STEPHEN L. HARDIN has been distinguished for his readable style and accessible approach to history. His book Texian Iliad, published in 1994, won the T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award, the Summerfield G. Roberts Award, and achieved distinction as a "Basic Texas Book" when bibliophile Mike Cox included it in More Basic Texas Books. His book Lust for Glory: An Epic Story of Early Texas and the Sacrifice that Defined a Nation won the Summerfield G. Roberts Award and the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Dr. Hardin is an inductee of the Texas Institute of Letters, an admiral in the Texas Navy, a member of Western Writers of America, a Life Member and Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association, and acted as historical advisor for the John Lee Hancock film "The Alamo" (2004). He has recently retired following a thirty-five-year career in higher education.