“A dazzling compendium of fiction and literary essays…a banquet…joyous…superb.” —Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal. From the author of The Tunnel.

This definitive collection brings together the finest fiction and essays of William Gass, one of America’s most celebrated stylists. Spanning his entire career, it offers both a rich introduction for new readers and an essential volume for longtime admirers.

Inside, you’ll find Gass’s masterful short fiction, including the acclaimed novellas In Camera and In the Heart of the Heart of the Country, alongside incisive essays on literary giants such as Plato, Joyce, Stein, and Beckett. With selections from his landmark novel The Tunnel and essays that reveal the craft behind great writing, this volume showcases Gass at his most inventive and insightful.

Elegant, challenging, and deeply rewarding, this collection is ideal for readers, writers, and anyone who wants to experience, and better understand, the power of language at its highest level.