From America's favorite storyteller: A rich selection of twenty-five tales by the author of "The Gift of the Magi." Writing under the pseudonym O. Henry, William Sydney Porter was an incredibly prolific and popular master of the short story in the early twentieth century. His stories are known for being witty, playful, full of plot twists, and marked by surprise endings. The author had a special fondness for New York City and a deep interest and appreciation...

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. The Emperor Napoleon fondly said of Etienne Gerard "that if he has the thickest head he has also the stoutest heart in my army." This description accurately captures the self-described hero of eighteen gem-like short stories produced by Arthur Conan Doyle. Brigadier Gerard, a bombastic, heroic gascon hussar, doer of many improbable deeds, was an unimaginative man...

Hailed by Nabokov as "the greatest artist that Russia has yet produced," Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) left his mark as a playwright, novelist, and writer of short stories. Gogol's works remain popular with both writers and readers, who prize his originality, imaginative gifts, and sheer exuberance. This collection offers an excellent introduction to the author's works. Opening a door to his bizarre world of broad comedy, fantasy, and social commentary,...

Welcome to Creelyville: Slick Rick was on the run. Police were on the hunt for him after a failed robbery attempt. After racing through Pidgeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, he needed to get off the main road and followed an old, half-hidden road that led, to his surprise, to a town like nothing he had ever seen before. He might just wish that he hadn't seen this one. The Failure: Carl Watkins was always a wannabe who never was. A...

First published in French in 1877, "Three Tales" is a collection of three short stories by the celebrated French novelist Gustave Flaubert. The first story in this collection "A Simple Soul" is a story of love and spiritual awakening seen through the simple and apparently unremarkable life of a servant girl. While she has little materially, she retains her ability to love and is devoted to others. "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier" is an...

A TAPESTRY OF DUBLIN LIFE James Joyce wrote this collection of fifteen stories in 1914 when he was only twenty-five years old. His first major work, Dubliners provides a fascinating snapshot of early 20th century life in Ireland, bringing his city to the world for the first time. In these depictions of middle-class life, Joyce portrays ordinary, often defeated people where at least one character in each story has an "epiphany" – a unique moment...

A Short History of the World illustrated H. G. Wells - A Short History of the World: with original illustrations Although best known for his scientific romances that paved the way for the modern science fiction genre, H. G. Wells (1866-1946) produced significant works on politics, society, science and history. Fascinated as much with the real world as his imaginary one, and displeased with the quality of history textbooks at the end of World War...

"Sandra Cisneros tiene una gran afición por los animales y esta pequeña joya de historia lo deja muy claro. 'La casa azul', la residencia azul cobalto de Mister y Missus Rivera, rebosa de perros sin pelo, monos, un cervatillo, un 'apasionado' Guacamaya, guacamayas, tarántulas, una iguana, y rescates que se asemejan a 'la antigua cerámica olmeca'. A Missus le encantan los rescates más "porque sus ojos estaban llenos de dolor". Ella también cuida...

Written in 1850, The Diary of a Superfluous Man is Turgenev's novella in the form of the diary of a dying man. With two weeks to live, Tchulkaturin takes stock of his life only to discover how purposeless, loveless, and futile it has been. The other stories in this collection are "Three Portraits," an historical reminiscence ignited by three paintings; "Three Meetings," a tale of remarkable coincidences; "Mumu." the heartbreaking story of a peasant...

American journalist and satirist Ambrose Bierce is one of the most famous and fascinating figures in all of American literature. He led an adventurous and eventful life, beginning with his birth in a log cabin, to his time as a Civil War soldier, and followed by his career as an author and journalist, to finally his mysterious disappearance during the Mexican Revolution at age 71. Bierce is perhaps best known for his short stories about the American...