He was the author of 20 books including Hanging On, A Small Bequest, and Subways Are for Sleeping, which was the basis for the Broadway musical of the same name.

[7] During the time period where he was homeless in 1952 and afterwards when his book became successful, Love began going alphabetically through the Manhattan version of the yellow pages and every restaurant listed inside.

At the beginning, he had been working in the cheese department of a supermarket located in Morristown, New Jersey, and earning around $40 per week, which he preferably spent on his job-hunting day at a restaurant named Shines.

While he started his alphabetical tour almost as a joke, Love stated that he also kept going in order to spite the expensive taste of his ex-wife.

The book itself became a piece of scholarly coverage of American history and would be used in academic classes at the University of Michigan when discussing that period of time.

Love died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Flint, Michigan, on August 30, 1990, after attempting recovery from a heart attack at home.