Fiction Literature Short Stories

First published in 1906, The Four Million consists of twenty-five moving short stories based in New York. Each tale showcases the lives of seemingly ordinary people – clerks, waiters, con artists and more – with irony, humour and warmth. From a charming exploration of love with 'The Gift of the Magi' to a tragic tale of friendship in 'After Twenty Years', The Four Million compellingly conveys the unique breadth of the human experience. A brilliant collection of character sketches, O. Henry reminds us how everyone has a story worth telling.

When the White family come into the possession of a supposedly mystical talisman – a mummified monkey's paw – they are at first sceptical. According to the previous owner, the paw can grant three wishes, but only with a hellish cost. Mr. White, following encouragement from his son, flippantly wishes for £200, which will enable him to pay off the mortgage for his house. But when Mr. White's innocent wish comes true, a series of tragic and horrifying events ensue, changing the family forever.

Set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh, The Body Snatcher follows two medical students, Fettes and Macfarlane, who become entangled in the grisly world of grave robbing to supply cadavers for their studies. As the moral cost of their actions grows, the pair descend further into darkness as Fettes begins to suspect Macfarlane of more than just stealing bodies… A profoundly haunting and suspenseful tale of ethical decay, Stevenson's iconic short story remains a classic work of psychological and gothic horror.

Accomplished critic Hannah Gold makes her fiction debut in this funny, wise, curious collection of stories exploring the glorious absurdities of life in New York City “People suffering extreme emotional states can so easily fly under the radar in this city, don’t you find?” Across the nine...

On a photography trip in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Ryan Jordan hears the low drone of Buddhist voices chanting up the street. Hundreds of monks are streaming across a bridge. To investigate, and wanting to photograph the procession, he engages a local tuk-tuk driver to drive him to monks’ destination. With streets blocked, they detour through various alleys and side streets, eating up time, and leaving Ryan to wonder if he is being taken for a ride. Skeptical but determined, he stays with the driver despite the obstacles. Has he made the right choice?

Step into the fire… if you dare. From the haunted depths of England’s most cursed woods to the shadow-filled corners of the everyday world, Hell’s Collection gathers J. Gomez’s most chilling and twisted short stories into one unforgettable volume.

A collection of 98 enthralling and pulse-quickening stories, spanning five decades, venerates the remarkable imagination of J. G. Ballard. With a body of work unparalleled in twentieth-century literature, J. G. Ballard is recognized as one of the greatest and most prophetic writers in the world. With the much-hailed release of The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard, readers now have a means to celebrate the unmatched range and mesmerizing cadences of a literary genius.

Selected from the best of the world's short fiction, 50 Great Short Stories brings together writings by great masters of the genre. Carefully picked for their timeless quality, listeners are sure to be delighted by the inclusion of such favourites as 'The Gift of the Magi', 'The Lady with the Dog', 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', 'Rain' and 'Mrs Packletide's Tiger', to name but a few.

H.H. Munro (Saki) is one of the undisputed masters of the short story. In this complete compendium, the full gamut of his subjects and themes is experienced. His stories are imbued with humorous satire, biting irony, and often the macabre, all of which have one target: the stupidities and hypocrisies of Edwardian upper-class society.

The Complete Short Stories is a collection to be loved and cherished, from one of the finest short-story writers of the twentieth century. From the cruel irony of A member of the Family to the fateful echoes of The Go-Away Bird and the unexpectedly sinister The Girl I Left Behind Me, in settings that range from South Africa to the Portobello Road, Muriel Spark coolly probes the idiosyncrasies that lurk beneath the veneer of human respectability, displaying the acerbic wit and wisdom that are the hallmarks of her unique talent.

The Ultimate Classic Collection is drawn from our extensive back catalogue of over 300 short stories and showcases some of the finest examples of the genre: from romance to horror, detective and crime stories to the best of women's writing.

Step into the golden age of imagination with Classic Science Fiction Short Stories, a powerful collection of visionary tales from the masters who defined the genre. Featuring works by Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Andre Norton, and E. E. Smith, this anthology explores humanity’s future, the limits of technology, distant worlds, and the nature of reality itself.

This edition encompasses the best short fiction ever written for children. The beloved, enchanting fairy tales, such as of Cinderella and the Sleeping Beauty, thrilling stories packed with the adventures of Sindbad and Aladdin, excerpts from iconic works such as Oliver Twist and Gulliver’s Travels—all this and many more stories that inform, educate, entertain, and enthral children and fill them with wonder and fire up their imagination, have been included in this covetable collection.

Guy de Maupassant, (1850 - 1893), a native of Normandy, wrote in a bold and vigorous style that moves inexorably along clear plot lines. He had an astonishing capacity for creating believable characters, and he wasted little ink in putting his stories in motion. Maupassant was a master of "le mot juste," waiting until the perfect word came to him before setting his thoughts to paper. He was one of the first truly modern writers, and today his stories still resonate with enthusiasm and originality.

23 stories, all unabridged, from a diverse group of star writers and readers. A truly memorable collection with a wide appeal. Includes "The Years Midnight" by Helen Simpson, read by Harriet Walter; "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful Morning" by Haruki Marukami, read by Walter Lewis; "Bablady" by A. S. Byatt, read by Roslaind Eyres; "Hotel des Vaoyaguerus" by William Boyd, read by Martin Jarvis; and "Who?" by Fay Weldon, read by Julie Christie.

This collection contains: "Idle Thoughts on Babies"; "The Schartz-Meterklume Method"; "A Photographer's Day Out"; and more.

All of Edgar Allan Poe’s great short stories in one 16-hour collection.

This collection of short, business-themed stories is designed to help you improve your professional German through learning in context — one of the most effective approaches to German language learning for the workplace. Whether you need to communicate confidently in German business meetings, write professional emails, or simply hold your own in day-to-day office German, this course gives you the tools to get there.

For Lily, falling in love with her childhood friend Walker was the easiest thing to do back in high school. His sudden rejection was unforgettably crushing. Seven years later, their families have conspired to bring them back together at a cabin in the Rockies when a sudden snowstorm traps them overnight with no power. Thanks to a cozy fire, a prowling bear, and a little forced time in an open-air gondola, they confront their unresolved feelings—and a past more complicated than Lily knows.

CONTENTS: A Suspicious Gift [Algernon Blackwood], Skeleton Lake: An Episode in Camp [Algernon Blackwood], The Wood of the Dead [Algernon Blackwood], A Baby Tramp [Ambrose Bierce], The Damned Thing [Ambrose Bierce], Dagon [H.P Lovecraft], The Horror of the Heights [Arthur Conan Doyle], The_Descendant [H.P Lovecraft], The Cats of Ulthar [H.P Lovecraft], The Evil Clergyman [H.P Lovecraft], He [H.P Lovecraft], The Book [H.P Lovecraft], In the Vault [H.P Lovecraft],Nyarlathotep [H.P Lovecraft], Death and the Woman [Gertrude Atherton], The Striding Place [Gertrude Atherton].