George Gershwin lived with purpose and gusto, but with melancholy as well, for he was unable to make a place for himself - no family of his own and no real home in music. In this book, Walter Rimler makes use of fresh sources, including newly discovered letters by Kay Swift as well as correspondence between and interviews with intimates of Ira and Leonore Gershwin. It is written with spirited prose and contains more than two dozen photographs.