The American short story is one of the most distinct and important branches of the form. This selection from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries illustrates some of its finest achievements. Tales of the frontier, friendship, and life's experiences abound with lively characters, humorous incidents, and vivid descriptions. These fourteen stories, each in its way significant and influential, introduce the art and tradition of the short story as it was developed and extended by authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Ernest Hemingway. `This series of short stories is the bargain of the century. Snap them up while you can.' Daily Mail