The highlights of this collection for me (other than The Metamorphosis, which I'd read) are "The Judgment" and "The Stoker." The latter became the first chapter of Amerika, which I'd also read. So, most of the stories new to me were not among what I'd consider his best work. Many of the stories in the collection titled Contemplation (the full text of which is included in this edition) are more like prose poems or parables. It's not that they're bad; some of them are thought-provoking and offer interesting insights into how Kafka saw the world. However, as probably many readers would agree, I think Kafka is at his pinnacle in his long-form stories that mix realism with healthy doses of absurdism. And certainly that's what he became famous for. Note: this edition also includes a good introduction by the translator, Joachim Neugroschel. ( )