Deaths in August - 2013

Economics correspondent Dominic Harrod died August 4 at the age of 71. He was the author of War,Ice and Piracy.

Creater of the comic strip Rick O'Shay, Stan Lynde died August 6 at the age of 81. He was also author of a novel Vigilante Moon.

Radio announcer and children's book author Lloyd Moss died August 3 at the age of 86. His books include Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, Our Marching Band and Music Is.

Egyptologist and famed mystery writer Barbara Mertz, aka Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Michaels died August 8 at the age of 85. Of her many books some of the best known are Crocodile on the Sandbank, The Curse of the Pharoahs, The Mummy Case and The Last Camel Died at Noon.

Difficult touchstones today.

Expert on the Holocaust and widow of Robert Maxwell, Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell died August 7 at the age of 92. Her memoir was A Mind of My Own: My Life with Robert Maxwell.

Former NASA official Dr. John Billingham died August 4 at the age of 83. He was author of Social Implications of the Detection of Extraterrestrial Civilization.

Crime novelist Elmore Leonard died August 20 at the age of 87. A few of his many books include Get Shorty, Freaky Deaky, Glitz and La Brava.

Jazz pianist and NPR host Marian McPartland died August 20 at the age of 95. She was the author of All in Good Time. What a voice she had.

Novelist Albert Murray died August 18 at the age of 97. A few of his books include South to A Very Old Place, Stomping the Blues and Train Whistle Guitar.

Touchstones don't like me today.

Political reporter Jack Germond died August 14 at the age of 85. A few of his books include Fat Man in the Middle Seat and Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars.

Historian Pauline Maier died August 12 at the age of 75. She was the author of The Decloration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States and American Scriptures: Making the Decloration of Independence.

Historian James Sterling Young died August 8 at the age of 85. He was the author of The Washington Community, 1800-1828.

Poet and critic John Hollander died August 17 at the age of 83. A few of his books include Rhyme's Reason and Committed to Memory.

Spanish food author Penelope Casas died August 11 at the age of 70. A few of her books include The Little Dishes of Spain and The Food and Wines of Spain.

Philosopher and ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain died August 11 at the age of 72. A few of her books include Just War on Terror and Democracy on Trial.

Food writer Leslie Land died August 10 at the age of 66. A few of her books include The 3,000 Mile Garden, Reading Between the Recipes and Yankee New England Cookbook.

Muriel Siebert "Mickey", the first woman to have a seat on the New York Stock Exchanged, died August 24 at the age of 80. She was the author of Changing the Rules: Adventures of a Wall Street Maverick.

Neuroscientist Peter R. Huttenlocher died August 15 at the age of 82. He was the author of Neural Plasticity.

Polish playwright and author Slawomir Mrozek died August 15 at the age of 83. A few of his works include his autobiography Balthazar, a collection of his drawings Dessins and short story collections Elephant and Tango.

Former royal correspondent for The Times, Alan Hamilton died August 28 at the age of 70. His books include The Times Royal Handbook, The Royal 100, The Real Charles, Essential Edinburgh and We Are Amused: Over 500 Years of Bon Mots By and About the Royal Family.

Nobel winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney died August 30 at the age of 74. He was the most popular poet in the U.K. and famed for his modern translation of Beowulf. Some years ago I met both Mr. Heaney and his wife Marie, who were charming people. He gave this hapless American lessons on the proper drinking of Guinness, from a mug, not from a bottle. RIP :'( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/1...

Space scientist Bruce C. Murray died August 29 at the age of 81. He was the author of Journey into Space: The First three decades of Space Exploration.

#16--now that really is sad news. We visited Ireland in June and of course I had to take his Field Work with me. Definitely one of my favorite poets.

Journalist and newscaster David Frost died August 31 at the age of 74. He died on board a cruise ship of an apparent heart attack just prior to giving a speech. A few of his books include Frost/Nixon, "I gave Them a Sword, and Billy Graham: personal Thoughts of a Public Man.

Government critic Martin L. Gross died August 21 at the age of 88. A few of his many books include The Government Racket, The Conspiracy of Ignorance, Call for Revolution and The End of Sanity.

Psychiatrist DR. William Glasser August 23 at the age of 88. A few of his many books include Reality Therapy, Choice Therapy, The Quality School, and Choice Theory in the Classroom.

Economic historian David S. Landes died August 17 at the age of 89. A few of his books include The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, Revolution in Time and The Unbound Prometheus.

Expert on the history of keys and locks, Eric Monk died August 17 at the age of 91. He was the author of Keys: Their History and Collection.

Conservationist Charles Coles died August 27 at the age of 96. A few of his books include Shooting Pigeons, Game Conservation in a Changing Countryside, The Complete Book of Conservation and Shooting and Stalking.

Chemist Alan Carrington died August 31 at the age of 79. He was the author of Introduction to Magnetic Resonance.