The product of two of Oklahoma’s foremost authorities on the history of the 46th state, Oklahoma: A History is the first comprehensive narrative to bring the story of the Sooner State to the threshold of its centennial.

From the tectonic formation of Oklahoma’s varied landscape to the recovery and renewal following the Oklahoma City bombing, this readable book includes both the well-known and the not-so-familiar of the state’s people, events, and places. W. David Baird and Danney Goble offer fresh perspectives on such widely recognized history makers as Sequoyah, the 1889 Land Run, and the Glenn Pool oil strike. But they also give due attention to Black Seminole John Horse, Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Coach Bertha Frank Teague’s 40-year winning streak with the Byng Lady Pirates, and other lesser-known but equally important milestones. The result is a rousing, often surprising, and ever-fascinating story.

Oklahoma history is an intricate tapestry of themes, stories, and perspectives, including those of the state’s diverse population of American Indians, the land’s original human occupants. An appendix provides suggestions for trips to Oklahoma’s historic places and for further reading. Enhanced by more than 40 illustrations, including 11 maps, this definitive history of the state ensures that experiences shared by Oklahomans of the past will be passed on to future generations.

The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since.
Timothy Egan’s critically acclaimed account rescues this iconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour de force of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantly capturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, Egan does equal justice to the human characters who become his heroes, “the stoic, long-suffering men and women whose lives he opens up with urgency and respect” (New York Times).

In an era that promises ever-greater natural disasters, The Worst Hard Time is “arguably the best nonfiction book yet” (Austin Statesman Journal) on the greatest environmental disaster ever to be visited upon our land and a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of trifling with nature.

After taking Davis D. Joyce’s course in Oklahoma history, a student once said, “I saw an Oklahoma I’d never seen before.”

“This is a splendid collection of writings in the true spirit of a ‘people’s history’. It begins with a delightful, wry overlook at Oklahoma by George Milburn, and goes on to tell about the state in way rarely seen in traditional histories. There are accounts of progressivism, of socialism, of labor radicalism, of Indian resistance, of black struggle against segregation, of women’s campaigns for abortion rights. It includes fascinating portraits of people, some famous, some obscure, who were engaged in these struggles. I hope this become a model for similar volumes on other states.”–Howard Zinn, author of People’s History of the United States.

Contents: “Oklahoma,” George Milburn; “The Difficulty of Celebrating an Invasion, “Jerald C. Walker;“Progressivism in Oklahoma Politics, 1900-1913: A Reinterpretation,” Kenny L. Brown;“Kate Barnard, Progressivism, and the West,” Suzanne J. Crawford and Lynn R. Musslewhite; “’In Death You Shall not Wear It Either’: The Persecution of Mennonite Pacifists in Oklahoma,” Marvin E. Kroeker;“She Never Weakened: The Heroism of Freda Ameringer,” John Thompson; “Wobblies in the Oilfields: The Suppression of the Industrial Workers of the World in Oklahoma,” Nigel sellars; “The Road Once Taken: Socialist Medicine in Southwestern Oklahoma,” Alana Hughes;  “Woody Guthrie: The Oklahoma Years, 1912-1929,” Harry Menig;  “The  New Deal Comes to Shawnee,” Dale E.Soden; “The Social Gospel of Nicholas Comfort,” Bob Cottrell; “Behold the Walls,” Clara Luper;  “The Case of  the Deerslayer,”  Stan Steiner; “Black Oklahoma and Sense of place ,” Jimmie L. Franklin; “The Southern Influence on Oklahoma ,” Danney Goble; “The Creation of an Oklahoma Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights: A Presonal/Historical Essay” Carole Jane Joyce; “Violence and Oppression of Women in Rural Oklahoma,”  Elizabeth D. Barlow; “Oklahoma’s Gay Liberation Movement,” Thomas E. Guild, Joan Luxenburg, and Keith Smith; “Even Among the Sooners, There Are More Important Things than Football,” Alan Ehrenhalt.

In revealing an Oklahoma many have never seen, this book can remind Oklahoma citizens of changes yet to be made, show how to mark them, and (perhaps most important of all) inspire them to do the job.

For anyone who wants to know more about the Sooner State

The drama and excitement of the Oklahoma story unfold in this comprehensive history covering prehistory, Spanish and French exploration, the removal of Indian tribes to what the federal government called Indian Territory, and the modern period of state politics and economic development. Gibson informs his readers with refreshing candor: betrayal of the Indians, racism, and political corruption are told in their entirety.

Later chapters tell of the vibrant modern period, when Oklahoma politics became more sophisticated, the state’s economic base expanded as industry moved to the Sun Belt, and the humanities and the arts were advanced with increasing appreciation of the state’s rich Indian heritage.

Enlivened by numerous illustrations and maps, this volume is a valuable resource for teachers, students, historians, and anyone who wants to know more about the Sooner State.