Limestone and Other Stories by Adalbert Stifter (Good, 1968, HC, 276 pgs, Harcourt Brace & World)

Dust jacket has wear; cover and pages have slight wear; pages are unmarked; some foxing and age-toning. 

Limestone and Other Stories is a 1968 collection of three novellas by Adalbert Stifter, translated by David Luke, that explores themes of isolation, asceticism, and the interplay between human morality and the natural world. The stories are characterized by their slow, timeless pace and detailed, scientifically accurate descriptions of the Austrian landscape.

The collection includes:

"Limestone": A land surveyor befriends a poor, ascetic priest in a barren limestone region. Initially perceived as miserly, the priest is revealed posthumously to have saved his meager income to build a safe school for local children, sacrificing his own happiness for their welfare. 
"Tourmaline": A tragic tale where a wealthy man’s marriage fails to protect him from the destructive forces of his wife’s infidelity with an actor, highlighting the vulnerability of innocence and order.
"The Recluse": A study in isolation featuring an eccentric, hypochondriacal uncle who warns his young nephew about the dangers of remaining unmarried, contrasting the nephew’s innocent youth with the uncle’s bitter, self-imposed solitude.

Critically, the work is a defining example of Biedermeier literature, emphasizing the "gentle law" of nature and the preservation of humanity through small, virtuous acts rather than dramatic passions.  Stifter uses the geological titles to symbolize the enduring, often harsh, yet beautiful contexts in which his characters navigate their lives.