Since its inception in 1915, The Best American Short Stories series has grown steadily in both readership and reputation. Stil the only anthology shaped each year by a different guest editor--always a preeminent master of the form--this is the essential yearbook of the American literary scene. Every new volume is both a showcase for contemporary American short fiction and a behind-the-scenes look at how these stories make the journey from conception to the printed page.< Here are the timeliest, most talked-about short stories of the year. Here, too, are the undiscovered gems--stories as yet unknown but meriting the attention of a wide audience. As always, much of the excitement in this year's collection comes from new voices, writers who join ranks here with such established virtuosos as Raymond Carver, Annie Proulx, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Walter Mosley.<