Rick Riordan's World of Myth & Mystery

New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan is creator of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, the Heroes of Olympus, and the storyline and first volume of the 39 Clues. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. A resident of San Antonio, Texas, Riordan was a schoolteacher for 15 years before becoming a fulltime writer. In recognition of his distinctive achievements and his inspirational impact on readers young and old, Texas State’s The Wittliff Collections present this exhibition showcasing the Riordan Collection — now one of the major archives at the Wittliff — to which the author has been generously donating since 2004 through the efforts of Wittliff curator Steve Davis. 

Among the objects on view are Riordan’s early journals, unpublished manuscripts, and his first rejection letter (received as an eighth grader), book proposals, story ideas, and materials that illuminate his working process, such as hand-drawn plot maps. Numerous photographs and other artifacts testify to the phenomenal worldwide appeal of his Percy Jackson series. One highlight is the original sword, “Riptide,” used in the 2010 film adaptation of The Lightning Thief. Exhibition curated by Steve Davis with assistance from Kenneth Fontenot.