A collection of twenty short fiction stories of the American West, written by a variety of contemporary authors including Louise Erdrich, Annie Proulx, William H. Gass, and others.

Here at last are the collected stories of one of America's most distinguished and admired writers. In addition to his honored works (Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners), Stegner is widely known as one of America's finest teachers of writing. He has taught at Harvard, Wisconsin, and Iowa and has lectured widely.

"Wyoming, 1870. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn't think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse. Losing her husband to...