"Geography and Plays" is an exceptional representation of Gertrude Stein's genius. In this idiosyncratic collection, you'll find delightful short stories ("Ada," "Miss Furr and Miss Skeene") and cultural meditations ("France," "Italians") as well as plays which defy easy categorization and all the rules ("Bonne Annee," "What Happened"). Everything herein displays Stein to be an artist who challenged convention, meaning, expectation and logic. Her writing here is consistently assured, often cryptic, just as often fun, and never pompous or without purpose.