About the book: 2017 / The famous Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) took his first steps in Russian literature under the pseudonyms Antosha Chekhonte, “The Man Without a Spleen,” My Brother brother as the author of humorous stories and feuilletons, which were published in the humorous Moscow magazines “Alarm Clock”, “Spectator”, etc. and in the St. Petersburg humorous weekly magazines “Oskolki”, “Dragonfly”, and were subsequently included in the first books of the novice author. It is the first collections and books of A. Chekhov - “Prank”, “Tales of Melpomene”, “Motley Stories”, as well as stories published in the magazines “Oskolki”, “Mirror”, etc., that are included in this book, revealing the humorous talent of the recognized in the writer's world.