Jafsie and John Henry: Essays by David Mamet contains the influential playwright's penetrating and entertaining take on Hollywood, bad boys and six hours of perfect poker - and much else besides.

With the signature literary swagger that has made him the most original voice of American stage and screen, David Mamet's essays touch on his most intimate interests and obsessions. From his lifelong mania for poker and its labyrinthine psychology to sharp sallies on movie-making gibberish and the meaning of macho, Jafsie and John Henry is knit together by Mamet's unique perspective and inimitably spare wit.