A collection of fifty-five short fiction stories by Lydia Davis, exploring a wide range of topics including neighbors, lawns, old age, war, and others.

Previously published in her other collections and various periodicals.

Boring friends -- A mown lawn -- City people -- Betrayal -- The white tribe -- Our trip -- Special chair -- Certain knowledge from Herodotus -- Priority -- The meeting -- Companion -- Blind date -- Examples of Remember -- Old Mother and the Grouch -- Samuel Johnson is indignant -- New Year's resolution -- First grade: handwriting practice -- Interesting -- Happiest moment -- Jury duty -- A double negative -- The old dictionary -- Honoring the subjunctive -- How difficult -- Losing memory -- Letter to a funeral parlor -- Thyroid diary -- Information from the north concerning the ice -- Murder in Bohemia -- Happy memories -- They take turns using a word thay like -- Marie Curie, so honorable woman -- Mir the Hessian -- My neighbors in a foreign place -- Oral history (with hiccups) -- The patient -- Right and wrong -- Alvin the typesetter -- Special -- Selfish -- My husband and I -- Spring spleen -- Her damage -- Working men -- In a northern country -- Away from home -- Company -- Finances -- The transformation -- Two sisters (II) -- The furnace -- Young and poor -- The silence of Mrs. Iln -- Almost over: separate bedrooms -- Money.