Great English Short Stories

Book Overview

The delighted wonder surrounding a cat that has learned to talk quickly turns to dismay when the feline's conversation involves the scandalous remarks he's overheard. "Tobermory" abounds in the irony for which its author, Saki, is well known and admired. Along with the other short stories in this first-rate anthology, it showcases the talents of a renowned British writer.
Other stories include Anthony Trollope's "The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne," a subtle study of the psychological cost of maintaining self-esteem; Thomas Hardy's "The Fiddler of the Reels," in which a village girl is seduced by the beguiling melodies of a diabolical musician; and M. R. James's "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," the tale of a vacationing professor who conjures up the unexpected with an artifact from a ruined medieval church. "The Haunted House," by Charles Dickens, and Rudyard Kipling's story of a golden-haired ghost, "The Phantom 'Rickshaw," also venture into the supernatural. Additional selections include D. H. Lawrence's "The Prussian Officer," H. G. Wells's "Under the Knife," and Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Lodging for the Night," plus stories by John Galsworthy, Wilkie Collins, and others.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486440907
• ISBN13: 9780486440903
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A diverse and affordable collection of English short stories

As someone who likes reading short stories and also works of world literature, I have been collecting and reading short stories from various countries and was pleased to come across the immensely affordable Dover Thrift Editions. The book itself may not be of superior quality, but neither is it of inferior quality. The covers are beautiful and the paper quality is not altogether fine [rather flimsy in fact], but once again, it's value for money. The short stories featured here are: "The Haunted House" - Charles Dickens "The Fiddler of the Reels" - Thomas Hardy "The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne" - Anthony Trollope "The Prussian Officer" - D.H. Lawrence "The Phantom Rickshaw" - Rudyard Kipling "Under the Knife" - H.G. Wells "The Dead Hand" - Wilkie Collins "Tobermory" - Saki "A Lodging for the Night" - R.L. Stevenson "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" -M.R. James "The Broken Boot" - John Galsworthy "The House of Cobwebs" - George Gissing "The Lifted Veil" - George Eliot Rich in atmosphere, some tales center around the supernatural, others about human frailties, and many more. Highly recommended for fans of the short story.