The Oxford Book of Historical Stories

Book Overview

Historical fiction has long produced many of our best-loved works, from War and Peace to Gone with the Wind, from A Tale of Two Cities to Lonesome Dove. Now veteran anthologists Michael Cox and Jack Adrian have collected fifty years worth of historical short stories, offering entertainment and illumination for general readers and devoted fans.
The Oxford Book of Historical Fiction ranges far and wide, bringing together the work of a diverse array of writers. Here Aldous Huxley rubs shoulders with Arthur Conan Doyle, Rafael Sabatini with William Faulkner, and Thomas Hardy with John Buchan. Here are tales of adventure, studied chronicles of lives of the past, tightly plotted stories, and well-informed illustrations of the experience of life in ages long gone. The settings range from Alexander the Great's empire to the American South during the Civil War, from Napoleonic France to Cromwell's England. For serious short story readers or those with a taste for history, The Oxford Book of Historical Stories is a marvelous collection.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192142194
• ISBN13: 9780192142191
• Release Date: April 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 458 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.3" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

For history fiends like me

This is a great book. If you want your historical fiction in small bites instead of great dusty tomes, this is it.It's also surprising to see who has written history tales over the years.Just buy it.

Great collection of different stories

I bought this book for one story only - the wonderful and witty "A Slice of Medieval Life" which packs a real punch in its 3 and a half pages. The other stories were neither here nor there really.But I am pleased to report that they all have justified the purchase, and I have enjoyed them all. This is a great book for people who like their doses of historical fiction, without ploughing through the great heavy tomes in which it is usually presented.The stories are well written and very clever, and all in all this book is well worth your attention.