Theron Palmer, Marathon Man



I came across this copy of William Goldman's Marathon Man (Delacorte Press, 1974) and found a card paper-clipped inside for one of the publisher's representatives, Theron Palmer.

His card includes two publishers, the other being the Dial Press.


A few clicks on the Internet introduced me to Mr. Palmer, courtesy of Chris Stephens and the riverrun bookshop blog, where some wonderful personal memories of the man are recounted and even a photo displayed.


In the 1970s, writes Stephens, Palmer's territory was Oklahoma and Texas. That's a lot of ground to cover. You can drive all day and not get out of Texas. So learning of Theron Palmer's territory explains how this book wound up in Texas, where I found it. It was likely hand-delivered to a bookseller by Theron Palmer.

Considering the vast territory Palmer had to cover, I wonder if he sometimes felt a bit like a "Marathon Man," driving the miles and miles of highway between bookstores.

One thing that comes through in Chris Stephens' blog post is that Theron Palmer loved books and life on the road selling them. And an article in the Handbook of Texas History about Texas Ranger, Thomas Hudson Barron (1796-1874), indicates (if this is the same Theron Palmer) he loved history and writing as well.

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