The jacket of the first edition of Obscure Destinies announced “Three New Stories of the West,” heralding Willa Cather’s return to what many thought of as “her” territory—the Great Plains. These three stories, “Neighbour Rosicky,” “Old Mrs. Harris,” and “Two Friends,” reflected her return to the well of memory that had inspired the books that made her reputation.

The Willa Cather Scholarly Edition presents for the first time the three stories in their historical and biographical context, with an interpretive historical essay and detailed explanatory notes. The textual essay and apparatus establish the definitive text and trace Cather’s changes through newly discovered prepublication versions.

Kari A. Ronning is assistant editor for the Willa Cather Scholarly Edition at the University of Nebraska. Frederick M. Link is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Nebraska and a textual editor of the Willa Cather Scholarly Edition. Mark L. Kamrath is an assistant professor of English at the University of Central Florida.