Frederick Busch has a voracious appetite for reading and writing great literature. A Dangerous Profession explores this passion in a series of thoughtful, funny, insightful essays on topics ranging from books encountered during his boyhood in Brooklyn to the etiquette of literary critique learned once he had become a published author. Vividly describing his career's growth as he coped with financial insecurity and scavenged for private writing spaces (such as his bathroom), Busch's lovingly written memoir also encompasses the quirky hardships encountered by his heroes, who include Dickens, Melville, Hemingway, and Graham Greene. This affectionate and inspiring tribute to those who live the writing life is also a celebration of nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature at its finest.