The seventy-five short masterpieces of fiction in this volume represent the finest accomplishments in a difficult and special art form. Each creates a microcosm in which the very compactness of the story gives it power and emotional impact much more dramatic than could have been achieved in a longer or more explicit work.

Proof Positive by Graham Greene in spine-chilling, Leo Tolstoy's The Three Hermits has a beauty which is moving and spiritual, John Collier's The Chaser is shocking and hilarious. Selected from the literature of the world, and including writers from Boccaccio through Sylvia Townsend Warner, this volume is a classic anthology of great stories.