Michael Ariens proves that no state possesses a richer or more surprising legal history than Texas. In narrative as engaging as it is accessible, he has produced an overarching consideration of Lone Star law and legal culture--something notably missing in other Texas histories. Through illuminating and utterly Texan particulars, Ariens helps us understand a place at once southern and western, Spanish and Mexican, republic and state.

Michael Ariens is professor of law at St. Mary's University of San Antonio, where he teaches courses in legal history, constitutional law, and the legal profession. Lone Star Law is an effort to provide a different lens for viewing the unique history of Texas.