In Ireland what began as both entertainment and communication through the spoken word grew into a literary form unmatched by any other country. The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories triumphantly demonstrates that development, from early folk tales of the oral tradition (here translated from the Irish) through Oliver Goldsmith, Maria Edgeworth, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Joyce Cary to Elizabeth Bowen, Liam O'Flaherty and such rising stars of today as Edna O'Brian and Desmond Hogan. William Trevor, himself a distinguished short story writer, brings a special sensibility and awareness to his role as editor. This wide-ranging collection of forty-six stories will certainly serve to entertain and enrich our understanding of a unique literary genre.