His beat was his country

In fact, most of the 21 books that Halberstam produced after he left Vietnam -- whether about war or sports, his other great love -- can be read as a continuing exploration of the American character, which the author believed best -- or, at least, most dramatically -- in conflict, whether on the battlefield or the playing field. (Others obviously shared that conviction, as 15 of his books were bestsellers.) Many, for example, regarded his book "Firehouse," an account of the men of Ladder 35, Engine 40 from his own Manhattan neighborhood's fire station, as one of the best and most humanizing of the books about 9/11.

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The joy of legwork

We have an expression in journalism to describe the sort of lethargy that comes on reporters of a certain age: "losing your legs." David Halberstam never lost his legs. He was 73 when he died, and he was on his way to an interview for his next book. He maintained not simply a faith in reporting as an honorable public service but an elemental joy in the experience itself.

At Columbia University not long ago, he spoke to students about what he took from those early years in Mississippi: "I learned how to work a story, how to talk to ordinary people, and what a joy doing legwork was. I learned the best question of all for any interview: 'Who else should I see?' To this day, the back cover of my notebooks is covered with lists of names of people to see. I learned that the more legwork you do, inevitably the better the writing seems because you have more details, more anecdotes, and more authority. And I learned that the great fun of journalism was talking to people, that it was where you kept learning. What a marvelous way to grow intellectually!"

In an interview now more than a decade old, Halberstam said of his career, "It's been a wonderful life. Actually, when I think about my career I am sometimes stunned. I'm stunned by the richness of it. It gave me all the things I ever wanted. I loved being a reporter." It showed, and few people who practice our vocation ever have done it quite so much credit.

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timothy.rutten@latimes.com