This was the first book to be published (1923) by C.M. Grieve, the author who became known as Hugh MacDiarmid. This is a collection of psychological studies, written in the aftermath of World War I. Some of the studies in this book are based upon the author's own life, and others explore both male and female viewpoints. The text also includes a range of short stories, mainly from the 1920s and 1930s, with vignettes in vernacular Scots, short plays, and a ballet scenario. MacDiarmid's fiction ranges from the "grand guignol" and pastiche of his earliest published tales, including "The Black Monkey", to the comedy of "The Last Great Burns Discovery" and the ambiguities of family relationships in "Andy" and "The Jackknife". The book is the eleventh volume to be published as part of Carcanet's MacDiarmid 2000 programme.
