Featuring a new introduction by Robert Hass, the nine captivatingly meditative essays in The Practice of the Wild display the deep understanding and wide erudition of Gary Snyder in the ways of Buddhist belief, wildness, wildlife, and the world. These essays, first published in 1990, stand as the mature centerpiece of Snyder's work and thought, and this profound collection is widely accepted as one of the central texts on wilderness and the interaction...

This incisive and entertaining portrait of American poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti explores his vital role as catalyst for numerous literary careers and for the Beat movement itself. Interviews with Ferlinghetti and others reveal a rich melange of characters and events that unfolded in postwar America. In 1953 Ferlinghetti opened City Lights Bookstore, which quickly evolved into an iconic institution symbolizing social change and literary freedom. Six...

Investigates the personal history and creative process of Jack Kerouac, father of the Beat Generation, author of "On the road", and a pivotal figure of the fifties countercultural revolution. Shows what happened when fame and notoriety were thrust upon an essentially reticent man.