Tolstoy thought Chekhov the finest photographer of the Russian countryside. James T. Farrell called him simply the greatest and most influential practitioner of the short story form. And Vladimir Nabokov, never one to mince words, insisted that to prefer Dostoyevsky or Gorky to Chekhov was tantamount to being unable to grasp the essentials of universal literary art. Among the twelve stories included here are some of Chekhov’s most famous and celebrated–The Lady with the Dog, The Darling, Ward No. 6, and Peasants–as well as a few less familiar though equally accomplished masterpieces such as Ariadne and Gooseberries. All of the stories in this round-up reveal Chekhov as a superb anatomist of the human heart and a master of concision and storytelling–and demonstrate why Chekhov’s stories inspire so enthusiastic and devoted a following. ***Contents:** * Introduction The Lady with the Dog Gusev An Upheaval Neighbors Ward No. 6 The Darling The Husband Ariadne Peasants The Man in a Case Gooseberries About Love