Every interview with the California artist Raymond Pettibon reveals his affinity for an electic group of authors -- from Saint Augustine to Borges to Charles Manson -- and his drawings abound with quotations from their works. Here, for the first time, Pettibon juxtaposes his own work with an extensive selection of writings by authors whose work has proved an endless source of inspiration. Complementing this anthology of excerpts and artworks is a series of thoughtful essays by noted critics -- including Benjamin Buchloch's look at the relationship of Baudelaire's writing to Pettibon's work, Raymond Foye's essay "Pettibon on Pop Subjects", Peter Schjeldahl's consideration of "Pettibon and Baseball", Ann Temkin on "Pettibon's Artist Surrogates", and Bernard Welt on "Pettibon's Adolescent Fascination with Perversity". This book invokes Pettibon's depth of interests, not only in literature but also in such diverse topics as religion, economics, art history, film, and music. It is an important look at an artist whose reputation continues to grow.