Centuries before Europeans came to America, the Anasazi of the Southwest were building multistory complexes containing hundreds of rooms. Then, almost as suddenly as these majestic buildings flowered, they were abandoned. Scientists think they know where the Anasazi went, but why they left remains a mystery. (20010601)
William W. Lace is a native of Fort Worth, Texas, where he is a vice chancellor at Tarrant County College. He holds a bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University, a master's degree from East Texas State University, and a doctorate from the University of North Texas.
Prior to joining Tarrant County College, he was director of the News Service at the University of Texas at Arlington and a sportswriter and columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written more than 50 non-fiction books for young readers on subjects ranging from the atomic bomb to the Dallas Cowboys. He and his wife Laura, a retired school librarian, live in Arlington, Texas, and have two children and four grandchildren.
His career as an author began in 1991 when, at the urging of his wife, he wrote a biography of baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan. Ryan was then a member of the Texas Rangers Baseball Team, but no biography of him for young readers had been done since 1973. His interest in English history stems from his discovery of an old book once belonging to his father on King Arthur and the viewing on live television of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
