Showing results by author "Ambrose Bierce" in All Categories

A chilling collection of ghost stories containing Rats by MR James, The Raven and Berenice by Edgar Allan Poe, The Birthday of the Infanta by Oscar Wilde, A Tough Tussle by Ambrose Bierce and The Signalman by Charles Dickens. In Rats, Mr Thompson comes to regret his decision to investigate a locked room in a country inn, and in The Signalman, the subject of the story is haunted by ghostly appearances that always precede tragic events.

This collection of eerie stories explores the darkest regions of the mind. Included in the selections are Bierce's most famous tale, "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge", "A Watcher By the Dead", "The Death of Halpin Frayser", "A Cold Greeting", "A Wireless Message", "An Arrest", "The Isle of Pines", "A Fruitless Assignment", "At Old Man Eckert's", "The Spook House", "The Other Lodgers", "The Thing At Nolan", "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field", "An Unfinished Race", "Charles Ashmore's Trail", "Science to the Front", "The Famous Gilson Bequest", and more.

"Parker Addison, Philosopher" is short story number nine from the collected works of Ambrose Bierce volume 2. Three men die as one of them philosophizes about his pending execution.

What does one do when issued an order by a superior that is contradictory to what one believes to be right? In this short fictional story from the American Civil War, the protagonist is faced with that very situation. When given an insulting and ridiculous order by his commanding general, he carries the order out. Then, when questioned by a subordinate, he passes it on to him in the same manner. Friendly fire in a fog is just as deadly as fire from the enemy.

This collection includes five of the greatest stories of American classic horror. The richest of language is used to create extraordinary atmosphere - gloom, darkness, solitude, despair - and the relentless feeling of impending doom. Includes: "The Oval Portrait", by Edgar Allan Poe; "Ethan Brand", by Nathaniel Hawthorne; "The Yellow Sign", by Robert W. Chambers; "The Upper Berth", by F. Marion Crawford; and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", by Ambrose Bierce.

A man and woman are sitting together on a rustic seat, talking. He is trying desperately to persuade her to marry him, but she is adamantly refusing. Finally, she tells him her real reason for refusing: she is insane. As he listens, she recounts the terrible tale behind her stark statement.

An engaging collection of short stories from some of the world's greatest racconteurs. Included are 'My Favorite Murder' by Ambrose Bierce; 'The Black Poodle' by F. Anstey; 'The Doll’s House' by Katherine Mansfield; 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs; 'The Mortal Immortal' by Mary Shelley; 'A Curious Dream' by Mark Twain; 'Regret' by Kate Chopin; 'One Thousand Dollars' by O. Henry; 'The Dreamer' by W. W. Jacobs; 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield; 'The Inconsiderate Waiter' by J.M. Barrie; and 'The Purloined Letter' by Edgar Allan Poe.

"The Story of a Conscience" is a classic story by Ambrose Bierce, relating how soldiers are often closer to one another, on either side of a war, than to outsiders. This story probes the depths of complicated issues that come up during wartime, including loyalty, trust, and of course, conscience.

Five great American short story writers, dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, are represented here. Different in atmosphere and writing style, they nevertheless caught the mood and concerns of the day in a way that was distinctly American.

First Lieutenant George Thurston, the new guy, earns the respect of his fellows by his seeming disregard for his own life. When death takes an unfair advantage and strikes with an unfamiliar weapon, it is even more disquieting to those most familiar with it.

A deserted cabin deep in the woods. One door, one window. The window is boarded up. The former resident - a recluse - is deceased. Is there a story here? Estate liquidators make a living disposing of the personal effects of deceased persons. Typically these are elderly people who may have lived alone, and were considered a bit strange because of their aloofness. But as the liquidator goes through the effects of the deceased, they occasionally find a story. Here, Ambrose Bierce explorers some possibilities.

As the title suggests, this is a collection wonderful classic short stories with a twist at the end!

Another excellent short story from the mind and pen of Ambrose Bierce. This story will draw you in like a fish on the line, then play you out and back in again. Bierce is a master of surprise and suspense.

Originally written by Adolphe Danziger De Castro in 1889, but based on an earlier German tale, this story was submitted to Ambrose Bierce for revision. He insisted on reinstating the tragic ending which De Castro had altered in order to cater for the tastes of the day. In reverting to the original plot, the story regains its full importance as a work of great literature. The young monk, Ambrosius, falls in love with the village outcast, Benedicta, who is the daughter of the hangman.

The Civil War divided West Point graduates as the North tried to get Robert E. Lee to be their Commander in Chief, brothers, and here son and father, with lamentable results.

Here are eight stories from master American writers of the 19th century. They vary from sinister tales by Ambrose Bierce - why is that window boarded up? - and a reflective moment in the life of a woman without children, but forced to look after children, to classic short stories by O. Henry and Stephen Crane. There is even an elegiac description of an eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Last of the Mohicans.

Over 10 hours of riveting stories by some of the world’s greatest short-story writers.

The time is the American Civil War: Southern plantation-owner Peyton Farquahr has been condemned to death for spying against the Union cause. As he prepares to be hanged from the Owl Creek Bridge, Farquahr morosely contemplates his fate and fondly recalls his loving wife.

A dysfunctional and amoral family murders its alcoholic father and buries him in the yard, before embarking on a hobby of befriending strangers whose bodies they bury in the cellar. When the stocks of liquor and provisions kept in the cellar start to deplete mysteriously, they put it down to the partying of the restless spirits of their murder victims...but a stranger truth emerges. Written in Bierce's witty style, this story is a laugh-a-minute comedy.

Short story number fourfrom "The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce is a short fiction, "A Son of the Gods" a story for which the American Civil War furnished the dramatic setting. It is a masterpiece of power of description subtlety of touch, and literary finish. Why would a Lieut. ride a white horse in front of the enemy lines drawing their fire and admiration in an act of insanity or unparalleled heroism.