This Goodly Land

W. L. Heath (September 29, 1924–February 1, 2007)

Other Names Used

• William Ledbetter Heath: full name

Alabama Connections

• Scottsboro, Jackson County: childhood residence
• Guntersville, Marshall County: adult residence

Selected Works

• Heath, W. L. Violent Saturday. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1955. Rpt. Berkeley, Calif.: Creative Arts, 1985.
• Heath, W. L. Ill Wind. New York: Harper, 1957. Rpt. Berkeley, Calif.: Creative Arts, 1985.
• Heath, W. L. Temptation in a Southern Town. New York: Hillman Periodicals, 1959.
• Heath, W. L. The Good Old Boys. New York: McCall Pub. Co, 1971.
• Heath, W. L. Most Valuable Player. Illus. Spencer Lawrence. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973. For younger readers.
• Heath, W. L. Max the Great. Illus. Dorothy Koda. New York: Crane Russak, 1977. For younger readers.
• Heath, W. L. The Earthquake Man. New York: Beaufort Books, 1980. For younger readers.

Biographical Information

W. L. Heath was born in Lake Village, Ark. After the death of his mother, Heath was raised in Scottsboro, Ala., by relatives. He attended the Baylor Military Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn., before entering the University of Virginia to study English literature. Heath interrupted his education during World War II to serve as a combat pilot in the US Army Air Corps. In 1945, he returned to the University. Heath began publishing his short stories in national magazines such as Collier’s while he was still at Virginia. After he graduated in 1949, Heath began working for the Chattanooga Times. His first book, Violent Saturday, was published in 1955. A motion picture version was released the same year. Heath published several novels in the 1950s, and his last novel for adults was published in 1971. In the 1970s, Heath also wrote several books for children. His last book, The Earthquake Man, was published in 1980. Heath retired in 1988 and moved to Guntersville, Ala., where he was living at the time of his death.

Interests and Themes

W. L. Heath’s adult novels are examples of “Southern noir” (works that feature ordinary people with dark secrets who get caught in violent situations). All are set in a small Alabama town modeled on Scottsboro. His books for children are also set in the South.

For More Information

Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.

There may be more information available through the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library. If you are an Alabama citizen, AVL can be used at your public library or school library media center. You can also get a username and password from your librarian to use AVL at home.

Reference Articles

• Hackworth, Eliza. "Portrait--Bill Heath". Scottsboro Daily Sentinel 19 Oct. 1975: II-5.

Last updated on May 30, 2008.