An annotated collection of colorful articles and interviews with American artists, musicians, and writers; written by Dreiser in the years just before "Sister Carrie" made him famous. The author's notes provide biographical detail on dozens of individuals mentioned by Theodore Dreiser.

Hakutani's notes provide biographical detail on dozens of now-obscure individuals mentioned by Dreiser. Bubbling up through Dreiser's observations and reflections are a keen curiosity about the creative process and a passion for identifying the peculiarly American spirit reflected in the young nation's artists and their work. These miniature portraits of the people who were the talk of the town at the turn of the century capture American culture at a moment when the United States was intent on demonstrating its ability to produce fine art and literature worthy of European models yet distinctively its own.