Stanley Appelbaum served for decades as Dover's Editor in Chief until his retirement in 1996. He continues to work as a selector, compiler, editor, and translator of literature in a remarkable range of languages that includes Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Russian.

These seventeen stories from the Caribbean and Central and South America encompass a tremendous variety of subjects, settings, moods, and styles ? from worldly sophistication to outright savagery. Ranging in publication dates from 1867 to 1922, each story is by a different writer from a different country. All are well-known names in Spanish-American literature ? Rubén Darío, José Martí, Amado Nervo, Rómulo Gallegos, and Ricardo Palma ? some of whom are otherwise distinguished as novelists, poets, diplomats, and statesmen.
This dual-language edition features an informative introduction and ample footnotes, making it not only a pleasure to read but also a valuable educational aid for students and teachers of Spanish-American literature.