Edited by Mark Busby and Terrell Dixon, University of Texas Press, $34.95

Critics compare him to Emerson and Thoreau. Others call this rancher and writer the dean of Texas letters. Graves earned such accolades through his works, Hard Scrabble, From a Limestone Ledge, and his masterpiece, Goodbye to a River. This volume talks with and about the author, with an interview, discussions of his work, and essays about the man. Those who write about him are no slouches themselves. They include Bill Wittliff, William Broyles, and John R. Erickson.