Anthologies & Short Stories

Book SynopsisDesigned to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. Chosen and introduced by the playwright J. B. Priestley, these twelve marvellous sketches are accompanied by George Cruikshank’s evocative illustrations.Charles Dickens was one of the great chroniclers of London life. From the colourful chaos of dances and gin-shops to the sparse destitution of the pawnshop and the penitentiary, he captured the grime and the glory of the English capital with singular brilliance.Orphans and beggars, lord mayors and murderers, actors, criminals, cab drivers and prostitutes; all rub shoulders in this wonderful selection from Sketches by Boz.

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Book Synopsis'Williams is one of the most pioneering fiction writers of our time' Andrew Motion, New Statesman Book of the Year 2024'Witty, peculiar and brilliant' Telegraph Christmas Pick 2024'A book completed by a master of the craft. Prepare to be moved' Guardian'Holy, gorgeous and politically red-hot masterpieces' Daily Telegraph'An intricate, perfectly articulated work of art' Times Literary SupplementJoy Williams offers ninety-nine illuminations on mortality as she brings her powers of observation to Azrael, the Angel of Death and transporter of souls. Balancing the extraordinary and the humble, the bizarre and the beatific, the book presents Azrael as a thoughtful and troubled protagonist as he confronts the holy impossibility of his task, his uneasy relationship with Death and his friendship with the Devil. In this follow-up to Williams' 99 Stories of God, a collection of connected beings - ranging from ordinary people to great artists such as Kafka, Nietzsche, Bach and Rilke to dogs, birds

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Book SynopsisThe treasured fairy tales of Oscar Wilde in a stunning gift edition featuring exquisite illustrations by the celebrated artist Philippe Jullian with an afterword by Wilde’s son, Vyvyan Holland.

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Book SynopsisA chilling horror anthology of 18 stories about the terrifying fears of isolation, from the modern masters of horror. Featuring Tim Lebbon, Paul Tremblay, Joe R. Lansdale, M.R. Carey, Ken Liu and many more. Lost in the wilderness, or shunned from society, it remains one of our deepest held fears. This horror anthology calls on leading horror writers to confront the dark moments, the challenges that we must face alone: hikers lost in the woods; astronauts adrift in the silence of deep space; the quiet voice trapped in a crowd; the prisoner, with no hope of escape. Experience the chilling terrors of Isolation. Featuring Paul Tremblay, Joe R. Lansdale, Ken Liu, M.R. Carey, Jonathan Maberry, Tim Lebbon, Lisa Tuttle, Michael Marshall Smith, Ramsey Campbell, Nina Allan, Laird Barron, A.G. Slatter, Mark Morris, Alison Littlewood, Owl Goingback, Brian Evenson, Marian Womack, Gwendolyn Kiste, Lynda E. Rucker and Chikodili Emelumadu.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR DAN COXON "There is so much with This Dreaming Isle to marvel at, from the inception of the remarkable concept from editor Dan Coxon, to the beautifully haunting image that wraps itself around the book... it's a celebration of fabulous writing, it's an ingenious collection and concept, all of the writers turn in stunning works of eerie, creepy goodness, and lastly it's a celebration of the rich history we have here on our little island of storytellers, raconteurs, myths and folklore." -STORGY "Whether you read these tales in the city, countryside, or by the coast, you will be left a little less comfortable than you were before. Like the Pan Book of Horror Stories, I'm certain this finely edited paperback will become a cult classic." -Sabotage Reviews "I challenge anyone not to find at least one tale in This Dreaming Isle that speaks to them, that touches their heart or sets it racing. This is a gorgeous book. It is wreathed in terror and enchantment and it presents the supernatural as it should be-wild, inexplicable, beautiful, but never, ever safe." -Fantasy-Faction "a very well put together anthology, which I think Dan Coxon has done an excellent job with." -British Fantasy Society

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Book SynopsisOriginally published between 1985 and 2012, these stories offer an enthralling introduction to the work of one of contemporary fiction's greatest magicians, and a map of Gerald Murnane's evolution as a writer. Spare, transparent and profane, This career-spanning volume ranges from 'Finger Web', a fractal tale of the scars of war and the roots of misogyny, to 'Land Deal', which imagines Australia's colonisation and the ultimate vengeance of its indigenous people as a series of nested dreams, to 'The Interior of Gaaldine', a story which finds its anxious protagonist stranded beyond the limits of fiction itself, and which points the way toward Murnane's later works, from Barley Patch to Border Districts. With potent style and determined vision, Murnane creates sensitive portraits of intimate relationships - with parents, uncles and aunts, and particularly children - and probes each situation for anxiety and embarrassment, shame or delight. Murnane treats emotions and thoughts as he does minor objects: he shines light through them and makes them new, remaking the vessel of literature as he goes.Trade Review`As Murnane remarks, "My writing was not an attempt to produce something called literature but an attempt to discover meaning", and his insistence on the artifice of written enterprise bears witness to a thoroughness and integrity that far outweigh the minor virtue - or minor vice - of readability.' Adrian Nathan West Times Literary Supplement ----`A voice so clear, so unaffected, that it's a voice for everyone.' Benjamin H, Ogden, The New York Times ----'The sentences are laid on like varnish, coat after coat, until the text gleams with a high shine. Immaculate in its unadorned plainness ...his prose achieves a crystalline beauty.' The New Republic

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Book SynopsisWhen the descendant of an ancient aristocratic family moves from Massachusetts to Exham Priory, his ancestral home in the south of England, he is plagued by the constant noise of rats scurrying within its walls. As the sound begins to haunt his dreams, he investigates the house and discovers a horrific secret underneath, which will bring him to the point of madness. Considered one of the most accomplished examples of the horror genre, 'The Rats in the Walls' is presented here alongside other quintessentially Lovecraftian tales - such as 'The Dunwich Horror', 'At the Mountains of Madness', 'The Colour out of Space' and 'The Horror at Red Hook' - in a brand-new collection which will delight new readers and those familiar with the blood-curdling imaginary worlds of the twentieth century's master of terror.Trade ReviewThe most important US horror writer since Edgar Allan Poe and a big influence on nearly every major figure in the genre after his day. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsContains: The Statement of Randolph Carter, Arthur Jermyn, The Rats in the Walls, The Horror at Red Hook, The Colour out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, The Strange High House in the Mist, The Dreams in the Witch House, The Quest of Iranon, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shunned House, The Thing on the Doorstep.

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Book SynopsisRound About the Christmas Tree is the perfect Christmas gift for booklovers, as all facets of the festive season are represented here in one gorgeous volume. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection. This edition is introduced by Ned Halley and features the classic, charming illustrations of Alice Ercle Hunt.This anthology reveals the inspiration Christmas gives so many writers, whether as a time for celebration, for family, or as a chance to remember those in hardship. There are heart-warming stories from Charles Dickens and E. Nesbit, comic fun from G. K. Chesterton and Saki, touching whimsy from Hans Christian Andersen, and even crimes to solve from Arthur Conan Doyle.Table of ContentsChapter - 1: Round About the Christmas Tree by W. M. Thackeray Chapter - 2: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle Chapter - 3: The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson Chapter - 4: Christmas Eve by Washington Irving Chapter - 5: Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope Chapter - 6: Christmas Inspiration by L. M. Montgomery Chapter - 7: The Flying Stars by G. K. Chesterton Chapter - 8: A Christmas Dinner by Charles Dickens Chapter - 9: The Fir-Tree by Hans Christian Andersen Chapter - 10: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry Chapter - 11: A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum Chapter - 12: The Ghost of Christmas Eve by J. M. Barrie Chapter - 13: A Country Christmas by Louisa May Alcott Chapter - 14: The Conscience Pudding by E. Nesbit Chapter - 15: The Thieves Who Couldn't Help Sneezing by Thomas Hardy Chapter - 16: Christmas Every Day by William Dean Howells Chapter - 17: A Christmas Tree by Charles Dickens Chapter - 18: Bertie’s Christmas Eve by Saki Chapter - 19: Christmas; Or, The Good Fairy by Harriet Beecher Stowe Chapter - 20: The Snow-Image by Nathaniel Hawthorne Chapter - 21: A Christmas Tree and a Wedding by Fyodor Dostoevsky [trans. Garnett] Chapter - 22: Christmas at Red Butte by L. M. Montgomery

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Book SynopsisOne hundred classic stories from the celebrated author of Fahrenheit 451.In this, the first volume of Ray Bradbury''s short stories, some of the author''s finest works are published together, among them Homecoming', Veldt', A Sound of Thunder' and The Long Rain'.Join an ill-fated crew of astronauts pushed to the brink of insanity by the incessant and highly corrosive rain on Venus, a high-tech virtual reality playroom that comes to life with terrible consequences, and a safari company offering tours for the wealthy back in time to the prehistoric era to stalk and kill dinosaurs, resulting in the present they return to being irrevocably altered.This collection is a rare treasure trove of wonder; as apprehensive about technology and the fate of humanity as it is elegiaic of its irrepressible progress. Each story presents an enlightening and poetic facet of Bradbury's writing, every one as relevant now as when it was first written.Trade Review'Ray Bradbury has a powerful and mysterious imagination which would undoubtedly earn the respect of Edgar Allen Poe'Guardian 'As a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury has long been streets ahead of anyone else' Daily Telegraph ‘Almost no one can imagine a time or place without the fiction of Ray Bradbury…’ The Washington Post

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Book SynopsisIn The Sketch-Book Washington Irving explores the uneasy relationship of an American writer to English literary traditions. He sketches a series of encounters with the cultural shrines of the parent nation, and in two brilliant experiments with tales transplanted from Europe creates the first classic American short stories, `Rip Van Winkle' and `The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow'.

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Book Synopsis''Hear and attend and listen...''Rudyard Kipling is a supreme master of the short story in English and a poet of brilliant gifts. His energy and inventiveness poured themselves into every kind of tale, from the bleakest of fables to the richest of comedies, and he illuminated every aspect of human behaviour, of which he was a fascinated (and sometimes appalled) observer. This generous selection of stories and poems, first published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series, covers the full range of Kipling''s career from the youthful volumes that brought him fame as the chronicler of British India, to the bittersweet fruits of age and bereavement in the aftermath of the First World War. It includes stories such as ''The Man who would be King'', ''Mrs Bathurst'', and ''Mary Postgate'', and poems from Barrack-Room Ballads and other collections. In his introduction and notes Daniel Karlin addresses the controversial political engagement of Kipling''s art, and the sources of its imaginative p

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Book SynopsisThe four tales in this volume share autobiographical origins in Conrad's experience at sea and his exile from Poland. They vividly present Conrad's preoccupation with the theme of solidarity, challenged from without by the elements and from within by human doubts and fears. This revised edition uses the English first edition texts and has a new chronology and bibliography.Table of ContentsTyphoon ; Falk: A Reminiscence ; Amy Foster ; The Secret Sharer: An Episode from the Coast

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Book SynopsisThese eight stories by leading 20th century French writers offer fascinating insights into French life and literature and are accompanied by a parallel English text, making them valuable for both French and English language students.Among the diverse and entertaining stories in the collection are the wistful masterpiece Green Tobacco' by Clair Sainte-Soline; the exuberant tale of The Ants' by the post-war king of café society, Boris Vian, and a suspense in the nineteenth-century erotic tradition from Andre de Mandiargues.Table of ContentsGreen tobacco, Claire Sainte-Soline; the ants, Boris Vian; the dead man's return, C.F. Ramuz; a house in the Place des Fetes, Roger Grenier; Jimmy, Francoise Mallet-Joris; the unknown saint, Blaise Cendrars; Sabine, Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues; traffic in horses, Jacques Perret.

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Book Synopsis''The Queen and the bat had been talking a good deal that afternoon...''The Victorian fascination with fairyland vivified the literature of the period, and led to some of the most imaginative fairy tales ever written. They offer the shortest path to the age''s dreams, desires, and wishes. Authors central to the nineteenth-century canon such as W. M. Thackeray, Oscar Wilde, Ford Madox Ford, and Rudyard Kipling wrote fairy tales, and authors primarily famous for their work in the genre include George MacDonald, Juliana Ewing, Mary De Morgan, and Andrew Lang. This anthology brings together fourteen of the best stories, by these and other outstanding practitioners, to show the vibrancy and variety of the form and its abilities to reflect our deepest concerns.In tales of whimsy and romance, witty satire and uncanny mystery, love, suffering, family and the travails of identity are imaginatively explored. Michael Newton''s introduction and notes provide illuminating contextual and biographical information about the authors and the development of the literary fairy tale. A selection of original illustrations is also included.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade ReviewWhimsical or romantic, sharply satirical or fogged with mystery, these powerful tales by the likes of Thackeray, Wilde and doyenne of the genre Mary De Morgan probe the deepest human concerns, while reflecting the more of the period. * JC, The Lady *This is not your average fairy tale book by any means. Witty, tongue-in-cheek references that adults will howl over while entertaining every child. A true delight. * NetGalley *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; NOTE ON THE TEXTS; SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY; A CHRONOLOGY OF THE VICTORIAN FAIRY TALE; PROLOGUE: GRIMM, 'RUMPEL-STILTS-KIN' AND HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN, 'THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAS'; ROBERT SOUTHEY, 'THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS'; JOHN RUSKIN, 'THE KING OF THE GOLDEN RIVER'; WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY, 'THE ROSE AND THE RING'; GEORGE MACDONALD, 'THE GOLDEN KEY'; DINAH MULOCK CRAIK, 'THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE AND HIS TRAVELLING CLOAK'; MARY DE MORGAN, 'THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON'; JULIANA HORATIA EWING, 'THE FIRST WIFE'S WEDDING RING'; OSCAR WILDE, 'THE SELFISH GIANT'; ANDREW LANG, 'PRINCE PRIGIO'; FORD MADOX FORD, 'THE QUEEN WHO FLEW'; LAURENCE HOUSMAN, 'THE STORY OF THE HERONS'; KENNETH GRAHAME, 'THE RELUCTANT DRAGON'; E. NESBIT, 'MELISANDE'; RUDYARD KIPLING, 'DYMCHURCH FLIT'; APPENDIX: WHAT IS A FAIRY TALE?'; EXPLANATORY NOTES

