This collection provides an inside view of the world of books, writers, and writing. The 33 separate contributions include excerpts from James Dickey's personal log that provide insights into the process of writing a novel; excerpts from the diary of John Shaw Billings, the first managing editor of "Life," that describe the launching of that magazine; a description of a day at Sotheby's in London; a brief autobiography by Jesse Stuart; descriptions and reproductions from the collection of the American Antiquarian Society; Ring Lardner's previously unpublished vernacular libretto for the opera "Carmen"; observations on the American penchant for writing; a profile of the Southern Illinois University Press; an account of reading materials of early American whalers; commentary by four mystery writers on their detective heroes; and personal accounts by a paperback book publisher, a screenwriter, a television writer, a book marketer, a dust jacket designer, and two book collectors. Other articles discuss the lives and works of numerous authors, including Erskine Caldwell, Joseph Heller, John O'Hara, Ernest Hemingway, and Maurice Sendak. The book is illustrated with photographs, sketches, and reproductions of manuscript pages and book illustrations. (GW)