The Bet and Other Stories was first translated in 1915 and contains 13 classic tales from the godfather of Russian literature, Anton Chekhov. Stories in this anthology include: The Bet, A Tedious Story, The Fit, Misfortune, After the Theatre, That Wretched Boy, Enemies, A Trifling Occurrence, A Gentleman Friend, Overwhelming Sensations, Expensive Lessons, A Living Calendar, and Old Age.

Anton Pavlovich Chekov was a Russian playwright and short story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov practised as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."