William T. Vollmann is one of our greatest living writers. Masterworks such as You Bright and Risen Angels, The Royal Family, and Rising Up and Rising Down--his latest work, a stunning 3,300-page tour de force--have launched him into the literary stratosphere and added his name to the list of potential future Nobelists.
Here is his long-awaited "best-of" collection, intended both as an introduction for the curious reader, and as...