Chelkash and Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)

Three superb short stories from the first great Russian writer to emerge from the ranks of the proletariat, including the title story, in which a thieving vagrant takes on a young, unwilling apprentice; "Makar Chudra," the story of a an ill-fated romance between two gypsy lovers; and "Twenty-six Men and A Girl," widely regarded as Gorky's best short story, which describes how a wretched crew of bakery workers destroy their only source of joy and simple pleasure.