Publisher Description

V. S. Pritchett, one our greatest short-story writers, has chosen forty-one stories written in the English language for this volume, producing a collection that successfully displays the wealth and variety of an art that spans some 200 years. Great Britain, America, and especially Eire have fine traditions of short-story writing that have developed from the time of Sir Walter Scott and Nathaniel Hawthorne, while in the last century the art wasperfected by Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, W. Somerset Maugham, John Updike, and V. S. Pritchett himself. The Irish contribution includes such masters as James Joyce, Frank O'Connor, and LiamO'Flaherty, and stories by Canadian, Indian, New Zealand, and Australian writers show the full range of invention and ability in a genre that continues to flourish.

Notes

Collection of 41 short stories from the past 200 years, including Sir Walter Scott, Mark Twain, Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, H.E. Bates and William Trevor.

Author Biography

V. S. Pritchett is a novelist, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and traveller.

Table of Contents

IntroductionSir Walter Scott: The Two DroversNathaniel Hawthorne: The BirthmarkEdgar Allan Poe: The Fall of the House of UsherMark Twain: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras CountyBret Harte: The Iliad of Sandy BarAmbrose Bierce: The Coupe de GrâceHenry James: PasteRobert Louis Stevenson: Thrawn JanetJoseph Conrad: The Secret SharerRudyard Kipling: The Record of Badalia HerodsfootO. Henry: Telemachus, FriendHector Hugh Munro ('Saki'): Sredni VashtarStephen Crane: The Open BoatWalter de la Mare: An Ideal CraftsmanW. Somerset Maugham: An Official PositionSherwood Anderson: I Want to Know WhyA.E. Coppard: The Field of MustardJames Joyce: GraceD.H. Lawrence: The Rocking-Horse WinnerRing Lardner: Who Dealt?Katherine Mansfield: The Woman at the StoreKatherine Anne Porter: Flowering JudasLiam O'Flaherty: The TentWilliam Faulkner: Dry SeptemberErnest Hemingway: Hills Like White ElephantsElizabeth Bowen: The Demon LoverV.S. Pritchett: Many Are DisappointedSean O'Faoláin: SinnersFrank O'Connor: Guests of the NationMorley Callaghan: The RunawayH.E. Bates: NeverR.K. Narayan: A Horse and Two GoatsEudora Welty: A Visit of CharityWilliam Sansom: Various TemptationsMary Lavin: My VocationPatrick White: Five-TwentyJohn Cheever: Goodbye, My BrotherDoris Lessing: Mrs FortescueFlannery O'Connor: Parker's BackWilliam Trevor: Going HomeJohn Updike: LifeguardReferences and AcknowledgementsIndex of Authors

Review

`Review from previous edition Look for this book at airport departure lounge bookshops and guarantee youself a good flight.'Evening Echo

Long Description

V. S. Pritchett, one our greatest short-story writers, has chosen forty-one stories written in the English language for this volume, producing a collection that successfully displays the wealth and variety of an art that spans some 200 years. Great Britain, America, and especially Eire have fine traditions of short-story writing that have developed from the time of Sir Walter Scott and Nathaniel Hawthorne, while in the last century the art was
perfected by Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, W. Somerset Maugham, John Updike, and V. S. Pritchett himself. The Irish contribution includes such masters as James Joyce, Frank O'Connor, and Liam O'Flaherty, and stories by Canadian, Indian, New Zealand, and Australian writers show the full range of
invention and ability in a genre that continues to flourish.

Review Text

`Review from previous edition Look for this book at airport departure lounge bookshops and guarantee youself a good flight.

'
Evening Echo

Review Quote

Review from previous edition: "Look for this book at airport departure lounge bookshops and guarantee youself a good flight." ' Evening Echo

Feature

A personal collection by a distinguished writer of short stories, novels, and travel books
An impressive list of authors including Sir Walter Scott, Mark Twain, Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, H. E. Bates, William Trevor
41 stories from nine countries

New Feature

Introduction The Two Drovers, Sir Walter Scott The Birthmark, Nathaniel Hawthorne The Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allan Poe The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain The Iliad of Sandy Bar, Bret Harte The Coupe de Grace, Ambrose Bierce Paste, Henry James Thrawn Janet, Robert Louis Stevenson The Secret Sharer, Joseph Conrad The Record of Badalia Herodsfoot, Rudyard Kipling Telemachus, Friend, O. Henry Sredni Vashtar, Hector Hugh Munro ('Saki') The Open Boat, Stephen Crane An Ideal Craftsman, Walter de la Mare An Official Position, W. Somerset Maugham I Want to Know Why, Sherwood Anderson The Field of Mustard, A.E. Coppard Grace, James Joyce The Rocking-Horse Winner, D.H. Lawrence Who Dealt?, Ring Lardner The Woman at the Store, Katherine Mansfield Flowering Judas, Katherine Anne Porter The Tent, Liam O'Flaherty Dry September, William Faulkner Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway The Demon Lover, Elizabeth Bowen Many Are Disappointed, V.S. Pritchett Sinners, Sean O'Faolain Guests of the Nation, Frank O'Connor The Runaway, Morley Callaghan Never, H.E. Bates A Horse and Two Goats, R.K. Narayan A Visit of Charity, Eudora Welty Various Temptations, William Sansom My Vocation, Mary Lavin Five-Twenty, Patrick White Goodbye, My Brother, John Cheever Mrs Fortescue, Doris Lessing Parker's Back, Flannery O'Connor Going Home, William Trevor Lifeguard, John Updike References and Acknowledgements Index of Authors

Details