<DIV>On the centennial of William Maxwell?s birth, here is the second volume in a two- volume collected edition that reveals the full range of an extraordinary literary voice, a voice that John Updike has called ?one of the wisest in American fiction . . . as well as one of the kindest.? In <I>Later Novels and Stories</I>, Maxwell deepens his connection to his signature subject matter even as he broadens his canvas. <I>The Ch?teau</I> (1961) describes the most subtle and bittersweet encounter of American naivet? and Old World mystery since Henry James. <I>So Long, See You Tomorrow</I. (1980), widely considered Maxwell?s greatest work, is part memoir, part fictional re- creation of a crime of passion, and, in the words of Charles Baxter, ?an unobtrusively perfect example of literary art of the highest humility and generosity.? Here too is the story collection <I>Billie Dyer</I> (1992) and eleven other works of short fiction? some never before collected. The volume concludes with forty brief ?improvisations?? fairy tales Maxwell wrote for his wife?and the essay ?Nearing Ninety? (1997), his moving valediction to a lifetime of reading and storytelling.<BR><BR></DIV>