The Selected Letters of Philip K. Dick, Volume 1: 1938-1971 is published by Underwood Books of Grass Valley, California in 1996, with an introduction by James Blaylock. Available in trade (ISBN 1-887424-20-2) and slipcased (ISBN 1-887424-21-0) editions, the volume was published by arrangement with The Estate of Philip K. Dick.
The publisher's cautionary note states that the letters "are offered for the insight they may provide into their author; they cannot be considered reliable sources of information about any other persons," the same disclaimer used in subsequent volumes of the series. Special thanks are given to Allan Kausch for coordinating preproduction.
This first volume covers over three decades of Dick's correspondence, from his teenage years through the early 1970s, providing primary source insight into his personal, professional, and intellectual development. The 1938-1971 span encompasses Dick's formative years, his early marriage and divorce, the beginning of his science fiction career, his most productive period of novel writing, and the years leading up to the transformative 2-3-74 experiences. Blaylock, himself a noted fantasy author and friend of Dick's, provides the introduction from personal acquaintance.