Fredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.

Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.

This is a collection of 29 of his best works, from the 1941-1961 Pulps & Digests; .. stories that range from the wryly humorous to the deadly series, but always with the famous 'Brown twist' endings.

Stories include; Arena, Imagine, It Didn't Happen, Recessional, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Puppet Show, Nightmare in Yellow, Earthmen bearing Gifts, Jaycee, Pi in the Sky, Answer, the Geezenstacks, Hall of Mirrors, Knock, Rebound, Star Mouse, Abominable, Letter to a Pheonix, Not yet the end, Etaoin Shrdlu, Armageddon, Experiment, Short Happy Lives of Eustace Weaver (I, II & III), Reconciliation, Nothing Sirius, Pattern, the Yehudi Principle, Come & go mad, the End;