Subject: Short Stories

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2 B R 0 2 B Kurt Vonnegut

2BR02B is a science fiction short story by Kurt Vonnegut, originally published in the pulp digest magazine Worlds of If Science Fiction, January 1962. The title is pronounced "2 B R naught 2 B" and refers to the telephone number one dials to schedule an assisted suicide with the Federal Bureau of Termination. The se…Read More »
A Christmas Garland Max Beerbohm

Seventeen parodies with a Christmas theme of some of the most renowned authors of the period - including Kipling, Henry James, Thomas Hardy, H.G. Wells and Conrad - written by Max Beerbohm, whose reputation as a humourist and writer remains high. It is regarded as one of the finest collection of parodies in the Engl…Read More »
A Christmas Greeting Hans Christian Andersen

During a visit with Chalse Dickens in England, there sprung forth–as the flowers spring forth in the forest–these short stories for the festive season, five of which were previously unpublished upon release. A Christmas greeting sent to Dickens. Contents: The Old House, The Drop of Water, The Happy Family,…Read More »
A Crime of the Under-seas Guy Boothby

Boothby was and still is a delightful writer. In this collection you can enjoy some of his finest tales, including; * A Crime of the Underseas * The Phantom Stockman * The Treasure of Sacramento Nick * Into the Outer Darkness * The Story of Tommy Dodd and 'The Rooster' * Quod Erat Demonstrandum * Cupid…Read More »
Across the Years Eleanor H. Porter

Surprise a young reader in your life with this collection of charming and insightful short stories from the pen of author Eleanor H. Porter, best known for the widely acclaimed novel Pollyanna. Touching on an array of engaging subjects and timeless themes, these stories showcase Porter's gift for crafting memorable …Read More »
A Deal in Wheat Frank Norris

The time was late in the summer the place a ranch in southwestern Kansas and Lewiston and his wife were two of a vast population of farmers wheat growers who at that moment were passing through a crisis-a crisis that at any moment might culminate in tragedy. Wheat was down to sixty-six.
A Drama in the Air Jules Verne

Amalgamating futuristic technologies and expeditions into the future, this is a scintillating collection by Verne. This short work combines sights of the future as well as bird’s eye view of the contemporary era.

Just as the narrator starts the ascent of his balloon, a stranger jumps into its car. The unexpected …Read More »
A Kidnapped Santa Claus L. Frank Baum

Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley. On one side of the Valley is the mighty Forest of Burzee, home of the fairies. At the other side stands a terrible mountain that contains the caves of the daemons: Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, and Repentance. The daemons, thinking they have great cause to dislike old Santa, en…Read More »
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp Anonymous

When an evil magician tricks Aladdin, a young ne'er-do-well, into crawling into a cave and retrieving an old oil lamp, he little suspects that the young ruffian will outwit him and keep the magic lamp for himself. The boy discovers that by rubbing the side of the tarnished oil lamp, a gigantic fierce looking genie i…Read More »
All Cats Are Gray Andre Norton

Under normal conditions a whole person has a decided advantage over a handicapped one. But out in deep space the normal may be reversed–for humans at any rate. Steena is a computer programmer who spends her life in the background, a woman in plain gray clothing who speaks little but her knowledge of odd bits of spa…Read More »
All Souls' Night Hugh Walpole

Walpole's third collection of short fiction, sixteen stories, including several of his best supernatural tales. Walpole's two strongest stories in the genre are Tarnhelm; or, The Death of My Uncle Robert, a strangely moving and poignant werewolf tale told from the point of view of a sensitive little boy; and _The …Read More »
A Martian Odyssey Stanley G. Weinbaum

A four-man crew crash lands on Mars, and Dick Jarvis, who sets out on his own meets Tweel, a sympathetic creature who shows him the ways of the planet. A strange pyramid building creature, a tentacled 'dream beast', and broken record cart people. Check out for yourself why A Martian Odyssey came in 2nd in the best…Read More »
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce

Peyton Farquhar, a confederate sympathizer, stands to be hanged for his role in a plot to demolish Owl Creek Bridge. As he awaits death, Farquhar considers the possibility of escape; the chances of slipping his bonds, swimming to safety, and returning to his family. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge recounts the f…Read More »
Arm of the Law Harry Harrison

In the mood for a thought-provoking read from the golden age of science fiction? Dip into Arm of the Law from mid-century SF virtuoso Harry Harrison. In this tale, Harrison recounts an experiment in robotic law enforcement that goes awry – with an array of horrifying unforeseen consequences.
A Tale of the Ragged Mountains Edgar Allan Poe

