Short Classics

John T. Unger is a young southerner who goes to Montana for summer vacation with a wealthy college classmate. But the classmate's family proves to be much more than simply wealthy - they own a mountain made entirely of one solid diamond. And they've gone to dreadful lengths to conceal their secret, which means that John could be in danger.

Ten-year-old Effie lives the life most children dream of - with every day filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she experiences a dream that will forever change the meaning of Christmas for her. In it, she meets a group of under privileged children and she is inspired to create a Christmas they will never forget.

On a voyage, a woman meets her long term "friend" along with his wife to discover they have a mysterious oblong box in their possession. Is it merely a painting as they've told her or something much more ominous?

'And what do you think of it all, Watson?' asked Sherlock Holmes, leaning back in his chair. 'It seems to me to be a most dark and sinister business.' 'Dark enough and sinister enough.' -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' Best Classic Short Stories for Children brings...

This famous story chronicles the end of the lives of the Forty-Seven Ronin, also know as the Forty-Seven Samurai. It is described by one noted Japanese scholar as the country's "national legend". It recounts the most famous case involving the Samurai code of honor, "bushido".

The King in Yellow is a book of 10 classic short stories about the supernatural. The first four mention "The King in Yellow", a forbidden play which induces despair or madness in those exposed to it. The tales have a macabre undertone, focusing on characters that are inhabitants of the demi-monde.

The Raven Edition of the works of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) presents his complete literary output in five volumes. The second volume contains 22 stories, which illustrate the author's fascination with the macabre, the unexpected, and the terrifying.

This original compilation from Skyboat Media features the most inventive and poetic of Alexander Pushkin’s short fiction. Exposed to French culture at a young age, Pushkin’s work reflects these sensibilities, and he combines this with stories of his Russian ancestors that his grandmother would relate to him and his siblings during their summers near Moscow.

The paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price. The Monkey's Paw is a classic horror short story written by author W. W. Jacobs, first published in England in 1902.

In Agatha Christie’s short story, “The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb,” the widow of a famous Egyptologist consults Poirot on the suspicious death of her husband and an American financier, Bleibner. The mystery takes Poirot and Hastings to Egypt to investigate the site of an archaeological dig. But who could want the two men dead? This short story originally appeared in the September 26, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

Over 24 of the best humorous stories ever written, including: "The Inconsiderate Waiter", by J. M. Barrie; "Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger", by Saki; "Curried Cow", by Ambrose Bierce; "Cannibalism in the Cars", by Mark Twain; "A Love Knot", by W. W. Jacobs; "A Bottomless Grave", by Ambrose Bierce; "Biffin on the Bassoon", by Harry Graham; "Esme", by Saki; "Germans at Meat", by Katherine Mansfield; and "Adrian", by Saki.

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" is a story gripping in its content. It encompasses the terror of death and disgrace, which is redeemed by passion and sexuality. The question Lawrence leaves open is whether the doctor's avowal of love is genuine or driven by the awakening of his own sexuality and pity for the woman.

Little children need tales and stories, for they play an essential part in their development by awakening their imagination, introducing them to symbolic imagery, and bringing forth emotions in a healthy, constructive way. Our audiobook collection brings together the fairy tales, stories, myths and legends, which have fed the imagination of children of many generations in the years when the imagination is awakening and craving stimulus and material to work upon.

The best in short fiction from around the world, from celebrated anthologist and author John Freeman and award-winning novelist Rabih Alameddine In The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, writers from different nations, languages, and sensibilities come together in a globe-spanning...

Kabu kabu - unregistered, illegal Nigerian taxis - generally get you where you need to go. Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu, however, takes the listener to exciting, fantastic, magical, occasionally dangerous, and always imaginative locations you didn't know you needed. This debut short-story collection by an award-winning author includes notable previously published material, a new novella cowritten with New York Times best-selling author Alan Dean Foster, six additional original stories, and a brief foreword by Whoopi Goldberg.

Master storyteller Jim Weiss brings you suspense, laughter, and plenty of plot twists. Spooky, not scary! An ancient ghost tries to frighten a new family away from his castle. A scientist's potion reveals old secrets. And a street magician has one last trick up his sleeve. Beloved storyteller Jim Weiss retells these spooky tales from Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rudyard Kipling, and Oscar Wilde.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In her best-known work, "The Yellow Wallpaper", Gilman writes about different kinds of oppression that women were exposed to at the time. Women were patronized and treated as mentally weak and fragile. They were believed to be prone to many "nervous conditions" and particularly hysteria. Enjoy this timeless classic!

The early fiction of one of the nation’s most celebrated writers, Truman Capote, as he takes his first bold steps into the canon of American literature Recently rediscovered in the archives of the New York Public Library, these short stories provide an unparalleled look at Truman Capote...

The incomparable Ray Bradbury is in the driver's seat, off on 21 unforgettable excursions through fantasy, time, and memory, and there are surprises waiting around every curve and behind each mile marker. The journey promises to be a memorable one.

Pendant l'été 1980, Marguerite Duras écrit des chroniques hebdomadaires sur "l’actualité parallèle" pour le journal Libération. Elle décide de les publier en livre. Depuis son appartement des Roches Noires, au-dessus de la plage de Trouville, elle décrit des anecdotes choisies, typiques de la vie balnéaire. Un jour, elle voit au loin un enfant marchant aux côtés d'une monitrice de colonie de vacances.