David Streitfeld

By his longtime friend and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the definitive biography of Larry McMurtry, the legendary author and screenwriter of Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, and Brokeback Mountain, who transformed our vision of the West. Before Larry McMurtry became one of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century, he worked on his family's ranch in rural Texas. At night he heard vivid stories of his cowboy uncles driving herds of cattle across the plains where there once were bison and Native Americans. "McMurtry Means Beef," as one ranching magazine put it. By the time he died in 2021, McMurtry had published forty books, won a Pulitzer for Lonesome Dove and an Oscar for his cowritten adaptation of Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain, and seen his work made into such classic films as Hud and Terms of Endearment. Now, McMurtry means great stories. For all his fame, McMurtry was an elusive figure. He loved women but was married to his typewriter; he was wary of critics and distrustful of other men--except David Streitfeld. When McMurtry gave the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist the keys to his past, Streitfeld dug into every archive and interviewed everyone who would talk. He found that, even as McMurtry's work criticized the old cowboy myths, he loved making up stories about himself. Western Star reveals the real and complicated life of a storyteller who was both an icon and critic of Texas, the favorite of presidents, confidant to movie stars like Diane Keaton and Cybill Shepherd, friend to Ken Kesey and husband to his widow Faye, an obsessive bookseller, and the most enduring voice of the American West.

By his longtime friend and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the definitive biography of Larry McMurtry, the legendary author and screenwriter of Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, and Brokeback Mountain, who transformed our vision of the West. Before Larry McMurtry became one of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century, he worked on his family's ranch in rural Texas. He spent his days on horseback and his nights listening to vivid stories of his cowboy uncles driving herds of cattle across the plains where there once were bison and Native Americans. "McMurtry Means Beef," as one ranching magazine put it. By the time he died in 2021, McMurtry had published forty books, won a Pulitzer for Lonesome Dove and an Oscar for his cowritten adaptation of Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain, and seen his work made into such classic films as Hud and Terms of Endearment. Now, McMurtry means great stories. For all his fame, McMurtry was an elusive figure. He loved women but was married to his typewriter; he was wary of critics and distrustful of other men--except David Streitfeld. When McMurtry gave the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist the keys to his past, Streitfeld dug into every archive and interviewed everyone who would talk. He found that, even as McMurtry's work criticized the old cowboy myths, he loved making up stories about himself. Western Star reveals the real and complicated life of a storyteller who was both an icon and critic of Texas, the favorite of presidents, confidant to movie stars like Diane Keaton and Cybill Shepherd, friend to Ken Kesey and husband to his widow Faye, an obsessive bookseller, and the most enduring voice of the American West.

“Jag är på humör för att skriva en lång, besynnerlig historia— en berättelse så märklig och fruktansvärd att den kommer att förändra den normale läsarens hjärna för evigt.” —HUNTER S THOMPSON Hunter S Thompson gick så långt utanför ramarna att ett nytt ord fick uppfinnas bara för att definiera honom: gonzo. Han var en journalist som hånskrattade åt alla regler, en benhårt beslutsam figur som älskade att trampa den egna gaspedalen i botten, författaren som alla andra författare försökte efterlikna. I dessa brutalt frispråkiga och ytterst roliga intervjuer som spänner över hela hans sägenomspunna karriär, avslöjar Thompson sig som galen i politik, vilket han ansåg vara såväl ursprunget till nationens problem som, eventuellt, lösningen på dem. I ett läge då politik än en gång är en nagel i USA:s öga behöver vi Thompsons mod och hejdlösa visdom mer än någonsin “Det finns bara två adjektiv som en författare bryr sig om . . . ‘briljant’ och ‘skandalös.’ Hunter Thompson har annekterat dem båda.” —TOM WOLFE “Utan tvekan en av det tjugonde århundradets viktigaste författare.” —JOHNNY DEPP “Det gick en underström av vansinne genom hans verk . . . Hans styrka var hans illusionslöshet inför i stort sett allting framför honom.” —GAY TALESE “Thompsons sanna röst avslöjar sig som tillhörande en amerikansk moralist . . . en som ofta förfular sig själv för att avtäcka den fulhet han ser omkring sig.” —HARI KUNZRU

The Connatic rules the three thousand inhabited planets of the Alastor Cluster from his palace Lusz on the world Numenes. Though his military force can bring considerable might to bear where necessary, the Connatic often wanders among his subjects incognito, intervening to right a wrong, or leaving well enough alone. The population of the idyllic water-world Trullion is dispersed among myriad islands large and small. Glinnes Hulden, returning from ten years' military service, finds his ancestral home given up to a social movement which will turn the Trill's easy existence on its ear. From winnings earned playing hussade-the gladiatorial sport followed throughout the cluster-Hulden attempts to buy back his inheritance, but his hopes are dashed by a murderous raid carried out by space-borne pirates. Glinnes Hulden must use his wits and strength to regain what is rightfully his. Trullion is Book I of the Alastor sequence, and Volume 47 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II