Richard Snyder, a visionary and imperious executive at Simon & Schuster who presided over the publisher’s exponential rise during the second half of the 20th century and helped define an era of growing corporate power, has died.

Texas is a beautiful, romantic place and there’s no wonder it’s inspired many authors to write about the charms of our home state.

They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service.

FILE - In this April 30, 2014, file photo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry poses at his book store in Archer City, Texas. McMurtry died Thursday night of heart failure, according to a family statement issued through a publicist on Friday. He and director Peter Bogdanovich were nominated for an Academy Award for their script for the movie, filmed in Archer City, located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Dallas. AdIn the mid-1980s, lured by cheap real estate, he opened his Booked Up store in Archer City. Eventually, the store in Archer City was the only one remaining.