Regarded as one of the finest American short story writers and admired by George Saunders, Susan Sontag and Salman Rushdie, this volume presents Paley's collected works.

Published as part of a beautifully designed series to mark the 40th anniversary of the Virago Modern Classics.

Here are all Grace Paley's classic stories in one volume. From her first book The Litlle Disturbances of Man (1959), to Enormouse Changes at The Last Minute (1974) and Later the Same Day (1985), Grace Paley's quirky, boisterous characters and rich use of language won her readers' hearts and secured her place as one of America's most accomplished short story writers. Her stories are united by her signature interweaving of personal and political truths, her extraordinary capacity for empathy and her pointed depiction of the small and large events that make up daily life.

Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include:

• Frost in May by Antonia White
• The Collected Stories of Grace Paley
• Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
• The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
• The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann
• Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith
• The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Heartburn by Nora Ephron
• The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
• Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
• A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor
• and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame