Although W. Somerset Maugham has written many distinguished and widely known novels, plays, and essays, his greatest achievement as a literary figure is probably as a writer of short stories. It is in this form that his craftsmanship as an unpretentious teller of good stories is best revealed. His ability to hold the reader utterly enchanted is well represented in the contents of this collection of seventeen of Maugham’s best stories, including such favorite and famous works as “Rain,” “The Letter,“ and “The Colonel’s Lady.” Devotees of Maugham will welcome this skillful selection by John Beecroft. New readers of Maugham’s stories will find here many hours of delightful reading and re-reading.