There’s a little thrift store in North Austin that has a blue sun-faded Ann Richards yard sign in the window. If you were to inquire, as I did, if the sign was for sale, you’d be politely told “no”—it’s as much a part of the store as the pride flag hanging in the window above clusters of ceramic knickknacks. The store owner did, however, show me another piece of Texas history, a black-and-white photograph under the checkout counter’s plate glass of Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, and George H. W. Bush.
As we gazed down at the photo, I was struck by Richards’ magnetic hold on people. Perhaps her heaps of charisma, a quality generally lacking in Texas politicians today, is what captures the eye. Or perhaps it’s that she represents a more hopeful time when Democrats stood a fighting chance. Whatever the key to her allure, Ann Richards’ spirit lives on. And what better time to appreciate her legacy than now with the release of The One Ann Only: Wit and Wisdom from Texas Governor Ann Richards.
Compiled by The Ann Richards Legacy Project, The One Ann Only contains more than eighty photographs, some alongside her sharpest quotes. With a vibrant laminated cover, a white ribbon, and high-quality Forest Stewardship Council paper that makes the images pop, the book feels coffee table-worthy. It includes a foreword by Sarah Bird, a timeline of Richards’ life, and an afterword by Mary Beth Rogers. Overall, The One Ann Only is light on text—readers looking for a substantive biography or critical policy overview will have to look elsewhere. Instead, the book’s strength lies in its stellar photography.
