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William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) is best known as the innovator of the English detective novel, whose sensational novels, plays, and short stories were hugely popular in the Victorian Era. Aside from his highly successful novels, Collins' short stories were eagerly awaited as they appeared in serial form in many English and American periodicals, including those of his close friend, Charles Dickens. Today, readers enjoy Collins' intricate and suspenseful plots, and his penetrating social commentary on the plight of women and domestic issues of the time. Unfortunately Collins suffered from rheumatic gout, for which he took the opiate laudanum, and which eventually led to paranoid delusions and the deterioration of his health. This edition contains Collins' entire collection of short fiction, including: «A Terribly Strange Bed,» the dark and suspenseful tale of a young man in a precarious hotel room, «The Frozen Deep,» and «The Dream Woman,» to name a few.

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Because of his frank and honest portrayal of human sexuality in the controversial works for which he is best known, e.g. «Lady Chatterley’s Lover» and «Women in Love», D. H. Lawrence was not widely respected in his day. In fact at the time of his death he was considered little more than a pornographer. However E. M. Forester challenged this portrayal calling Lawrence «The greatest imaginative novelist of our generation», and with his extended reflection upon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialization, Lawrence has ultimately secured his position as one of the greatest writers in the English language. This great literary talent is exhibited by the short stories collected within this volume which includes the complete contents of the individual short story volumes «The Prussian Officer and Other Stories» and «England, My England» as well as four additional stories.

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Britain's most popular nineteenth century playwright Oscar Wilde was born in Ireland in 1854. He dabbled in several different forms of writing, as is exemplified in his best known work, the novel entitled «The Picture of Dorian Gray.» He also wrote in the form of short fiction stories, like «The Canterville Ghost.» In this tale, a family of proud Americans come into possession of a historic English mansion. However, the mansion is haunted by murderous ghost who despises the Americans. Yet the more the ghost tries to scare them away, the less they are afraid. Instead, they turn to cleaning products and other methods to get rid of the mess that the ghost continually makes over time. While being highly entertaining and comical, the story is also a social commentary on both Americans and the British. The Americans act boorish and unnerved by the ghost and instead view him as a pest which is trying to disrupt their idyllic country life. The ghost, however, wants to preserve his legacy as the terrifying ghost, but is instead batted down by the uninterested Americans. This story, combined with four other short tales as well as six poems, create the enjoyable collection of «The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories.»

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Nikolai Gogol, an early 19th century Ukrainian-born Russian novelist, humorist, and dramatist, created some of the most important works of world literature and is considered the father of modern Russian realism. Gogol satirized the corrupt bureaucracy of the Russian Empire through the scrupulous and scathing realism of his writing, which would ultimately lead to his exile. Among some of his finest works are his short stories. Together in this collection are collected some of the best of these stories, they include the following: Old Fashioned Farmers, How the Two Ivans Quarrelled, The Nose, The Overcoat (The Cloak), St. John's Eve, The Night of Christmas Eve, The Mantle, The Diary of a Madman, The Viy, The Mysterious Portrait, The Fair of Sorotchinetz, An Evening in May, Mid-Summer Evening, and The Carriage (The Calash).

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Henry James (1843-1916) was an America-born English writer whose novels, short stories and letters established the foundation of the modernist movement in twentieth century fiction and poetry. His career, one of the most significant and influential in English literature, spanned over five decades and resulted in a body of work that has had a profound impact on generations of writers. Born in New York, but educated in France, Germany, England and Switzerland, James often explored the cultural discord between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (United States) in his writings. Included in this twelfth volume of «The Complete Tales of Henry James» are the following stories: «The Papers,» «Fordham Castle,» «Julia Bride,» «The Jolly Corner,» «The Velvet Glove,» «Mora Montravers,» «Crapy Cornella,» «The Bench of Desolation,» and «A Round of Visits.»

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From the master of satire, Jonathan Swift, comes a collection of his classic satirical works. «A Modest Proposal and Other Satires» includes the following works: A Tale of a Tub, The Battle of the Books, An Argument Against the Abolishment of Christianity, A Modest Proposal, A True and Faithful Narrative, A Meditation Upon a Broomstick, Predictions for the Year 1708, and The Accomplishment of the First Year of Mr. Bickerstaff’s Predictions.

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Famed Anglo-Irish author, Lord Dunsany (1878-1957), was a short story writer, playwright, poet, essayist and autobiographer whose works earned him notoriety as one of the most significant contributors to the modern fantasy genre. His short stories, especially, were widely popular with audiences who enjoyed his formulated mythologies, his examination of the nature of time and human existence, and his satiric, and often anti-industrial, views on the relationship of humanity to nature. This edition contains «The Book of Wonder,» Dunsany's seventh book and fifth original short story collection. In these fourteen highly original tales, Dunsany leads his readers into fabulous, mythical realms full of extraordinary creatures and seductive landscapes. Also included in this edition, «Time and the Gods» is a collection of stories written at the peak of Dunsany's talent. This invented mythology, almost biblical in style, will enchant readers with its intricate language and the fantastic images of people, places and things dreamed up by this pioneer of fantasy fiction.

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"Daisy Miller" is one of Henry James's most popular tales, it is the story of a young American woman who while traveling in Europe is courted by Frederick Winterbourne. Originally published in The Cornhill Magazine in 1878, «Daisy Miller» is a novel that plays upon the contrast between American and European society, a theme common to James's work. The title character's youthful innocence is sharply contrasted with the sophistication of European society in this fatefully tragic tale. Also included in this volume are three additional shorter works by Henry James. They include «Pandora», «The Patagonia», and «Four Meetings».

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Arthur Machen (1863-1947), popular Welsh writer of the bizarre and fantastic, created some of the finest horror stories ever written. He produced works that would later have a profound influence on science fiction author H. P. Lovecraft, and the contemporary horror genre as a whole. This novel contains what are considered to be Machen's best works, written as a set of interwoven tales that shocked his Victorian contemporaries with their risqué subject matter and wonderfully eerie descriptions. The collection includes Machen's first major success «The Great God Pan,» «The Inmost Light,» «Shining Pyramid,» and «Three Imposters.» Set in the bleak and seedy London alleyways, Machen elevates the stories to eerily familiar heights, leaving many of the most disturbing and elusive details up to the reader's imagination. Horror fans especially will enjoy these classic tales of the mysterious and the macabre.

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"Twice-Told Tales" is one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's most loved collections of short stories. Presented here is the complete collection of tales which includes the following: The Gray Champion, Sunday at Home, The Wedding-Knell, The Minister's Black Veil, The Maypole of Merry Mount, The Gentle Boy, Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe, Little Annie's Ramble, Wakefield, A Rill From the Town Pump, The Great Carbuncle, The Prophetic Pictures, David Swan, Sights From a Steeple, The Hollow of the Three Hills, The Toll-Gatherer's Day, The Vision of the Fountain, Fancy's Show=Box, Dr. Heidegger's Experiement, Legends of the Province House: I.-Howe's Masquerade, II.-Edward Randolph's Portrait, III.-Lady Eleanore's Mantle, IV.-Old Esther Dudley, The Haunted Mind, The Village Uncle, The Ambitious Guest, The Sister-Years, Snowflakes, The Seven Vagabonds, The White Old Maid, Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure, Chippings with a Chisel, The Shaker Bridal, Night-Sketches, Endicott and the Red Cross, The Lily's Quest, Footprints on the Seashore, Edward Fane's Rosebud, and The Threefold Destiny.

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