This volume is being published to mark the 50th anniversary of the Mercier Press. The primary aim of the selection is to offer the reader an entertaining book of stories. Along with classics of Irish literature, the book includes pieces that belong to the popular tradition of storytelling. The book brings together crucial figures such as Francis MacManus, Padraic Pearse and Daniel Corkery. The range is wide, from Pearse's mystic allegories to MacManus's realistic historical drama. A lighter note is provided by Sigerson Clifford, while the more recent generations are represented by John B. Keane and Brian Cleeve. Included also are the stories from the oral tradition. On the one hand there are pieces from storytellers whose audience would have been limited to the people of their locality, and whose art was recorded by others. Eric Cross's The Tailor and Ansty is a celebrated, and in its time controversial, example of this type. On the other hand, there are pieces that mirror the polished and professional art of storytelling adapted for a wider public; Eamon Kelly is the obvious choice in this area.