This is the story of George H. Mahon, a man who went to Congress in 1935, when the House Committee on Appropriations still allocated a small amount of money to buy military horses. Forty-four years later, when Mahon retired as Chairman of that same committee, the committee was debating funds to purchase a bomber capable of traveling at 2,000 miles an hour. With a career spanning nearly a half century-including almost the entire Cold War-Mahon grew from a West Texas country lawyer to one of the most powerful men in the US House of Representatives, serving twenty-two consecutive terms from 1935-1978. During his time in Congress, Mahon worked easily with the giants of government, enjoying the friendship and confidence of seven of the eight presidents with whom he served. He worked just as comfortably with his constituents in the Nineteenth Congressional District of Texas. Mahon served on several Congressional committees, but it is through his service on the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations that he had the greatest national impact. He often bragged that under his leadership the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations was the most non-partisan committee in Congress. Mahon led the subcommittee with a strong but gentle hand that earned him the respect of all who served with him.

King Cotton describes how a small town coach in Texas captured seven state high school titles, a record that stands alone in the 90-year history of state tournament competition. Fred B. McKinley and Charles Breithaupt, both of whom grew up where it all happened, present a beautifully written narrative that details the life of Marshall Neil Robinson and how he came to be regarded as one of the best coaches Texas high school basketball has ever seen. From austere beginnings, through tough times, unparalleled success on the hardwood, and eventually to the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame, the two reveal how Robinson achieved an incredible career record-538 wins and only 98 losses. Surprisingly, all this originated in a community with less than 1,600 residents and no more than 255 high school students en-rolled at any given time.