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Book Synopsis'She's a Queen of Words' CAITLIN MORAN. 'One of the great lionesses of modern English literature' HARPER'S BAZAAR. 'Readable, articulate and fascinating' THE SCOTSMAN. 'Outrageously funny' DAILY EXPRESS. 'Sharp, witty, incisive' THE TIMES. 'Wise, knowing, forthright' INDEPENDENT. Reviewers have been describing Fay Weldon's inimitable voice for years. Now, here is Fay Weldon in her own words. Choosing and and introducing twenty-one of her favourite short stories written throughout her fifty year career as one of Britain's foremost novelists. Included as a bonus is a new novella, The Ted Dreams, a ghost story for the age of cyber culture, big pharma, and surveillance.Trade ReviewOne of the great lionesses of modern English literature' * Harper's Bazaar *A sparkling river of wit * Mail on Sunday *Weldon's stories pull no punches * Independent on Sunday *Weldon at her best... Times have changed and Weldon is one of the people who have changed them' -- Kate Saunders, The TimesIt is Weldon's immersion in the real world, and her fascination with changes in fashion, trend and mood, that gives these stories their spirit... For most women love and lust are synonyms for life. And that, as almost each of these stories shows, is where the mischief comes in' * Herald Scotland *The perfect way to reacquaint yourself with a great writer or discover her for the first time * Bella *Insightful, emotionally truthful tales rich with female characters * Diva Magazine *Weldon's voice is the star... wise, witty and, well, yes, mischievous... Swiftian, elegant, droll and thought-provoking' -- Julian Clary, Daily TelegraphMagically insistent -- Janet Ellis.The acclaimed author has chosen 21 of her favourite short stories, spanning her 50-year career, for this enjoyable collection... Also included is a new novella, The Ted Dreams, a ghost story for our modern age' * Choice Magazine. *

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Book SynopsisThe Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Gold-Bug - some of the most famous tales of terror and the most macabre detective stories ever written. Acknowledged master of suspense, Poe was also a poet and - as his stories of mesmerism and time travel prove - a pioneer of science fiction. In this collection, probing to the depths of the human psyche, Poe''s haunted genius will chill and enthral you.

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Book Synopsis''She is unique. She is legend'' THE TIMES''Le Guin is a writer of enormous intelligence and wit, a master storyteller with the humor and the force of a Twain'' BOSTON GLOBE''Her stories will pass into legend, to touch many generations to come'' GUARDIANTHE UNREAL AND THE REAL is a two-volume collection of stories, selected by Ursula Le Guin herself, and spans the spectrum of fiction from realism through magical realism, satire, science fiction, surrealism and fantasy.Volume Two, OUTER SPACE, INNER LANDS, showcases Le Guin''s acclaimed stories of the fantastic, originally appearing in publications as varied as AMAZING STORIES, PLAYBOY, the NEW YORKER and OMNI, and contains 20 stories, including modern classics such as the HUGO AWARD-winning ''The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas'', NEBULA-nominee ''Nine Lives''; JAMES TIPTREE, JR MEMORIAL AWARD-winner (and HUGO and NEBULA-nominee) ''The Matter of Seggri''; NEBULA AWARD-winner ''SoliTrade ReviewTHE REAL AND THE UNREAL as a pair is brilliant to read, provocative, and handsomely written * Tor.com *Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend * THE TIMES *A tour de force * EVENING STANDARD *Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLASThe metaphorical language of fantasy has the capacity to touch us in the most profound ways. But many otherwise great fantasy writers, including J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, fall too easily into the traps of dogma and moral superiority, making their medicine sometimes hard to swallow. The stories of Ursula K. Le Guin manage the sublime trick of touching our hearts while also satisfying our cynical, modern minds. For this reason her stories will pass into legend, to touch many generations to come * GUARDIAN *I read her nonstop growing up and read her still. What makes her so extraordinary for me is that her commitment to the consequences of our actions, of our all too human frailties, is unflinching and almost without precedent for a writer of such human optimism. She never turns away from how flinty the heart of the world is. It gives her speculations a resonance, a gravity that few writers, mainstream or generic, can match -- Junot Diaz, PULITZER PRIZE-winning authorSecond of a two-volume set, this bare-bones collection focuses on SFWA GRAND MASTER Le Guin's overtly fantastic visions. Settings of 20 stories, all previously anthologised, include both the science fictional Ekumen, a community of worlds populated by humans shaped by the hubristic Hain of the distant past, to such fantastical realms as the West Reach, "where dragons breed on the lava isles." Le Guin's imagination ranges widely; the most interesting sequence involves the world Seggri, whose gender politics are charmingly different from ours but equally constrained. This short collection, offering samples from across Le Guin's career to date, shows why she has been a major voice in science fiction and fantasy since the 1960s * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

