STEPHEN CRANE, had he lived, would undoubtedly have been accorded that place in the literary limelight to which his talents entitled him. Poor Crane! Like most geniuses, he was ill. He died of tuberculosis, tragically young. But what a comrade he must have been with his extraordinary vision, his keen sardonic comment, his fearlessness and his failings! This book comprises a group of Crane's short stories; some are collected from out-of-print volumes, others are reprints, several have never been printed in this country before. "The Open Boat" is probably the finest single bit of Crane's writings. In it is most strikingly evident the poetic cadences of his prose, its rhythmic and monotonous flow. It is a desolate picture, and the tale is one of our greatest short stories. Titles of some of the other stories are "The Monster," "The Reluctant Voyagers," "An Experiment in Misery," etc.