A collection of 14 truly outstanding stories, nine from the "Instrumentality" universe plus five others. Smith was a massive talent, his short stories and novels unlike anything published in a genre dominated, at the time, by the masters of the boiling pot. His prose is to be savoured like a cool sauterne on a warm summer's day, his stories to be experienced and enjoyed without inhibition. They are magnificent and magnificently told by a singular stylist. I envy those who have yet to read the one and only Cordwainer Smith, unquestionably one of the greatests talents the genre has ever seen. The stories are introduced by Frederik Pohl.