J. D. Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” John Cheever’s “Goodbye, My Brother,” Doris Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel”: These and dozens of other beloved stories share the beach as their setting. In fact, it is remarkable how many of the finest writers have set stories and novels in whole or in part at the beach—and how often they use this locale to explore the great themes of love, loss, death, family, and redemption. Beach brings together, for the first time, the very best of this literary tradition, including stories, novel excerpts, and narrative nonfiction.