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Book SynopsisWritten in the 1830s and early 1840s, these comic stories tackle life behind the cold and elegant façade of the Imperial capital from the viewpoints of various characters, such as a collegiate assessor who one day finds that his nose has detached itself from his face and risen the ranks to become a state councillor (‘The Nose’), a painter and a lieutenant whose romantic pursuits meet with contrasting degrees of success (‘Nevsky Prospect’) and a lowly civil servant whose existence desperately unravels when he loses his prized new coat (‘The Overcoat’). Also including the ‘Diary of Madman’, these Petersburg Tales paint a critical yet hilarious portrait of a city riddled with pomposity and self-importance, masterfully juxtaposing nineteenth-century realism with madcap surrealism, and combining absurdist farce with biting satire.Trade ReviewGogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange. -- Vladimir NabokovTable of ContentsContains: Nevsky Prospect, The Nose, The Overcoat, Diary of a Madman

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Book SynopsisHarry is the best and technically the 'only' at what he does, being the lone professional wizard PI in the Chicago phonebook. So when the Chicago PD has cases that transcend mortal capabilities, they come to him for answers. For the 'everyday' world is actually full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. Yet despite his precautions, Harry tends to stumble from crisis to drama in his dealings with the supernatural world - call it an occupational hazard. Here, he unfailingly manages to get on the wrong side of werewolf, fae and vampires alike. And that's where his own rather special powers come into play . . . These bite-sized stories are tremendously entertaining and will leave you itching to explore more of Harry Dresden's world.And as well as eight short stories, this collection will include an all-new Dresden Files novella.

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Book SynopsisThis award-winning story collection summons all the laughter, darkness and intensity of contemporary Irish life. A pair of fast girls court trouble as they cool their heels on a slow night in a small town. Lonesome hillwalkers take to the high reaches in pursuit of a saving embrace. A bewildered man steps off a country bus in search of his identity - and a stiff drink. These stories, filled with a grand sense of life's absurdity, form a remarkably surefooted collection that reads like a modern-day Dubliners.Trade ReviewCould easily have been titled These Are Little Masterpieces * * Irish Times * *The most arresting and original writer to emerge from these islands in years -- Irvine WelshKevin Barry is among the brightest and most delightful new voices in Irish fiction -- Rick Moody

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Book SynopsisStoryteller is storïwr in Welsh. The old word is cyfarwydd. And this book is a sneaky peek into a storyteller's repertoire.Meet the rowdy mermaids and drowned lands of Cardigan Bay, an ancient tree with a door into the otherworld, and the wise old toad who lives in Borth bog and knows everything. Discover a clever girl who transforms into a swan, the herd of fairy cattle who live beneath Llyn Barfog and an elephant who may or may not have died in Tregaron.Trade ReviewFeature/extract in West Wales Chronicle

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Book SynopsisGina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change and the short story collection Green Frog. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 20212022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School. Her work appears or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, Catapult, Electric Literature, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review and Idaho Review, among others.

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Book SynopsisTales of upheaval and confusion, longing and love in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake.For the characters in after the quake, the Kobe earthquake is an echo from a past they buried long ago.Trade ReviewIn a dance with the delights of Murakami's imagination we experience the limitless possibilities of fiction. With these stories Murakami expands our hearts and minds yet again * The Times *Ushers the reader into a hallucinatory world where the real and surreal merge and overlap, where dreams and real-life nightmares are impossible to tell apart...this slender volume, deftly translated by Jay Rubin, may serve as a succinct introduction to his imaginative world...Lewis Carroll meets Kafka with a touch of Philip K. Dick * New York Times *Dazzlingly elegant...In a world where even the ground beneath our feet can't be relied on, imagination becomes less of a luxury and more of a duty. It's an obligation that Murakami is busily making his raison d'etre, to our very great advantage * Guardian *In the world of literary fiction, Haruki Murakami is unquestionably a superstar...Many critics have touted Murakami for the Nobel Prize. If he can stay on this kind of form, he could be in with a chance * Scotland on Sunday *Murakami is a unique writer, at once restrained and raw, plainspoken and poetic * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewAlways intelligent and perceptive, but so beautifully written that it's easy to understand. * Week *Crisp with witty, urbane intelligence. * Sunday Times *Wonderfully ironic, perceptive and at times tender... Barnes has created something unique in his work, a particular way of looking at life, at words, at relationships, which is the mark of every true stylist * Financial Times *His writing demonstrates the billowing lightness of imagination... reading these stories, you perceive and love France afresh... Cross Channel is characterised by the intelligence, irony and wit you associate with his writing, but it is also suffused with feeling, deeply seasoned with affection * Independent *A glittering collection of stories... His marvellously supple and exact prose is matched with subjects that powerfully stir his creativity... It's impossible to imagine a fictional panorama of Britain's long relationship with France realized with more cordial understanding * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisColin Barrett was born in 1982 and grew up in County Mayo. His stories have been published in The Stinging Fly, Granta, Harper's and the New Yorker. His first book, the short story collection Young Skins, won the 2014 Guardian First Book Award, the 2014 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the 2014 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. In 2018 Barrett was selected as the Rolex Arts Initiative protege in Literature. His debut novel is forthcoming from Jonathan Cape.Trade ReviewColin Barrett's sentences are lyrical and tough and smart, but there is something more here that makes him a really good writer. His stories are set in a familiar emotional landscape, but they give us endings that are new. What seems to be about sorrow and foreboding turns into an adventure, instead, in the tender art of the unexpected. -- Anne EnrightLanguage, structure, style - Colin Barrett has all the weapons at his disposal, and how, and he has an intuitive sense for what a short story is, and what it can do. -- Kevin BarryColin Barrett is a young man in the town of the short story, but it’s fair to say he has the run of the place. This is a joyously fine collection, crackling with energy and verve, fit for the back pocket of anyone who loves a good story well told. -- Jon McGregorMagnificent...A stunning debut... The timeless nature of each story means this collection can - and will - be read many years from now. * Sunday Times (Ireland) *Incredible… Human violence, beauty, brilliance of language – this book reminds you of the massive things you can do in short fiction. -- Evie Wyld

