Paper Hero by Leon Hale - 1986

Fredericksburg, Texas: Shearer Pubishing, 1986. CW3 - A first edition (stated) hardcover book SIGNED and dated by Leon Hale on the title page in vey good condition in very good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Dust jacket has some wrinkling and chipping on the edges, fading on the spine, tanning and light shelf wear. Book lightly cocked, some bumped corners, a few scattered stains on the page edges, tanning and light shelf wear. 9.25"x6.25", 235 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Leon Hale was an American journalist and author. He worked as a columnist for the Houston Chronicle from 1984 until his retirement in 2014. Before that, he had a column in the Houston Post for 32 years. He was also the author of twelve books. Hale secured a job at the Houston Post in 1952. He thrived in this work environment, with his colleagues observing how he was a writer who rarely required revision. He also published his first novel, Bonney's Place, in 1972. It gained a cult following, and the film rights changed hands six times. Even though four screenplays were drafted, no movie was produced by the time of Hale's death. Hale published an anthology of his selected works for the Post in 1983, appropriately titled Easy Going. Although he was attracted to revise his columns, he ultimately opted not to. He worked at the paper until mid-1984 when he was offered a place at the Houston Chronicle. He proceeded to author a memoir in the form of a story titled Paper Hero (1986), in which he discussed how his personal life influenced his work. Hale was a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, a literary group in Austin, which recognized the writer with the Lon Tinkle Award for Excellence Sustained Throughout a Career. He also won awards for fiction and non-fiction from the Headliners Foundation, United Press International, and the Associated Press. Hale retired in 2014 after 65 years of writing. He opined how he had "stayed at the party long enough. Maybe even a little too long." Despite his retirement, he continued to write short blog entries weekly for the Chronicle. His twelfth and final book, See You Down the Road, was published in March 2021, shortly before his death. . Signed by Author. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.