This book is a comprehensive selection from the world's finist short fiction. Many literary talents are represented: Hemingway, Katharine Mansfield, Dorothy Parker, Faulkner, E.B. White, Saroyan, Salinger, Hawthorne, etc. I think this book is a great way to get a peek of some of our most famous writers' works. Who knows? It may lead you to seek out more of their writings, including their novels.