Stegner's son arranges his father's letters chronologically in different subject areas: Origins, Biographers and Critics, Reflections on the Works, etc. The arrangement works well because each section takes you back in time once more and reconnects with the prior sections. Stegner's letters are quite well written and show considerable thought. He wrote the letters early in the morning to "warm up his fingers" for the real work to come. I reflect on the loss that is being inflicted by the advent of the internet and email. With letter writing in decline, one wonders whether in the future we will continue to have such a rich wriiten adjunct through which to gain more insight into famous personages. The man who emerges from the letters is pretty much the person you would expect from reading his books. He is a man of consumate integrity with a love for the west and its landscape. He is modest and and an adherent to my mom's favorite adage: "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone- don't say anything at all." If there were any serious warts in Wallace's personality, they do not appear in these "selected" letters. For those who love Stegner's writing (which is the only likely audience for the book) the letters will enrich your understanding of the man and his books. ( )