Best of
Short-Stories

1900

The War Prayer


Mark Twain - 1900
    During the service, a stranger enters and addresses the gathering. He tells the patriotic crowd that their prayers for victory are double-edged-by praying for victory they are also praying for the destruction of the enemy... for the destruction of human life. Originally rejected for publication in 1905 as "not quite suited to a woman's magazine," this antiwar parable remained unpublished until 1923, when Twain's literary executor collected it in the volume Europe and Elsewhere. Handsomely illustrated by the artist and war correspondent Philip Groth, The War Prayer remains a relevant classic by an American icon.

The Grey Fairy Book


Andrew Lang - 1900
    The goat-faced girl, Prunella, the three sons of Hali, giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres—these are the companions who thrill boys and girls of all lands and all times, as Andrew Lang's phenomenally successful collections of stories have proved. From the day that they were first printed, Lang's fairy tale books of many colors have entertained thousands of youngsters, as they have also brought pleasure to the parents who have read these classics to their children. The Grey Fairy Book includes many strange, exotic stories from Lithuania, Africa, Germany, Greece and France. But they are all told in the common language of the fairy tale, and their events will be familiar to children and grown-ups alike. The donkey who turns into a price, a spinning wheel that turns moss into silk, revengeful fairies, and ogre-like fathers of lovely daughters strike responsive chords in readers, even when they appear in new circumstances.All in all, this collection contains 35 stories, all narrated in the lively, clear prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang's generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range. His position as one of England's foremost folklorists as well as his first-rate literary abilities make his collections unmatchable in the English language.

Cuentos de Chéjov


Anton Chekhov - 1900
    The stories in this collection captivate with their ingenious plots and technical dexterity, while also providing a good picture of the evolution in Chéjov’s mastery and thematic focus.

Xingu


Edith Wharton - 1900
    The 6 ladies are reminiscent of an elite high school clique where there is heavy competition and an odd man out. The story focuses on the visit of a famous guest author, that doesn't turn out quite as planned. The only topic presented that the guest will discuss is Xingu. The ladies all state that they have just studied it ... but have they and do they even know what it is?

War Stories


Paul Dowswell - 1900
    The slaughter and destruction was on such a massive scale it still haunts us today. From zeppelin raids, trench warfare, spies and secret plots, to epic encounters between colossal warships and duels between lone snipers facing almost certain death, this book contains a collection of dramatic and unforgettable tales from both these terrible wars.

Whilomville Stories


Stephen Crane - 1900
    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The Professor on the Case


Jacques Futrelle - 1900
    Contents: The Thinking Machine --The motor boat --The woman in the case --Dressing room A --Fitting a hypothesis --The crystal gazer --A matter of logic --The interrupted wireless --The midnight message --The Roswell tiara --A fool of good intention --The lost radium --The suit case --The green-eyed monster --Two and two again make four --An opera box --Before midnight --The missing necklace --Master of the profession --The phantom motor --The gap in the trail --The brown coat --A human problem --His perfect alibi --A question of time --The superfluous finger --The case is closed.