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 aristacy, 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

Table of Contents:

Dedication
Introduction
MAUD
GREG'S PEG
THE COLONEL'S FOUNDATION
THE MAVERICKS
THE SINGLE READER
BILLY AND THE GARGOYLES
THE GEMLIKE FLAME
THE MONEY JUGGLER
THE WAGNERIANS
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
THE PRISON WINDOW
THE NOVELIST OF MANNERS
IN THE BEAUTY OF THE LILIES CHRIST WAS BORN ACROSS THE SEA
THE FABBRI TAPE
PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST BY ANOTHER
THE RECKONING
ARES
THE STOIC
THEY THAT HAVE POWER TO HURT
About the Author