THE CAPTAIN'S TIGER

A personal selection of the author's short stories, with his own introduction, that in its twenty odd inclusions manages a faithful reproduction of the human scene- of men, women, and children as they respond to pressures of the moment. Nine are war-influenced, though not frontline episodes; the rest emphasize the misunderstandings, ignorance, prejudice, the hopelessness, hatred, shame, of little people; there are sketches of childhood incidents, frustrated vengeance, the tragic end of a competition. And derived from the war, the resentment of not being able to join up, a soldier's report to the widow of a dead companion, the lack of gallantry in civilian life, brass at its bitterest, a vet's wry return, etc. With compassion, with sympathetic observation, this shows a great mellowing from I Can Get It For You Wholesale and provides a cohesive collection of stories for the short story trade.