A.S. Byatt's short stories never fail to delight - but this new collection brings shivers as well as magical thrills. Leaves rustle underfoot in a dark wood- two middle aged women walk into a forest, as they did when they were gorls, confronting theor childhood fears and memories and the strange thing they saw - so long ago. A distinguished male obstetrician and a young woman artist meet in a hospital- but both of them have very different ideas about body parts, birth and death. An innocent member of an evening class turns out to have her own decided views on how to use 'raw material' ... The five stories in this marvellous collection are by turns funny, spooky, sparkling, sad and utterly unforgettable. The Little Black Book holds its secrets, and they will linger in your mond forever.