When they think of the stories of the great German, Nobel prize-winning -author Thomas Mann, most American readers recall Stories of Three Decades, translated in 1936; however, that edition purposely excluded several early tales of Mann’s which the translator found "tentative and awkward efforts." However, within the current literary context, these stories prove quite interesting.

Translating them for the first time into English, Peter Constantine received general acclaim and was awarded the PEN—Book of the Month Club Translation Award for 1997.