EDITORIAL : AMERICA'S STORYTELLER.

JAMES Michener was one of the great yarn spinners our time - or any time.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who died Thursday at the age of 90, wrote 40 best-selling novels, beginning in 1947 with ``Tales of the South Pacific.'' That book was the basis for the hit musical and motion picture ``South Pacific.''

Many of Michener's novels, such as ``Hawaii,'' ``Iberia,'' ``Centennial'' and ``Chesapeake,'' were enormous in scope. ``Hawaii,'' for example, took readers on a journey from the geologic beginnings of the islands to modern times.

Michener wasn't a quick read. Some of his books - ``Texas'' ran for 1,096 pages - seemed to go on and on.

It's likely that a lot more people started Michener's novels than finished them. But even among those who didn't quite make it to the end, we suspect that quite a few - in the words of one of the best-known songs from ``South Pacific'' - enjoyed an enchanted evening or two.