Hemingway's first published work and the final one that I have read, in a now-completed reading journey that I've savoured for nearly ten years. I started reading Hemingway's novels in 2012 and he quickly became my favourite writer; his short stories took a little longer to reveal themselves, but when they did, they in many ways outshone the novels. Three Stories & Ten Poems isn't the best of Hemingway, but each of the three stories recommend themselves in their own ways.

'Up in Michigan' and 'My Old Man' pre-date the famous incident on the train when Hemingway's early manuscripts were lost by his wife; 'Out of Season' was the first written after the debacle. 'My Old Man' is an easy-to-read pastiche that benefits from the company of better stories in Hemingway's later collections; in Three Stories it looks rather ordinary. 'Up in Michigan' is an astute, sensitive story that, although it shows little of what Hemingway would become, shows that he already had the author's necessary tool of empathy. The stories are heavily influenced by Sherwood Anderson and Gertrude Stein, respectively.

'Out of Season' is the most difficult story to assess, but also the most interesting. It is here that Hemingway – his writing decks involuntarily cleared by the loss of his manuscripts on the train – begins to develop his new 'iceberg' style of prose writing. It isn't the best example of that style, but it's fascinating to see Hemingway wobble as he begins to walk in his own shoes. The ten poems in this book also show the young Hemingway trying things out, not yet sure of the direction he wants to travel in.

Much of Three Stories & Ten Poems is like this. It's an experiment; a young writer trying to become himself. Experiments are always hit-and-miss, and this book is also damaged by its hastiness: Hemingway had intended to publish something more substantial, but the loss of his early manuscripts scotched that idea and, in his impatience, he put what he did have into print. Despite one or two sparks the poems are filler, and the stories, while interesting, don't burst into full flame either.

As a separate book then, to be judged on its own, Three Stories & Ten Poems can't really be recommended, particularly as its stories have since been annexed by the more substantial short story collections that followed. But for the completist, it's still a charming experience, and for the Hemingway aficionado it's a thrill to see that second story, written in the bold new 'iceberg' style and giving a hint as to where this fledgling writer was going, nestled between two imitations of his literary influences that show where he had been. ( )