Spanning the most formative era of his life, from the painful years of adolescence to the fame and fortune of early adulthood, this collection of personal correspondences with two near-lifelong friends sheds light on the artistic development, bitter struggle, and ultimate triumph of the world's greatest living cartoonist. Crumb writes about many key events in his life: the dissolution of his first marriage, the pain of being separated from his first child, his troubles with the IRS, and his obsessions with comics, music, and women, most notably his earliest experiences with Aline Kominsky-Crumb, now his wife of over 30 years. An entertaining and revealing look into the mind of a great artist and thinker; this is Crumb's sketchbook of words, featuring scores of rare art, including entire letters drawn in cartoon form.