Raymond Walters, 91; Columnist for N.Y. Times Book Review

Raymond Walters, 91, a historian and longtime columnist for the New York Times Book Review, died Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio. The cause was not disclosed.

Walters created and wrote the Paperback Talk column, which appeared weekly in the book review section in the 1970s and early 1980s and chronicled the effect of paperback books on the publishing industry and American culture. A collection of his columns, titled “Paperback Talk,” was published in 1985 by Academy Chicago.

A native of Bethlehem, Pa., he completed undergraduate studies at Swarthmore College before earning a doctorate in American history at Columbia University. He was the author of biographies of Alexander James Dallas and Albert Gallatin, both of whom were early treasury secretaries.

During World War II, Walters served in the historical offices of the Army Air Forces.

He had worked for Current History magazine, Saturday Review and Encore before joining the staff of the New York Times Book Review in 1958. A longtime resident of Manhattan, he retired in 1982 and moved to Columbus in 2001.