In the first critical analysis of Reynolds Price's writings to appear in more than a decade, James A. Schiff traces the development of one of America's most esteemed writers from the publication in 1962 of his award-winning first novel, A Long and Happy Life, to the arrival in 1995 of the long-awaited third volume of his Mayfield trilogy, The Promise of Rest. Demonstrating how literary trends have often run counter to Price's career, Schiff argues that Price has remained committed to a personal vision unlike that of any contemporary American writer.