"The Shooting Party, Chekhov's only full-length novel, centres on Olga, the pretty young daughter of a drunken forester on a country estate, and her fateful relationships with the men in her life. Adored by Urbenin, the estate manager, whom she marries to escape the poverty of her home, she is also desired by the dissolute Count Karneyev and by Zinovyev, a magistrate, who knows the secret misery of her marriage. When an attempt is made on Olga's life...

22 Chekhov tales reveal the fullest powers of his genius. His unfailing insight into the lives of ordinary people, his ability to dramatize the most commonplace situations and his gentle humor made him not only one of the greatest of short story writers but also one of the most beloved.