"The debut short novels--nearly thirty years out of print-- by the internationally acclaimed writer, newly retranslated and in one English-language volume for the first time, with a new introduction by the author. These first major works of fiction by Haruki Murakami center on two young men--an unnamed narrator and his friend and former roommate, the Rat. Powerful, at times surreal, stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism, these novellas bear...

The English king dies leaving no heir. In the churchyard of a cathedral in London, a sword appears imbedded in a stone. It is inscribed with a prophecy. Although many try, no one can budge the sword from the stone. Deep in the dark woods, Merlin the Magician begins to teach 11-year-old Arthur, who lives in the castle of Sir Ector where he's an apprentice squire to Sir Kay. Arthur learns the basic truths of life, but he also runs into the evil Madam...