The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey (Hardcover)
Phil Collins received a birthday present that would change his life: a receipt for a saddle signed by an Alamo defender. From that point forward, the drummer began building his impressive Alamo and Texas Revolution collection. “I didn’t know this stuff was out there, that you could own it,” the rock-n-roll legend said. “It had never occurred to me.” Before long, he had amassed nearly 500 items! These priceless artifacts are now housed at the Alamo’s brand new Ralston Family Collections Center behind the iconic Alamo Church and the venerable Gift Shop amid the tranquil setting of the Alamo gardens. This 24,000 square foot facility showcases not only Phil’s great collection immortalized is this his book, but are joined by his remarkable narrated presentation of the siege and battle of the Alamo built around the masterpiece scale replica of the compound first created by artist Mark Lemon for the State House Press book The Illustrated Alamo: A Photographic Journey. The Alamo and Beyond, now in a third printing in partnership with The Texas Center at Schreiner University, is you way of taking Phil’s collection home with you.
When Phil Collins was a kid growing up in a London suburb, he would often watch an amazing show on his family television. There, in black and white, was Fess Parker as Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. As he matured, Collins not only acted out the exploits of his new hero, but he often refought the Battle of the Alamo with his toy soldiers. Even though music came to dominate his life, it was this love of history—and Davy Crockett and the Alamo in particular—that was always near by. On one musical tour, Collins encountered his first David Crockett autograph—for sale at a store called the Gallery of History. “I didn’t know this stuff was out there, that you could own it,” the rock-n-roll legend said. “It had never occurred to him. Later, he received a birthday present that would change his life: a receipt for a saddle signed by an Alamo defender. From that point forward, the drummer began building his impressive Alamo and Texas Revolution collection.
Here, for the first time in history, are the artifacts, relics, and documents that compose the Phil Collins collection, available in a beautifully designed color book shot-through with stunning photography and crisply rendered illustrations. Collins’s prose takes the reader through the joys of being a collector as he lovingly describes what each piece in this impressive assemblage means to him. Photographer Ben Powell of Austin brought these items to vivid relief, and artist Gary Zaboly’s masterful pen-and-ink drawings breath life into the items. Essays by Texas historians Bruce Winders, Don Frazier, and Stephen Hardin provide the historical background to the collection and help make this into a work of art that also serves handily as a serious research tool.
PHIL COLLINS, drummer, actor, singer, producer, and now author, has been constantly active in all manner of contradictory and unlikely projects. An avid student of the battle of the Alamo since his boyhood, Collins has now turned his gifted pen to writing history.
"For years Phil has had a passion about the Alamo and now has put together an amazing book, documenting the events. When a book is put together presenting a historical event, about which you don't really have much interest or knowledge - yet you find yourself picking it up all the time, going through the photos of all the original documents, weapons, and artifacts, and find that you are drawn into the story and want to hear the real version of events - then it says a lot about the quality of the project. A great book." -Mike Rutherford, guitarist and writer with Genesis
— Mike Rutherford, guitarist and writer with Genesis
"Phil Collins' devotion to the proper commemoration and better understanding of the Battle of the Alamo (February/March 1836) shines through this deeply researched, brilliantly illustrated and accessibly written volume which connoisseurs of early United States and Texian history will want to have on their shelves." --Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis professor of Greek Culture, Cambridge University
— Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis professor of Greek Culture, Cambridge University
"At age 61, Collins just unveiled another surprise: The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey, a sumptuous coffee table book that reveals for the first time his lifelong, in-depth study of the pivotal 1836 battle for Texas independence." --Jay MacDonald, CreditCards.com
— Jay MacDonald
"A great work....very deep." --Eric Clapton, guitarist and writer
— Eric Clapton, guitarist and writer
"This volume is Phil Collins's gift to Texas; the Alamo is Texas's gift to the world." —Stephen L. Hardin, author of Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution and The Alamo 1836: Santa Anna's Texas Campaign
— Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. author of Texian Illiad and The Alamo 1836
"Phil Collins' passion for his subject is both engaging and honest. A fascinating book that delves behind the myth of one of the most pivotal events in US history, through its artefacts and letters without ever tarnishing its importance. It's like having a museum exhibition at your fingertips." --Sanjeev Bhaskar, writer and broadcaster
— Sanjeev Bhaskar, writer and broadcaster
"Before reading The Alamo and Beyond I had little, if any, real knowledge of the subject matter. But the project has been overseen and researched with such love and affection I found I was immediately swept into the collectors journey and found both the stories and wealth of detail completely fascinating." --Peter Kay, comedian and writer
— Peter Kay, comedian and writer
"Collins' collection is highly regarded in historical circles and is the basis for his new, gorgeously produced coffee-table book. With all the passion he brought to his musical career...Phil Collins has crafted a work of art with this book. From the first few pages...Collins has us enthralled." --Holly Cara Price, agent provocateur
— Holly Cara Price, agent provocateur
"Collins has elevated himself from merely an interested history buff to someone who is a serious contributor to our knowledge of the Alamo and its participants." —Richard Bruce Winders, curator and historian, The Alamo
— Richard Bruce Winders, Ph.D., curator and historian, The Alamo
"Fans of Texas will find much to love in this book. I was enthralled." —Jake Silverstein, editor, Texas Monthly
— Jake Silverstein, editor
"The Alamo and Beyond is more than just a stunning presentation of impressive primary source documents and artifacts from the Texas Revolution; it is an important research source which helps us better understand the life and times of those who helped create the Texas Republic." —William R. Chemerka
— William Chemerka, founder
"Any way you look at it, if you're 'into' Texas history, this is a winner." —Marie Beth Jones, book editor, The Facts
— Marie Beth Jones
"What makes this volume especially interesting is that Collins not only studied artifacts and documents from his private collection but excavated land near the Alamo site to unearth more. And they're unveiled to his readers in this book, in which he was assisted by Austin photographer Ben Powell, pen-and-ink Gary Zaboly, with essays by Texas historians Bruce Winders, Don Frazier, and Stephen Hardin." --Steve Goddard, History Wire
— Steve Goddard
"One can only be amazed at the pictures and stories told in The Alamo and Beyond....The written items have been reproduced so one can read them without problem. They are truly informative." —Jerry Turner, The Mexia News
— Jerry Turner
"The poet-historian Collins is perhaps uniquely qualified for this new journey. He brings an outsider's clarity to the expedition, having amassed an amazing collection of manuscripts to accompany his impressive array of artifacts. From Collins's documents, Texas enthusiasts, Mexican patriots, schoolteachers, and even 'blokes who like history' will encounter the people who lived those famous days." —Donald S. Frazier, editor of The U.S. and Mexico at War: Nineteenth Century Expansionism and Conflict and coauthor of Frontier Texas: History of a Borderland in 1880
— Donald S. Frazier, Ph.D., editor of The U.S. and Mexico at War