The most complete and generous sampling of the first half of an indispensable American writer's career. Here is the vintage Saroyan of the 1030s and early 1940s, the period during which the short story writer, playwright and novelist achieved a critical and popular success comparable to F. Scott Fitzgerald's during the 1920s. The selection has the added distinction of having been edited, introduced and annotated by Saroyan's son Aram. It contains five novels, 30 stories, two complete plays, a memoir, essays and a long poem.