This New York Times–bestselling author's story collection "displays consistent excellence in observing the spheres of art, law, money and society" (Publishers Weekly).

Whether set in the world of Wall Street, the nineteenth-century Virginia aristocracy, or a boys' school in New England, the short stories of Louis Auchincloss reveal a remarkable insight into the things that drive us and make us human. In this volume, the author collects a wide range of his finest work, taking us on a journey through decades of outstanding short fiction.

"Spanning more than 40 years, this collection attests to Auchincloss's durable talents: flawless prose, keen social observation, and a refined moral sensibility. The compromises between society and the individual, art and commerce, ego and restraint all figure into his finest fictions. Arranged chronologically, the 19 selections together suggest the author's profound sense of American history, with all of its political and social eruptions. He seems to have emerged as a writer fully formed, since the earliest pieces here prove as supple and graceful as his most recent. . . . Auchincloss schools us in all the social differences we're taught don't exist. . . . Further proof, if any is needed, that Auchincloss ranks among the best in American literature." —Kirkus Reviews