THE SHAPE SHIFTER

New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2006. First Edition. Cloth and boards. Fine/Fine. 8vo, black cloth over red boards, Mylar-protected illustrated dust jacket with Cachina motif by Peter Thorpe, [x] + 276 pages. An Exceptional copy. Remainder mark on bottom edge of pages.<br /> <br /> New York Times Bestselling Author Tony Hillerman (1925-2008) was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, and grew up with Pottawatomie children. After graduating from high school, he served as a private in the Army with the 103rd Infantry during World War II, where--for valor--he was awarded a Purple Heart as well as Silver Star and Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters. <br /> <br /> During his convalescence, he became closely involved with Navajo Marines on their reservation. His connection with the Navaho Nation, Hopis, and Zunis would become a life-long commitment. <br /> <br /> Thereafter, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma, married, and began working as a police reporter and writer covering Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico,. <br /> <br /> After doing graduate studies at the university of New Mexico, he joined the UNM journalism faculty and began writing his highly esteemed and widely read series of mysteries set in the Southwest. Though Hillerman had a distinctive voice, he cheerfully acknowledged early writing debts to Australian author Arthur W. Upfield, who wrote mysteries set in the Outback involving aborigines, as well as Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, and Raymond Chandler. <br /> <br /> For his extraordinary knowledge of Native Americans, and superbly-written mysteries, he has been honored with the Mystery Writers of America's Grandmaster Award, and the Navajo Nation's Special Friend of Dineh Award. Overall, Hillerman wrote more than 30 books with 18 in his Navajo series.