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Book SynopsisWritten when Hemingway was at the height of his creative powers, the stories in Winner Take Nothing glow with the mark of his unique talent.Hunters, wives, old men of wisdom, waiters, fighters, women loved, women lost: they are all here, living on the raw edge, making love, facing the inevitable reality of death.The characters, the dialogue, the settings, the remarkable insight could have come only from Hemingway''s imagination. As an introduction to his work, or as an overview of the themes he developed at greater length in his novels, it is a stunningly successful collection. From one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisThe tales told by Scheherazade over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahryar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of 'Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp' to the farcical 'Young Woman and her Five Lovers' and the social criticism of 'The Tale of the Hunchback', the stories depict a fabulous world of all-powerful sorcerers, jinns imprisoned in bottles and enchanting princesses. But despite their imaginative extravagance, the Tales are also anchored to everyday life by their bawdiness and realism, providing a full and intimate record of medieval Eastern world. Offering unexpurgated translations of the best-loved tales, including such classics as 'Sindbad the Sailor', Tales from the Thousand and One Nights - sometimes known as the Arabian Nights - is translated with an introduction by N.J. Dawood in Penguin Classics. In this selection, Dawood presents the reader wiTable of ContentsTales from the Thousand and One NightsIntroductionInvocationPrologueThe Tale of King Shahriyar and his Brother ShahzamanThe Fable of the Donkey, the Ox, and the FarmerThe Tale of the HunchbackThe Tailor's TaleThe Tale of the Lame Young Man and the Barber of BaghdadThe Barber's TaleThe Tale of Bakbook, the Barber's First BrotherThe Tale of Al-Haddar, the Barber's Second BrotherThe Tale of Bakbak, the Barber's Third BrotherThe Tale of Al-Kuz, the Barber's Fourth BrotherThe Tale of Shakashik, the Barber's Sixth BrotherThe DonkeyThe Fisherman and the JinneeThe Tale of King Yunan and Duban the DoctorThe Tale of King Sindbad and the FalconThe Tale of the Enchanted KingThe Young Woman and Her Five Lovers Sindbad the Sailor and Sindbad the PorterThe First Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Second Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Third Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Last Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Historic Fart Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp The Tale of Kafur the Black EunuchThe Porter and the Three Girls of BaghdadThe Tale of the First DervishThe Tale of the Second DervishThe Tale of the Third DervishThe Tale of the First GirlThe Tale of the Second GirlThe Tale of Khalifah the Fisherman The DreamThe Tale of Judar and His BrothersThe Tale of Ma'Aruf the Cobbler Epilogue

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Book SynopsisTurgenev''s first major prose work is a series of twenty-five Sketches: the observations and anecdotes of the author during his travels through Russia satisfying his passion for hunting. His album is filled with moving insights into the lives of those he encounters - peasants and landowners, doctors and bailiffs, neglected wives and bereft mothers - each providing a glimpse of love, tragedy, courage and loss, and anticipating Turgenev''s great later works such as First Love and Fathers and Sons. His depiction of the cruelty and arrogance of the ruling classes was considered subversive and led to his arrest and confinement to his estate, but these sketches opened the minds of contemporary readers to the plight of the peasantry and were even said to have led Tsar Alexander II to abolish serfdom.

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Book SynopsisIn these hauntingly beautiful stories of abandonment and vengeance, extreme situations lead to disturbing conclusions. A missionary is sent to a place so distant he finds his God has no power there; a husband abandons his wife as they honeymoon in the South American jungle; a splash of water triggers an explosion of violence; and a boy''s drug-induced transformation leads to cruelty enjoyed and suffered.Masterfully written, these are chilling tales from sun-drenched and brutal climes.

