Now largely out of print and inaccessible, and overshadowed since his death in 1931 by the Frank Harris legend and by his reputation as the author of the notorious "My Life and Loves," " "the stories nevertheless bear witness to the combination of diverse qualities that has distinguished Harris s work at its best. This extraordinary collection is designed to serve today s readers as an introduction to the work of the controversial, gifted, and flamboyant writer. To the stories themselves, Mr. Gertz, Harris s first biographer and lifelong student of his work, has added a Preface and an Afterword on the writer, his life, and his influence."