The book established Maupassant as a prominent French writer following the success of his first short story, "Boule de suif".

Five of the eight stories in the collection had already been published in various magazines, like Revue politique et littéraire and La Vie Moderne, and three were originals.

[1] The introduction includes a dedication that reads: "À Ivan Tourgueniev, hommage d'une affection et d'une grande admiration" (translated as "To Ivan Turgenev, an homage of affection and great admiration".

The new edition included an additional story, titled "Les Tombales".

This article about a collection of short stories published in the 1880s is a stub.