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Book SynopsisHorace Rumpole - witty, eloquent, dishevelled and cynical - is one of fiction''s best-loved barristers-at-law. In these twenty classic tales, Rumpole battles through the Old Bailey, whether defending various members of an incompetent South London crime family, taking on haute-cuisine chefs and showfolk or mocking the pomposity of his own profession, all the while being held in check by his wife, Hilda: the wonderful, fearsome She Who Must Be Obeyed.These collected stories, in Penguin Modern Classics for the first time, are a definitive introduction to one of the wisest and wittiest characters in British comic writing and a reminder of what justice should really be about. With a new introduction by Sam Leith, former literary editor of the Daily Telegraph and contributor to the Evening Standard, Guardian and Spectator.Trade ReviewI thank Heaven for small mercies. The first of these is Rumpole -- Clive JamesRumpole is simply one of the great fictional characters of modern English literature -- Marcel Berlin * Sunday Times *The best mock heroic fatty since Falstaff -- Alan Coren

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Book SynopsisWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ALI SMITHKatherine Mansfield''s clear, sparkling and perceptive short stories revolutionized the genre, and this collection represents the whole range of her writing. Moving, resonant, full of light and colour, they range from short sharp studies to longer, richer tales, encompassing her three major volumes Bliss, The Garden Party and In a German Pension, and fifteen tantalizing fragments of unfinished stories published after her tragic death, including ''Honesty'', an intriguing tale of two bachelors, and ''The Doves'' Nest'', an exquisite story of a widowed mother and her daughter in the Riviera who receive a mysterious gentleman caller. Graceful, delicate and quietly devastating, they observe apparently trivial incidents to create sensitive, often painful revelations of her characters'' inner lives.

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Book SynopsisAntiquarian Paxton travels to a small town on the coast of Norfolk and learns of a legend concerning three crowns buried on the coast thousands of years ago to protect the land against marauding Vikings. Paxton tries to find the remaining crown, unaware of the supernatural presence that protects it.

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Book Synopsis''The illegible signature of teetering disaster'' Three great stories--The Aurelian, Signs and Symbols and Lance--the last both a derisive attack on science-fiction and an attempt to imagine the real pain and horror that would accompany space travel. Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA superb translation... alerts us to the strangeness of Kafka's world - often funnier or happier than we give it credit for - without using the word "Kafkaesque", which should be retired as it now means little more than "frustratingly bureaucratic". Kafka's world is richer, and more rewarding than that. -- Nick Lezard * Guardian *Kafka's posthumously published short fiction cry out for a critical exegesis... newly translated by Michael Hofmann, the stories collected in The Burrow mingle dark comedy with a proto-surrealist intent to unsettle...excellent new translations -- Ian Thomson * New Statesman *Hofmann, with his taste for mischief, makes Kafka, often translated in a buttoned-up key, a writer capable of blending old-fashioned literary parlance and contemporary media-speak... the modern touches also emphasise the timelessness of Kafka's themes, the horror of institutions being just one of them. -- Anna Aslanyan * Financial Times *

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Book Synopsis''A perfectly formed set of stories about alienation in modern times'' Independent''Mesmerizing - almost ecstatic'' The New York TimesMary Gaitskill''s coolly compelling, quietly devastating stories explore the messy complexity of relationships between lovers, families and friends. An unsettling encounter on a plane; a tentative affair between an older woman and a younger man; the chasm between a father and his daughter: each expresses our longing for, and our fear of, human connection.Trade ReviewI really admire how Mary Gaitskill is willing to think about the problematic with complexity and humanity, and without taking sides or engaging in all the fashionable moral hectoring that passes for serious thought these days. -- Eimear McBrideGaitskill shares Edith Wharton's forensic awareness of what happens just beneath the surface of high-toned encounters in public places * Independent *Gaitskill's brand of brainy lyricism, of acid shot through with grace, is unlike anyone else's. And it constitutes some of the most incisive fiction writing around -- Meghan O'Rourke * New York Times Book Review *What makes her exciting is her ability to evoke the hidden life, the life unseen, the life we don't even know we are living. -- Parul Sehgal * The New York Times Magazine *

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Book SynopsisIntroducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world''s greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil.Sam Selvon is now widely considered to be one of the greatest chroniclers of the West Indian emigrant experience. His evocation of voice, of place, of longing, defined for many the experience of a generation. Describing life in the Caribbean and day-to-day adventures in London, this collection features many his most acclaimed stories, including ''The Village Washer'', ''A Drink of Water'' and ''The Cricket Match''

