Tales of Men and Ghosts collects ten short stories previously published in Scribner’s Magazine and The Century during the years 1909 and 1910: "The Bolted Door, " "His Father’s Son, " "The Daunt Diana, " "The Debt, " "Full Circle, " "The Legend, " "The Eyes, " "The Blond Beast, " "Afterward, " and "The Letters." Set in Europe and New York City, the main characters usually are men–artists, dilletantes, or businessmen–and their friends, proteges, and hangers-on. Frequently, the unnamed male narrator also is a character in the story. Only two stories, "Afterward" and "The Letters, " feature women as obviously central characters, although the peripheral female characters in the stories sometimes play important roles.