Great Short Short Stories: Quick Reads by Great Writers

By O. HenryThomas HardyLeo Tolstoy, et al.

Book Overview

"To buy books would be a good thing," observed Arthur Schopenhauer, "if we also could buy the time to read them." All devoted readers long for more time to spend with their books, and the next best thing to buying time is making the most of the available moments. Great Short Short Stories: Quick Reads by Great Writers offers that opportunity. An outstanding collection of 30 brilliant short stories, each just six or fewer pages in length, it provides the chance to absorb an entire story (or two or three) in just one sitting.
Well-known tales from masters of the short-story genre include: Mark Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"; Franz Kafka, "A Country Doctor"; Edgar Allan Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado"; Guy de Maupassant, "A Piece of String"; Stephen Crane, "The Veteran"; Kate Chopin, "A Pair of Silk Stockings"; plus works by Dickens, O. Henry, Chekhov, Wilde, and many others. Includes 2 selections from the Common Core State Standards Initiative: "A White Heron" and "Cask of Amontillado."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486440982
• ISBN13: 9780486440989
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Gives you exactly what it advertises.

I really should have done more research before I ordered this book. As it turns out, I have read every single story in this anthology and, even worse, the stories have been edited down so that they are much shorter than originally written. If I had actually looked at the individual stories before I ordered I would have taken a pass on this. If you have never read any of these classics, then this book will be a great start for you. But be warned, none of these stories are new and none were written beyond around 1900.

Stories To Go

These stories are short, usually just a few pages. They are quick to read and could be a good source of filler. Personally, I like a little bit more development. I think the book is well titled and worth reading.

Cover Artwork

The cover artwork is "Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash" by Giacomo Balla, 1912

Great value! Who did the cover art?

As always, Dover books are a great way to get a lot of story for your money. Any clue as to artist/title on the cover art? I've been looking for a print for ages.