This selection not only shows the wide-ranging nature of Lawrence's short stories, but also traces his development as a writer. His early stories often draw on personal experience, as in 'The Shades of Spring', a recreation of Lawrence's long love affair with Jessie Chambers. The horror of the First World War haunts 'England, My England' and 'The Mortal Coil', which explore the link between sexual and military warfare. Lawrence's developing ideas about the essencial duality of our lives are powerfully expressed in later stories such as 'The Woman Who Rode Away' and 'Things'. Above all, these stories illustrate Lawrence's pssionate belief about the destructive forces in modern society and their effect in love between men and women.