Obituaries : * Albert Russel Erskine Jr.; Edited Books by Faulkner, Michener

Albert Russel Erskine Jr., 81, former Random House editor who edited books by such authors as William Faulkner and James A. Michener. Educated at Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tenn., and at Vanderbilt University, he became an editor at the publishing house in 1947. He was promoted to managing editor in 1955, and became vice president and editorial director in 1959. Erskine retired in 1987. Known for his word-by-word editing, he handled works by Ralph Ellison, such as “Invisible Man” in 1952, and Cormac McCarthy’s first novel, “The Orchard Keeper,” as well as books by Faulkner, Michener and John O’Hara. On Wednesday in Norwalk, Conn., after a long illness.