Considered one of the greatest short story writers of her generation, Katherine Mansfield was a modernist writer from New Zealand. This collection includes thirty-five of her most popular stories. In this volume you will find the following stories: "The Tiredness of Rosabel", "At Lehmann's", "Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding", "The Swing of the Pendulum", "The Woman at the Store", "How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped", "Ole Underwood", "Millie", "Bains Turcs'", "The Little Governess", "An Indiscreet Journey", "The Wind Blows", "Prelude", "A Dill Pickle", "Je Ne Parle Pas Français", "Bliss", "Psychology", "Pictures", "The Man Without a Temperament", "Revelations", "The Escape", "The Young Girl", "The Stranger", "Miss Brill", "Poison", "The Daughters of the Late Colonel", "Life of Ma Parker", "Her First Ball", "Marriage ý la Mode", "At the Bay", "The Voyage", "The Garden Party", "The Doll's House", "The Fly", and "The Canary".

Katherine Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp) was born in Thorndon, New Zealand in 1888. Her family were wealthy and influential.
In 1903, Katherine and her family moved to the UK. She attended Queens College, London, and developed an interest in writing. Upon graduation, she decided to pursue a career as a writer.
In 1911, Katherine published In a German Pension, a collection of thirteen short stories. From 1915 to 1917, she wrote numerous short stories, including The Wind Blows (1915), Prelude (1917), and A Dill Pickle (1917). She became known as a master of short stories.
In 1917, at the age of 29, Katherine developed tuberculosis. To get away from the cold winter in the UK, she moved to France. One of the most significant stories she wrote during her stay in France was Je ne Parle pas Français (1920) [I do not Speak French].
In 1921, Katherine travelled to Switzerland for medical treatment. Stories that she wrote in Switzerland include The Doll's House (1921), The Garden Party (1922), and her last story, The Canary (1923), in which a lonely woman describes her pet canary that has passed away.
In October 1922, Katherine returned to France. In January 1923, she died at the age of 34 after running up some stairs. She was buried in Avon.