This collection includes the most famous plays of the Russian master, along with a handful of lesser known one-act comedies. The one-acts (most of them subtitld "a jest in one act") are highly forgettable and often just silly jokes. Chekhov's true genius tended to show through in his tales of bored, beaten down Russian nobility or middle-classes. He creates characters who are unforgettable, and even when they are not particularly nice people, he persuades us to care about them. These works are highly recommended. ( )