"One of the best introductions to Gertrude Stein's work I've ever read. Joan Retallack's research is thorough and impressive, and she has done an outstanding job of assembling a valuable and interesting collection of Stein's writings."—Hank Lazer, author of Lyric & Spirit “This exquisitely edited volume of Gertrude Stein's writings is far more informative than the usual 'selected works.' Out of the immense opus that Stein produced over a long and prolific career, Joan Retallack has chosen telling pieces, so as to show both the extraordinary thematic, generic, and stylistic variety, and the coherence of her life's work. Meanwhile, Retallack's delightful and informative introduction can stand on its own as a luminous contribution to our understanding of Gertrude Stein's work and her place in literary history. The fascinating documents that end the book can be regarded as the sweet at the end of a fully satisfying and memorable experience. This is an essential book for both new and long-term discoverers of the wonder of Gertrude Stein's writings.”—Lyn Hejinian, author of The Language of Inquiry “Retallack's illuminating introduction is a vital contribution to our knowledge of Stein, revelatory of such issues as racism while viewing Stein's presence on the page and in the ear as performative play that creates a sensual apprehension of a new time (a perception of the activity of happiness). The selections and introduction demonstrate how Stein changed reading and perceiving.”—Leslie Scalapino, author of It's go in horizontal

Matched only by Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, Paris France is a "fresh and sagacious" (The New Yorker) classic of prewar France and its unforgettable literary eminences. Celebrated for her innovative literary bravura, Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) settled into a bustling Paris at the turn of the twentieth century, never again to return to her native America. While in Paris, she not only surrounded herself with—and tirelessly championed the careers of—a remarkable group of young expatriate artists but also solidified herself as "one of the most controversial figures of American letters" (New York Times). In Paris France (1940)—published here with a new introduction from Adam Gopnik—Stein unites her childhood memories of Paris with her observations about everything from art and war to love and cooking. The result is an unforgettable glimpse into a bygone era, one on the brink of revolutionary change.

Written in 1940 and intended as a follow-up to Stein's children's book "The World Is Round," published the previous year, "To Do" is a fanciful journey through the alphabet.

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was written in 1933 by Gertrude Stein in the guise of an autobiography authored by Alice B. Toklas, who was her lover. It is a fascinating insight into the art scene in Paris as the couple were friends with Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. They begin the war years in England but return to France, volunteering for the American Fund for the French Wounded, driving around France, helping the wounded and homeless. After the war Gertrude has an argument with T. S. Eliot after he finds one of her writings inappropriate. They become friends with Sherwood Anderson and Ernest Hemingway. It was written to make money and was indeed a commercial success. However, it attracted criticism, especially from those who appeared in the book and didn't like the way they were depicted.

This classic children’s book is “a treasure trove for admirers of [Stein’s] singular vision and Hurd’s always charming artwork” (Publishers Weekly). Written in her unique prose style, Gertrude Stein’s The World Is Round chronicles the adventures of a young girl named Rose—a whimsical tale that delights in wordplay and sound while exploring the ideas of personal identity and individuality. This volume replicates the original 1939 edition, including all of Clement Hurd’s original blue-and-white art printed on the rose-pink paper that Stein insisted upon. Also featured here are two essays that provide an inside view to the making of the book. The first, a foreword by Clement Hurd’s son, author and illustrator Thacher Hurd, includes previously unpublished photographs and sheds light on a creative family life in Vermont, where his father and mother, author Edith Thacher Hurd, often collaborated on children’s books. The second essay, an afterword by Edith Thacher Hurd, takes readers behind the scenes of the making of The World Is Round, including the numerous letters exchanged between Hurd and Stein as well as images of Stein with the real-life Rose and her white poodle, Love. “The perfect mix of Gertrude Stein’s painterly words and Clement Hurd’s elegant illustrations make The World Is Round an unforgettable treasure.” —Todd Oldham “a book. a beautiful book. arrived. it is pink and it is smart and it is beautiful. bring that book over here so i can look at it. would you like some tea?” —Maira Kalman

“Alice B. Toklas wrote hers and now everybody will write theirs.” In 1933 Gertrude Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller lists, and the author found herself a celebrity. Everybody’s Autobiography is the very Steinian account of her soul-satisfying next five years in France, England, and America, where she made a triumphant tour of the country. Here are Stein’s devastating analyses of some of the major figures of the day whom she met—among them Dashiell Hammett, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso, Marianne Moore, Mrs. Roosevelt, and Sherwood Anderson—and also of her own life and work.

Letters trace the friendship between Stein and Wilder from late 1934 until Stein's death in 1946