Today we are all very used to the idea of hotels and resorts. Usually full to the brim with resources and amenities to make us all feel pampered, engaged and well taken care of.

But in past times the usual resting house was an Inn or, for a longer stay, lodgings; a room or rooms in a house run by a landlady. Meals were provided as was a general sense of security and ambience depending, of course, on the level and price in the market that the service was aimed for.

In this volume our classic authors take us through many a twist and turn in their stories that explore both the lodgings and the drift of humanity that inhabit them. Whether they be travelling salespeople, theatre-folk or families these stories are very much a microcosm in miniature of the world that begins just inside the front door.