A Tale of the Ragged Mountains highlights scientific theories of Poe's day, engages with British imperial history, and forecasts contemporary interest in psychoactive drugs, the transmigration of the soul, and the dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship. This is a short story partially based on Edgar Allan Poe…Read More »
A Young Man in a Hurry Robert W. Chambers

A collection of short stories by Robert W. Chambers, author of The King in Yellow. A collection of light romantic tales in which Chambers' love of fishing and hunting and natural scenery prevails. The stories are all set in America. A Young Man in a Hurry brings together some of Chambers' most engrossing shorter…Read More »
Bartleby, The Scrivener Herman Melville

Bartleby the Scrivener is the story of a quiet, hard working legal copyist who works in an office in the Wall Street area of New York City. One day Bartleby declines the assignment his employer gives him with the inscrutable "I would prefer not." The utterance of this remark sets off a confounding set of actions and…Read More »
Beauty and the Beast Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

A beautiful daughter dreams of meeting a handsome prince, but in order to save her father's life, she leaves home to live with a terrible, frightening beast. Though her patron is hideous, his disarming generosity slowly leads to a surprising connection. Generations of children have been fascinated by the story of th…Read More »
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From Home Bayard Taylor

Through her great capacity to love, a kind and beautiful maid releases a handsome prince from the spell which has made him an ugly beast. Generations of children have been fascinated by the story of the girl named Beauty, who grows to love a fearsome beast by learning to see and cherish his kindness, generosity, and…Read More »
Betty's Bright Idea Harriet Beecher Stowe

And this holy time, so hallowed and so gracious, was settling down over the great roaring, rattling, seething life–world of New York in the good year 1875. Who does not feel its on–coming in the shops and streets, in the festive air of trade and business, in the thousand garnitures by which every store hangs out tri…Read More »
Beyond Lies the Wub Philip K. Dick

Spaceman Peterson buys a "wub" from a local before his departure from Mars and takes it back aboard the ship on which he is a crew member. But the captain Franco cites his concerns about the extra weight of having this huge pig-like creature on-board, although he really seems more interested in how it might taste. O…Read More »
Beyond the Door Philip K. Dick

In Beyond the Door, Dick spins the tale of a thoughtful gift that holds unspeakable secrets. Though protagonist Larry Thomas had only the best intentions when he picked out the tchotchke for his wife, it's a decision he'll always regret.
Black Colossus Robert E. Howard

The story is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan leading the demoralized army of Khoraja against an evil sorcerer named Natokk, the Veiled One.
Brief Candles Aldous Huxley

This collection of Huxley short stories contains After the Fireworks which is the length of a short novel and deals with the predicament of a well-known writer who finds himself approached as an oldish man, by an importunate female admirer who aspires at all costs to be his mistress. A further three stories are in…Read More »
Brother Jacob George Eliot

Brother Jacob is Eliot's literary homage to Thackeray, a satirical modern fable that draws telling parallels between eating and reading. Revealing Eliot's deep engagement with the question of whether there are 'necessary truths' independent of our perception of them and the boundaries of art and the self.
Castles in the Air Emma Orczy

Mr. Hector Ratichon-onetime aide to Robespierre and confidant of Napoleon Bonaparte-is a rascal and rogue of the highest order. Nevertheless, his service to France and his resulting adventures make entertaining reading.
Certain People Edith Wharton

A collection of six short stories. The book starts with Atrophy, a neat study of near desperation in tight social surroundings as Nora Frenway bravely seeks to visit her gravely ill lover Christopher only to come up against the polite rebuff presented by his domineering sister Jane Aldiss. The final story, _Mr. Jo…Read More »
Cheese Ethel Lina White

White's short fiction was also hugely popular, and Cheese ranks amongst her best tales. There's been a murder, we know this from the start, but here we find ourselves on the trail to the finale. It's about the trip, and a trip it is.
Children of the Frost Jack London

American journalist and action-adventure writer Jack London had a life-long fascination with the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest, and he brings his extensive research and first-hand experience in the region to bear in the fiction he wrote about these communities.
Chronicles of Avonlea L. M. Montgomery

On Prince Edward Island, where Anne Shirley grew up in the sea-sprayed town of Avonlea, there was no shortage of wonderful stories. There was the case of Ludovic Speed, who wouldn't propose to the woman he had courted for fifteen years until Anne devised a plan to "speed" him up…if it didn't backfire and break hi…Read More »