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When it was published in
1939, oil historian James A. Clark called this book, "the most valuable collection
of historical, biographical, and statistical data on Texas oil ever assembled."
That is still true today.
Although it has not been available for nearly seventy years, it is still
hailed by many in the oil fraternity as the
definitive work on Texas oil. In fact, John H. Jenkins included
it in his seminal bibliography, Basic Texas Books, marking it as one of the 224
landmark books essential to any Texas history collection.
Texas Oil & Gas Since 1543 was the creation of Mr. C. A. Warner. Charlie
Warner was the oilman's oilman. He was a landman, registered land surveyor, petroleum
engineer, petroleum geologist, vice-president of the Houston Oil Company and director of the Houston Pipe Line Company.
Somehow, he managed to find time to research and compose a geological,
technological, economic and social history the oil industry in Texas. And he
didn't confine his research to the library.
Charlie talked to the old-timers who made the history, many of whom were in
their eighties in the 1930s. He drove across Texas, finding and snapping photos
of the earliest wells, examined old documents kept in shoe boxes by widows and
heirs. Charlie was the man who collected this information before it was lost
forever.
Open any book on Texas oil and turn to the bibliography. There you will find
listed Charles A. Warner and Texas Oil & Gas Since 1543. Historians
constantly return to it because it is accurate and complete. It is a treasure for
those interested in Texas history and the oil industry.
The story begins in 1543 when
survivors of the Desoto Expedition found pitch for their boats near
Sabine Pass. It covers early discoveries of natural seepages and how
they where used from the 1790s to the 1850s, primitive attempts at
drilling after the Civil War, the first major discovery at Corsicana in
1894, Spindletop in 1901, and all major and minor discoveries through
the late 1930s. Within you will find the names of the drillers, the
operators and the leases they took. If you want to know who drilled the
first well, built the first pipeline, the first refinery, or any other
'firsts' of significance, this book provides the answer.
In addition to all of his professional duties, Charlie Warner penned
numerous articles throughout his career that were featured in industry
and historical publications including Mining & Metallurgy, The Oil & Gas Journal, The Oil Weekly and the Southwestern Historical Quarterly. He traveled Texas giving presentations on Texas oil, as well.
Our
limited & trade editions include previously unpublished material,
including Mr. Warner's presentation "Texas Oil Since Pearl Harbor".
We are honored to have the opportunity to put this book in the hands of today's
oilmen. And it's about time...it's been out of print for over 65 years.
512 page hardcover volume, bound in gray cloth and covered with a
striking black jacket. The jacket features a remarkable 1920 photograph from our
corporate collection showing Ranger field's Vestil #1 coming in. The back panel
features original 1930s reviews of the book by the likes of Michel Halbouty and
James Clark. Inside, you'll find a foreword by Ernest O. Thompson, as well as a
new introduction by Dr. Donald D. Mitchell, who knew Mr. Warner
personally.
Author: C. A. Warner
Publication Data: 2007, Copano Bay Press. First Enlarged Edition. Hardcover with dust jacket. 512 pages with index & bibliography.
ISBN: 978-0-9767799-5-7
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