Short stories regarding the Chinese American residents of New York's Chinatown at the turn of the century. (The beginning of the 20th century that is, not the 21st.) The stories are in the "realist school," fiction that seeks to document real, daily life.

The author William E. S. Fales spent time in China and the book is dedicated "To my friends of the China Coast, where I passed many happy years..." Whether those friends were Chinese or American/European Fales doesn't indicate, but his stories present a more positive and human depiction of Chinese Americans than was typical in his day.

Each chapter is preceded by an etching illustrating the story to follow. Very expensive and difficult to find a 1902 edition, but widely available in modern reprints. ( )