This collection of lesser-known early short fiction – ranging from absurd humorous sketches to psychological dramas and tragic tales – demonstrates Anton Chekhov’s mastery of the genre, with stories about marital infidelity, betrayal, deception and love in its various forms.

Although varying in tone and purpose, what these tales have in common is a profound and subtle understanding of the human condition, in its farcical and melancholy aspects, couched in Chekhov’s trademark minimalist style.

This edition contains the stories ‘The Woman in the Case’, ‘A Visit to Friends’, ‘Appropriate Measures’, ‘The Boa-Constrictor and the Rabbit’, ‘History of a Business Enterprise’, ’75,000’, ‘The Mask’, ‘An Unpleasant Incident’, ‘The Eve of the Trial’, ‘Sinister Night’, ‘The Lodger’, ‘The Dream’, ‘Out of Sheer Boredom’, A Disagreeable Experience’, ‘His First Appearance’, ‘Holy Simplicity’, ‘The Diplomat’, ‘Mutual Superiority’, ‘Taedium Vitae’, Other People’s Trouble’, ‘A Reporter’s Dream’, ‘One Man’s Meat’, ‘The Guest’, and ‘Wife for Sale’. There are also detailed notes on the text, extra material about the author’s life and works, and a carefully selected bibliography.