Greatest Short Stories – Vol. III

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The third volume of the P.F. Collier & Son’s edition of Greatest Short Stories is a continuation of the works of American authors from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  Later volumes—IV through VI—feature stories by writers outside the US.

This anthology includes writings from classic American authors such as O. Henry, Bret Harte, Mark Twain and others.

This volume in particular is deep with rich tales:

• “After the Battle” by Joseph A. Altsheler features two Civil War soldiers from opposing sides suddenly thrown together in unexpected circumstances.
• “To Make a Hoosier Holiday” by George Ade is about a reluctant groom.
• “A Christmas Present For A Lady” by Myra Kelly describes a teacher’s heartfelt gifts from her students.
• “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte tells about a mismatched group exiled from a Western town and caught in a sudden blizzard.
• “Such as a Walk in Darkness” by Samuel Hopkins Adams describes the unusual relationship between a street vendor and his dog.

This six-volume set of the Greatest Short Stories provides the cream of short fiction from 100 to 150 years ago.  This third volume may well be the most rewarding of the lot. 

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Quotes

“Youth faces forward, impatient of the present, panting to anticipate the future.  But we who have crossed a certain sad meridian, we turn our gaze backward, and tell the relentless gods what we would sacrifice to recover a little of the past, one of those shining days when to us it was given to sojourn among the Fortunate Islands.  Ah, si jeunesse savait…“ —-From “Rosemary for Remembrance” by Henry Harland

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