This Critical Survey was originally published in 1981, with a supplement in 1987 and revised editions in 1993 and 2001. The Fourth Edition includes all writers from the previous edition and adds 145 new ones, covering 625 writers in total. Altogether, the writers covered in this set represent 44 countries and the history of short fiction from antiquity to the 21st century. The set also offers 53 informative overviews; 24 of these essays were added for this edition, including all the literary movement essays. In addition, seven resources are provided, two of them new. Author portraits are included as available.