Former Dallas Cowboy Peter Gent poses in 1974 with copies of "North Dallas Forty," his bestselling book about playing in the NFL. Gent wrote of hard-living, hard-hitting pro football players, but he wrote with style: "It was late afternoon. In a last gasp the sun had burned away the gray sky and had disappeared into the Panhandle. The air had warmed some and the best part of the day remained. Being in Texas is a skin feeling, strongest this time of day.... I love Texas, but she drives her people crazy. I've wondered whether it's the heat, or the money, or maybe both. A republic of outlaws loosely allied with the United States, Texas survives, and survives quite well by breaking the rules."