West Texas, home to the state's biggest legends, is chronicled by two authors who have spent most of their careers crisscrossing it. Mike Cochran and John Lumpkin, Associated Press journalists, bring their experiences to the pages of this handsome volume, accompanied by fifty photographs of the West Texas landscape, its people and its history.

Converse with West Texas characters like Stanley Marsh 3, conman Billy Sol Estes, and Big Spring's merry messiah, Marj Carpenter. Meet Gordon Wood, Friday night football's most winningest coach, and Groner Pitts, Brownwood's liveliest undertaker. Remember ranching icon Watt Matthews, the founders of Santa Rita No. 1, and Lubbock's C. W. Stubblefield, magnet to blues and country music stars. Honor Hallie Stillwell, Frenchy McCormick, and even modern art's Georgia O'Keeffe, who put their stamp on Texas's most fascinating region.

A West Texan once said, "They show no pictures of my province or even neighboring provinces. They leave a big hole in Texas". No more is that the case, thanks to Mike Cochran and John Lumpkin.