new preface from Meinzer and several new photographs, including that of a rare white roadrunner.

For everyone who loves the bird we call roadrunner, camino corres, paisano, chaparral. . . . Southwesterners are well accustomed to this sleek, mostly brown and white, long-tailed nemesis of coyote as it darts across roads or perches on a post or branch never too far from the ground. Equally familiar is the stylized image of the roadrunner, which adorns everything from Native American pottery and jewelry to clothing and logos. Clearly the roadrunner continues to thrive as a cultural icon. Yet no other study comes close to equaling Wyman Meinzer’s stunning classic, now 04 Activeable in this tenth anniversary edition. Meinzer’s photo study is his personal account of the years he has spent observing and recording the daily routine of several roadrunner families. Through his lens, Meinzer chronicled roadrunners’ courting, mating, nesting, hunting, and rearing their young. Punctuated by humor and poignancy, his story possesses an unmatched connectedness and insights afforded only those who develop a longstanding relationship with their subjects of study. Many of the roadrunners that Meinzer recorded became comfortable with his presence―one even permitted his assistance in catching a lizard. Though it is hard to improve upon a classic, this new edition, celebrating the book’s tenth year of publication, includes a new preface from Meinzer and several new photographs, including that of a rare white roadrunner.

Writer Andrew Sansom and photographer Wyman Meinzer turn their reflection on the forces of history that have shaped the state and its inhabitants. Waves of immigrants have given Texas her uniquely layered heritage, and these words and images capture that marvelous ebb and flow. Cabeza de Vaca walked a completely alien land just a few miles from the transformed coastal prairie where NASA launched Neil Armstrong and other latter-day adventurers toward the moon. An ancient Panhandle quarry of arrowhead flint can be seen as the inventive forerunner of corporate Dow, which launched its industrial empire by extracting magnesium from the brine of the Gulf of Mexico. Spanish missions, the Indian wars, the cattle-ranching barons, Spindletop and the other great oil discoveries - the themes are familiar, but the perspective and insights of this book are amazingly fresh and new. Texas Past is a celebration of titanic struggles and richly intermingled cultures, and its pages voice a rousing call to protect and preserve these tangible treasures for generations of Texas still to come.

Texas Past: Enduring Legacy

History

Sansom, Andrew

Americas

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Books by Meinzer, Wyman

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Meinzer, Wyman. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Texas Hill Country

Between Heaven and Texas

Texas Sky

Desert Sanctuaries: The Chinatis of the Big Bend

Desert Sanctuaries: The Chinatis of the Big Bend

The Roadrunner: The Tenth Anniversary Edition

The Roadrunner: The Tenth Anniversary Edition

Texas Past: Enduring Legacy