In the over 200 short stories he wrote, Sturgeon dealt consistently with issues of isolation and alienation whether as a result of the modern world or simply as a response to the human condition. Warm, funny, and perceptive, he had a tremendous influence on his generation of writers, as well as on younger writers inspired by his seemingly effortless style. This book collects 12 of his best short stories, dating from 1940 to 1980.
Theodore Sturgeon was a genuine American master. Praised, revered, and even envied by the likes of Bradbury, Vonnegut, and King, his short stories contain some of his best work.

In "Thunder and Roses," soon after a nuclear Holocaust, a starlet gives one final performance during which she makes an odd request of the few remaining survivors. In perhaps his most praised story, "The Man Who Lost the Sea," a man riffs on memory and experience on the way to the story's powerful conclusion. And in the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning masterpiece, "Slow Sculpture," a young woman with a lump in her breast chances upon a strange healer. With unrivaled emotional impact, Theodore Sturgeon's stories are funny, lyrical, surprising, and provoking.