Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) was the most influential African American fiction writer in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This Norton Critical Edition of The Conjure Stories includes all fourteen of the conjure tales arranged chronologically by composition date. The stories are accompanied by an introduction, annotations and illustrative materials. Contexts presents a wealth of materials. Criticism is divided into early (1899-1952) and modern criticism. A chronology and bibliography are also included.