But hell, I do like to write letters. Much easier than writing books.� And write letters Ed Abbey did. In his famous � or infamous � 45-year career, Abbey�s cards and letters became as legendary as his books for their wit, vitriol, and ability to speak truth to power. Published here for the first time, the letters offer a fascinating, often hilarious glimpse into the mind of one of America�s most iconoclastic and beloved authors. No subject was too banal, too arcane, or too deep for Abbey to expound on: sex, cheerleaders, Mormons, Aspen, and the Bond girls are covered as gleefully as Stegner, Dylan, Chomsky, Buddhism, and betrayal. Whether scolding an editor to simplify (�I�ve had to waste hours erasing that storm of fly-shit on the typescript�) or skewering the chicken-hawk proponents of the war in Vietnam, Abbey�s righteous indignation gives hope and inspiration to a generation that desperately needs both.