Although Roy Bedichek published less than his more famous friends J. Frank Dobie and Walter Prescott Webb, he wrote voluminously and, many say, with more distinction than the others. In addition to his four published books, Bedichek produced a great number of letters through which he communicated his broad interests and deep learning to a wide variety of correspondents.

Prefaced by a biographical sketch, this volume presents a collection of Bedichek letters that give us an insight into his literary and creative development--from his earliest years through his career at the...