The Piazza Tales (1856) is a collection of short stories by American writer Herman Melville. Before publication, five of its six stories appeared in Putnam's Monthly during a period of productivity with which Melville sought to achieve popular success as a writer of literary fiction. After the failure of his novels Moby-Dick (1851) and Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (1852), Melville struggled to find a publisher who would accept his work, and contemporary...

Eight linked stories tracing the history of a painting by the 17th century Dutch artist, Vermeer. In one, he paints his daughter to pay off debts, a second story describes the loss of the ownership papers, a third takes place on the eve of its theft by the Nazis. By the author of What Love Sees.

Ferber's first big success as a writer came with the character Emma McChesney, a plucky, self-made businesswoman. This volume, published in 1914, is the second in a trilogy that begins with Roast Beef, Medium (1913) and finishes with Emma McChesney and Co. (1915). In this book, Emma's twenty-one-year-old son, Jock, comes to the fore.

Published in 1893, this collection of eleven short stories includes "Sister Tabea," "The Gunpowder Plot," "The Story of a Valentine," "Talking for Life," and "The Christmas Club." Eggleston writes in his preface, "By these I am willing to be judged."

This 1912 collection of twelve short stories is notable for its refusal to provide happily-ever-after endings. Instead, Ferber focuses on the everyday hardships and triumphs of her characters, mainly shopgirls, secretaries, and other working women. Included are "The Frog and the Puddle," "The Man Who Came Back," and "The Homely Heroine."

Venture back in time to Victorian London to join literature's greatest detective team, the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and his devoted assistant, Dr. Watson, as they investigate a dozen of their best-known cases. Originally published in 1892, this is the first and best collection of stories about the legendary sleuth. The collection includes one of the author's personal favorites: "A Scandal in Bohemia," in which a king is blackmailed by a former lover...

Thirteen short stories by one of the most famous writers in his day. Robert Barr was a British Canadian short story writer and novelist, born in Glasgow, Scotland. Most of his literary output was of the crime genre, then quite in vogue. A delightful compilation of short stories. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that gathers such a variety of genres. Barr included everything from the standard love story to a couple ghost stories.

The still-hilarious parodies in this humorous collection offer ample evidence of Leacock's first-rate comic sensibilities. Highlights include "Maddened by Mystery," a send-up of the detective novel, "Gertrude the Governess," a bodice-ripping romance gone wrong, and "Man in Asbestos," a sci-fi laugh riot.

"Old Christmas" by Washington Irving is a delightful exploration of the traditional English Christmas, taking readers on a nostalgic journey to the heart of 19th-century holiday celebrations. Renowned for his ability to capture the essence of early American and English culture, Irving, in this charming series of essays and sketches, brings to life the rich, festive traditions of a bygone era. Set in the English countryside, "Old Christmas" is a vivid...

This classic short story of a Southern plantation owner facing execution by Union soldiers is "a flawless example of American genius" (Kurt Vonnegut). Alabama planter Peyton Farquhar was loyal to the Confederate cause. Now, as the Union Army overtakes the South, he is brought to the edge of a railroad bridge-hands tied behind his back-sentenced to hang for attempting to burn down the bridge on which he stands. As he ponders the events both large...