This acclaimed collection of interwoven tales marks John Barth's first return to the short story form in nearly thirty years -- and resoundingly reaffirms his status as "the reigning master of postmodernist fiction" (Kirkus Reviews). A middle-aged couple, vacationing at their "last resort", swap a series of twelve bedtime stories. Counting down toward a revelatory finale, these elegant tales -- which touch on the idea of love and the love of ideas, quantum physics and physical pleasures, running jokes and running out of time -- offer a playful, provocative, and emotionally resonant excursion through life and art.