The selection of books that line a person’s shelves can tell you a lot about the person. So what’s a Baylor home without a selection of Baylor books?
Below are 7 books that should be on every Bear’s shelf, followed by a host of “honorable mentions” for those who really want to dig deep.
* To Light The Ways of Time, by Eugene Baker: A definitive chronicle of Baylor’s first 140 years, with hundreds of photos across 320 pages of green-and-gold history up to 1986.
* The History of Baylor Sports, by Alan Lefever: Published in 2013, it begins with the earliest days of intercollegiate athletics and works sport by sport through each of Baylor’s varsity programs.
* The Immortal Ten, by Todd Copeland: Baylor students learn of their lost brethren each year during Mass Meeting, but Copeland’s book dives much deeper into the lives of these 10 Baylor students who tragically lost their lives in 1927.
* I Believe, by Grant Teaff: One of six books written (so far) by Baylor’s winningest football coach, this 1976 publication tells the story of the 1974 Bears, Baylor’s first conference championship team in 50 years.
* 1, 2, 3 Baylor: A Little Bear Counting Book: This board book uses familiar Baylor images (rendered in a wonderfully cute fashion by Matt Wiede, BFA ’02) to teach young children simple counting from 1 to 10.
* Soldiers of the Wooden Cross, by Frank Jasek, BBA ’73: A 15-year labor of love, this 323-page work uses family photos, handwritten letters, old newspaper articles and more to tell the story of each of the Baylor veterans killed in service who are honored on the campus’ memorial lampposts.
* Baylor: A Legacy of Spirit, Tradition, Beauty: This 2008 coffee table book features 95 full-color pages of photos depicting the beauty of the Baylor campus.
If that’s not enough, here are some additional “deep cuts” you might find interesting.
- Athletics: Seasons of Glory: Grant Teaff and the Baylor Bears (1993); Won’t Back Down (by Kim Mulkey, 2008); Year of the Bear: The Winningest Year in the History of College Sports (2012); Invincible: The 2012 Baylor Lady Bears (2012); Art Briles: Looking Up (2013); The Leftovers (2013); Beating Goliath: My Story of Football and Faith (by Art Briles, 2014)
- Baylor history:The History of Baylor University, 1845-1861 (1968); Baylor at Independence (1972); Here Come the Bears: The Story of the Baylor University Mascots (1996); Sing: Celebrating 50 Years (2003)
- Biographies: Abner McCall: One Man’s Journey (1981); The Land, the Law and the Lord: The Life of Pat Neff (2007); In His Traces: The Life and Times of R.E.B. Baylor (2012); Nothing Better Than This: The Biography of James Huckins (2012); A Noble Example: A Pen Picture of William M. Tryon (2012)
- Children’s books: B is for Baylor (2010); Star, Circle, Baylor (2013); Green, Gold, Baylor (2014)
Sic ’em, Baylor book-lovers!