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Book SynopsisA treasure trove of outstanding stories from ''the best writer of our generation'' (Gary Shteyngart) - the perfect gift for the Zadie Smith fan in your life''She''s already one of our best novelists and essayists, this reminds us that her short stories are right up there too'' Observer''Sexy and hilarious. There is no moment in Grand Union when we are not entertained, or doubt that we are in the company of one of our best contemporary writers'' Guardian''Brilliant. Another slam dunk. Street life, patois, music, food, clothes, hair: Smith has her finger on the pulse of life and the utter weirdness of whatever has just become normal. This is a book of and for the times, sobering in its clarity but bracingly witty and clever'' Evening Standard''Smith''s dialogue crackles with mordant wit. This dazzling collection of stories will leave you with plenty to think about'' IndependentInterleaving ten completely new and unpublished Trade ReviewShe's a genius . . . It's bliss -- Dolly AldertonSexy and hilarious . . . There is no moment in Grand Union when we are not entertained,or doubt that we are in the company of one of our best contemporary writers. * Guardian *Smart and bewitching, the modern world is refracted in ways that are both playful and rigorous, formally experimental and socially aware... Smith exercises her range without losing her wry, slightly cynical humour. Readers of all tastes will find something memorable in this collection * Publisher's Weekly *She's already one of our best novelists and essayists, this reminds us that her short stories are right up there too * Observer *Bewitching * Publisher's Weekly *The stories in Grand Union address both eternal existential queries and decidedly contemporary concerns. * FT *this is a book of and for the times, sobering in its clarity but bracingly witty and clever * Evening Standard *Smith's dialogue crackles with mordant wit . . . this dazzling collection of stories will leave you with plenty to think about. * Independent *Each story is a new surprise of literary genius that takes the reader on a short journey away from reality . . . A must-read for literary lovers everywhere * Vanity Fair *In these short stories she is miles and miles ahead, moving the finish line ever further as we are dazzled, knocked sideways by her craft . . . We see a master at work, exercising her vast talent with joy and vigour, reimagining old paradigms whilst maintaining the warmth and authenticity of her inimitable voice. For a writer who has seemingly done everything, it seems that Smith is just beginning * The Arts Desk *Grand Union seduces with language, acute observation, humour and the warmth of Smith's humanity. It's a startling, energising collection fom a writer unafraid to take risks * i *An exuberant volume that's bracing, thoughtful and frequently very funny * Mail on Sunday *Tremendous comic writing and snappy dialogue * Literary Review *Smith offers sharp social commentary in this wry collection of stories that takes on the complications of the modern world * Psychologies *Tackles subjects including cancel culture, desire and race with Smith's trademark insight and lightness of touch * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisThe complete short stories of acclaimed Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, translated into English and collected in one volume for the first timeTrade Review“Choukri is one of Morocco’s most revered figures. . . . To have his words translated is to have the privilege to view the inner world of his intellect and the obscured landscapes of Tangier.”—Noshin Bokth, The New ArabA World Literature Today Notable Translation of 2023“With an unflinching focus on the spaces and people that the Moroccan state would like to keep invisible, Choukri’s trailblazing stories give voice to the marginalized and constitute a powerful act of literary protest.”—Jonathan Smolin, Dartmouth College“Jonas Elbousty’s vivid, precise, and poetic translation brings to English readers a new cache of work by Mohamed Choukri. At once disorienting, violent, strange, and modern, these narratives both enrich and complicate our understanding of the essential Tangier author.”—Brian T. Edwards, Tulane University

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Book SynopsisReissued with new jacket and two additional stories not previously included.Trade ReviewSpookier than mere pastiche, meatier than pure pulp, Nocturnes hits exactly the right note in reinventing the golden age of ghost stories. * Independent on Sunday *John Connolly's novels combine the supernatural with straightforward, if ingenious, crime, but his short stories come straight from the bowels of Hell. Enjoy. * The Times *Think Edgar Allan Poe's mysteries for the shorter stories, while Connolly's individuality shines through in longer tales. * Daily Mirror *

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Book SynopsisThese four stories or ''nouvelles'' date from 1945, though all were published much later, in French and subsequently in English. All make use of a first-person narrator, and relish its vagaries - the inability to remember facts, the uncertainty as to why he is speaking in the first place, the loss of heart when explanations seem called for... Above all, the stories crisply plot the narrator''s plotless descent into vagrancy, the steeper as it approaches The End. Out of these short works and their patient procedures grew the large canvases of Molloy and Malone Dies.My bench was still there. It was shaped to fit the curves of the seated body. It stood beside a watering trough, gift of a Mrs Maxwell to the city horses, according to the inscription. During the short time I rested there, several horses took advantage of the monument. The iron shoes approached and the jingle of the harness. Then silence. That was the horse looking at me. Then the noi

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Book SynopsisThe book every George R.R. Martin fan has been waiting for: a magnificent collection of the best-selling author's most evocative short fiction, including Nightflyers - soon to be a Netflix TV series!

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Book SynopsisIn every detective's life there are cases that can't be discussed. This book presents eleven of these previously unseen investigations that required the collective genius and unique modus operandi of Arthur Bryant and John May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit - investigations that range from different times and a variety of places.Trade ReviewWitty, engaging mix of crime drama and comedy that's also an esoteric history of London. * THE SUN *Off-kilter, witty and unorthodox...winningly eccentric...London, in all its non-homogenous, sprawling splendour, is as much a character as Fowler's sleuthing duo. -- Barry Forshaw * FINANCIAL TIMES *Wonderful . . . not only are there eleven short stories featuring our elderly and eccentric detectives, but there are notes on all the regulars and also a divine cartoon of the Peculiar Crimes Unit premises . . . Fowler delivers a feast of cases with that slightly skew-whiff view. This really is great stuff * CRIMESQUAD magazine *

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