The "first volume encompasses his youth, his experience in World War I, and his arrival in Paris. The letters reveal a more complex person than Hemingway's tough-guy public persona would suggest: devoted son, affectionate brother, infatuated lover, adoring husband, spirited friend, and disciplined writer. Unguarded and never intended for publication, the letters record experiences that inspired his art, afford insight into his creative process, and express his candid assessments of his own work and that of his contemporaries. The letters present immediate accounts of events and relationships that profoundly shaped his life and work. A detailed introduction, notes, chronology, illustrations, and index are included."--From book jacket.

v. 1. 1907-1922 / volume associate editors, Albert J. DeFazio III, Miriam B. Mandel, Kenneth B. Panda ; volume advisory editor, J. Gerald Kennedy.