The twenty-one stories in the book are the greatest pieces of fiction written by Ruskin Bond. Chosen by the author himself, from a body of work built over fifty years (starting with his award-winning first novel, The Room on the Roof, and ending with Tales of Fosterganj) this collection includes well-known masterpieces like The Night Train at Deoli , The Woman on Platform No 8 , Rusty Plays Holi (from The Room on the Roof), Angry River , The Blue Umbrella , The Eyes Have It , Most Beautiful , Panther s Moon , as well as newer stories like An Evening at the Savoy with H.H. (from Maharani) and Dinner with Foster (from Tales of Fosterganj). Taken together, the stories in A Gathering of Friends show why Ruskin Bond has long been regarded as one of the pillars of Indian literature. This is a book that will delight his legions of fans as well as those lucky few who are new to his fiction.