Horizon Chasers: The Lives and Adventures of Richard Halliburton and Paul Mooney

by Gerry Max

Richard Halliburton was the quintessential world traveler of the early 20th century. In 1930, his celebrity equaled that of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Halliburton called himself a "horizon chaser" and recommended that one should see the world before committing to a routine. Not only did he live up to his ideal, but he was eager to write about his adventures. A prolific partnership with gifted editor and ghost writer Paul Mooney produced excellent work, and theirs became a close personal relationship. Sadly, Halliburton and Mooney disappeared at sea on March 24, 1939, along with the entire crew of Halliburton's Chinese junk Sea Dragon, as they attempted to cross the Pacific from Hong Kong to the San Francisco World's Fair. This biography records the life and adventures of Halliburton and Mooney, focusing--as no other Halliburton biography has--on the productive literary collaboration between the two. Drawing on the recollections of people who knew them both, the work discusses their backgrounds, the early years of their acquaintance, and their possible romantic relationship. Finally, their fateful journey to Hong Kong and the ill-advised voyage of the Sea Dragon is described in detail. A good deal of first-hand evidence is provided by William Alexander, Paul Mooney's best friend and designer of Halliburton's Laguna Beach house. Appendices contain seven poems by Mooney and facsimile letters, including one of praise written by Richard Halliburton to William Alexander. Never-before-published photographs are also included.

Genres: Biography

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2007

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so first of all, I need to talk about the process of getting this book. I had read Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels, and wanted to know more about him. This book showed up in my searches, but the San Francisco Public Library doesn't have a copy, and since it's about of print, copies were $60-S70 on the net. So, I went down to my local branch to ask for an inter-library loan. The reference librarian helped me, and then said..."you know, you can do this yourself" - who knew - when you're searching the library website, you can hit the "Link +" button, and you end up searching inter-library loans - I've already gotten three books I didn't think I'd ever read. Hooray.

Okay, now for this book. Not what I thought it would be, but definitely worth the wait. I thought it would be more gossipy, since it's about Halliburton and his boyfriend Mooney. Their relationship had been expunged from most of the contemporary biographies (his father edited all of Halliburton's letters before publishing them, and Mooney mostly disappears). Max did a great job of reading the original letters, contacting surviving members of the family - it is a very thoroughly researched work, and written in a straight-forward manner, no sensationalizing. Best of all, Max spent a lot of time will Bill Alexander (AKA Alex Levy), a good friend of Mooney's and the architect who designed and built their home "Hangover House" in Laguna Beach. Alexander had amazing photographs and letters and stories that no one else had accessed. Great story, well written - how would I say it - it's not written to be a movie script, it's written to give you a glimpse into the lives of these two men, and their friends.