Pyros' is one of the few books on Gold, and here his thorough review of Mike Gold's life and writings is extremely interesting and engaging.

William Wantling (1933-1974), sometimes called the last Beat and the last true hipster, lived a poet's life, a criminal's life, a Marine's life, an addict's life: really more lives than most people get. But for all of his excesses, he was able to chronicle the content of his tortured soul in his writing, primarily through his poetry. He lived fast, died young (yes, he admired James Dean, hung out with Charles Bukowski), and unfortunately published in mostly ephemeral, evanescent forms. John Pyros has preserved some of Wantlings best work in a number of the genres he attempted. The fact that the work is in print after so many years attests to Wantling's talent as a writer, and to John Pyros and Spoon River Press for their faith in a writer who--unjustifiably--would have fallen through the cracks.