Guy de Maupassant is still the world's acknowledged master in the art of writing a short story. This selection chosen and translated by Michael Jones embraces Maupassant's themes of love, sex and marriage. But many of the nineteen stories in this book also feature Maupassant's travel experiences and sometimes his own cynical opinions of the life and society of his times. Maupassant is still a best seller in French bookshops and his stories have been frequently dramatised on French TV (including two in this selection). Michael Jones who has lived in France for more than ten years has made a study of all Maupassant's writing.