Chosen as one of the New York Times’s ten best books in the year of its original publication, this collection immediately won a cherished place among lovers of the tale and vaulted Calvino into the ranks of the great folklorists. Introduction by the Author; illustrations. Translated by George Martin. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

全書由十二則短篇以及貫串的共同人物組成，每篇都有一則看似科學新知的「讚詞」導引，故事則從敘事者Qfwfq﹙無法發音的名字﹚的童年展開，寫及他的初戀及同儕情誼。卡爾維諾在本書中展現他獨特的寫作企圖，以文字將宇宙演化過程詩化，將無限無艮的時空注入了有限生命的記憶。 《宇宙連環圖》是卡爾維諾六○年代的代表作，表現出作家高度的創造力，曾獲頒美國國家書卷獎。其後陸續出版《看不見的城市》、《不存在的騎士 》和《如果在冬夜，一個旅人》，奠定他在當代文壇的崇高地位。 約翰．厄普戴克，《紐約客》：「如同波赫士和馬奎斯一樣，卡爾維諾幫我們做了完美的夢……在他們三人中，卡爾維諾是最開朗明亮的一位，並且對於人類的真實有著最多樣的、仁慈的好奇……」 保羅．韋斯特，Book World：「深刻的、無拘無束的關於宇宙創造的描述……卡爾維諾將想像力發揮提升到極限。」

本書為卡爾維諾生前出版的最後一本獨白小說，是其最具盛名的經典代表作。書中透過帕洛瑪先生的代言，將卡爾維諾的人生哲觀做一清楚鮮明的敘述，其文學價值崇高，將小說拉高到語言哲學、記號學及人類學的層次。並且行文不著雕琢痕跡，敘述他（帕洛瑪先生）觀察事務的方法、觀察後的連想，最後將兩者拉高到理念層次，心靈獨白與自我詰問，綜合成卡爾維諾的心靈傳記，留給後人得以理解他的軌跡。 全書共分三章：1、帕洛瑪先生的假期；2、帕洛瑪先生在城市裡；3、帕洛瑪先生的沉默。其標題的1.2.3.不論位於第一或第二、三位數，除了純粹的順序意義外，也對應了三個主題範圍，三種經驗和探究，依其比重呈現在本書的每個部位。

The last of Italo Calvino's works to appear during the author's lifetime, Collection of Sand is a group of essays never before published in English, discussing subjects ranging from cuneiform and antique maps to Mexican temples and Japanese gardens. Italo Calvino’s unbounded curiosity and masterly imagination are displayed in peak form in Collection of Sand, the last of his works published during his lifetime. Here he applies his graceful intellect to the delights of the visual world, in essays on subjects ranging from cuneiform and antique maps to Mexican temples and Japanese gardens. Never before translated into English, Collection of Sand is an incisive and often surprising meditation on observation and knowledge, the difference between the world as we perceive it and the world as it is.

《意大利童话》(插图本)中意大利是文艺复兴的发源地，也是欧洲童话的故乡，童话在意大利的产生远比其他欧洲国家要早得多。也许同意大利民族热烈奔放的性格有关，意大利童话中对于真理、正义、善良、慷慨、真诚、勤劳、勇敢等优秀品质的拥护和赞颂更加热情，同时对于虚伪、邪恶、凶残、贪婪、狡猾、懒惰、怯懦等丑陋品质的憎恶和谴责也更加严厉。因此，相对于风格更为浪漫轻松的其他欧洲国家的童话，意大利童话的古典意味更加强烈，民间色彩也更加浓厚，读来别有一番风味。

Marcovaldo is an unskilled worker in a drab industrial city in northern Italy. He is an irrepressible dreamer and an inveterate schemer. Much to the puzzlement of his wife, his children, his boss, and his neighbors, he chases his dreams-but the results are never the expected ones. Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book