Ancient China is illustriously brought to lifein thesefolk tales, legends, and stories of historical figures that routinely rank alongsidesuch Japanese literary classics as Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and "Kokoro "by Natsume Soseki.When they first appeared in Japanese periodicals in 1942 and 1943, they sparked a potentially rich and long career for author Atsushi Nakajima, whotragically died ofasthma complicated by severepneumonia shortly thereafter, butwhose work has continued to grow in Japanese regard ever since. This collection marks the first time these works have been translated into English."