"If you want to get people to like you, you must always lead the conversation on to the subject of their characters...They'll talk with enthusiasm for hours and go away saying that you're the most charming, cleverest person they've ever met."

-Aldous Huxley, Mortal Coils (1921)

Mortal Coils (1921) by Aldous Huxley is a collection of short fiction which includes four short stories and a play, which all focus on troubles of life and love. The title is derived from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil..." This edition includes "The Gioconda Smile," a story of love and murder which was made into the movie A Woman's Vengeance (1948). Those who love subtle irony and insightful character development will love reading this collection that was the foundation of Huxley's brilliant writing career.