The definitive collection of nonfiction—from war reporting to literary criticism to the sharpest political writing—from the “legend of American letters” (Vanity Fair)
Robert Stone was a singular American writer, a visionary whose award-winning novels—including Dog Soldiers, Outerbridge Reach, and Damascus Gate—earned him comparisons to literary lions ranging from Samuel Beckett to Ernest Hemingway to Graham Greene. Stone had an almost prophetic grasp of the spirit of his age, which he captured with crystalline clarity in each of his novels. Of course, he was also a sharp and brilliant observer of American life, and his nonfiction writing is revelatory.
The Eye You See With—the first and only collection of Robert Stone’s nonfiction—was carefully selected by award-winning novelist and Stone biographer Madison Smartt Bell. Divided into three sections, the collection includes the best of Stone’s war reporting, his writing on social change, and his reflections on the art of fiction. This is an extraordinary volume that offers up a clear-eyed look at the twentieth century and secures Robert Stone’s place as one of the most original figures in all of American letters.


This essential collection captures the keen insight and unflinching honesty that defined Robert Stone’s nonfiction:

• Reporting from the Front Lines: Witness the chaos of wartime Saigon and the Suez Crisis through Stone’s unsparing journalistic eye, pieces that would later inform his National Book Award-winning novel, Dog Soldiers.
• The Art of Fiction: Explore Stone’s reflections on the moral purpose of fiction and his sharp, insightful literary criticism on authors from Stephen Crane to Graham Greene.
• The Counterculture Moment: Journey into the psychedelic revolution with a clear-eyed observer who was there, chronicling his time with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.
• Political and Social Commentary: Experience the seismic shifts of the twentieth century through a master stylist’s unflinching essays on American life, politics, and social change.