The Lottery, one of the most terrifying stories written in the twentieth century, created a sensation when it was published in 1948. Today it is considered a classic work of short fiction, remarkable for its combination of subtle suspense and pitch-perfect descriptions of both the chilling and the mundane. This collection, the only one to appear during Shirley Jackson's lifetime, unites The Lottery with twenty-four equally unusual stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range — encompassing the hilarious and the horrible, the unsettling and the ominous — as well as her power as a storyteller.