Something Childish and Other Stories, by Katherine Mansfield (Penguin, £6.99 in UK)

These stories, written shortly before Katherine Mansfield's death in 1923, were published posthumously by her husband, John Middleton Murry, who was evidently fond of "tidying up" her often breathless prose. He couldn't, however, tidy up these particular stories to the extent of making a homogenous collection of them. Their disparity conveys the impression of a writer prepared to strike out in all directions in search of truths about human - especially female - frailty and strength. Some are cruel, some amusing, the title story - a faux naif tale about a woman who rejects sexual intimacy in favour of a "nevernever land" fantasy - is disturbing and ambiguous; but all are beautifully, translucently written.