"The David Smith that emerges here is impossible to simplify. He is learned and curious. He is obsessive, embattled, contradictory, and fierce. He is an artist of the utmost seriousness and commitment. By making available the persistence and intensity of his intellectual and aesthetic concerns over thirty years, this volume will dramatically alter the way one of America's greatest artists is understood. It will be welcomed by artists, art historians, and critics, as well as those interested in the artistic process and how Smith and his generation defined themselves in relation to, and often against, the art world and society."--Michael Brenson, art critic, art historian, and member of the sculpture faculty of Bard College's Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts "This volume is the first comprehensive edition of David Smith's writings, and it makes an important and authoritative contribution to the study of modernism. Susan Cooke has unearthed new materials from the archives and tracked down all published writings to represent Smith's authorial voice in its range and scope. By presenting Smith's writings in their diversity--private, poetic notes, teaching documents, and public statements--the book introduces Smith's craft of writing as heterogeneous and profound. This will be an immensely valuable resource for years to come."--Sarah Hamill, Assistant Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at Sarah Lawrence College