New York: New Directions, (c. 1933.) dj. Hardcover - Gertrude Stein's first - and perhaps best - book originally published in a small edition in 1909. Includes two short stories ('The Good Anna' and 'The Gentle Lena') and a novella ('Melanctha') which focus on the bleak existence that faced immigrant and minority women in turn-of-the century America. 'Melanctha,' the story of a young black woman, is a true masterpiece and unusual for its time in its uncondescending depiction of her as a woman and a human being. Introduction by Carl Van Vechten. Number Three in the New Classic Series. xi, 279 pp. Small format. Cover design by Alan Lustig, original price of $1.50 on dj flap.