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“The Man from the Nose” is a short story from the civilian section of Ambrose Bierce’s In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. Like the other tales from this collection, “The Man from the Nose” features a protagonist who is in the prime of his life, when a sudden event shatters his hopes and dreams. As with the rest of the Bierce's stories, the questions and characters presented in “The Man from the Nose” will remain on your mind long after you have stopped listening.

Given "The Suitable Surroundings", can a person be scared to death? The answer is yes, according to Ambrose Bierce: Skepticism must occasionally apologize to truth. Once again Ambrose Bierce weaves a tale that, even under present-day conditions, is indeed frightening.

Harker Brayton accepts an offer from an associate to stay at his house. We and Brayton learn that his friend's home is also home to numerous serpents. In fact, a wing of the house - the "Snakery" - is full of the cold blooded creatures, which have been known to wander.

"Parker Addison, Philosopher" is short story number nine from the collected works of Ambrose Bierce volume 2. Three men die as one of them philosophizes about his pending execution.

Ambrose Bierce is a wordsmith who paints with a marvelous portrait with words. This short story with its surprise ending draws you in like a month to the flame. The story itself is entertaining, but with a surprise ending one is drawn to rethinking the story, and re-reading again. The American Civil War where brother fought brother father fought son is well represented in this story. After the Civil War Pierce became a journalist in San Francisco, and was a prolific producer of short stories.

Short story number fourfrom "The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce is a short fiction, "A Son of the Gods" a story for which the American Civil War furnished the dramatic setting. It is a masterpiece of power of description subtlety of touch, and literary finish. Why would a Lieut. ride a white horse in front of the enemy lines drawing their fire and admiration in an act of insanity or unparalleled heroism.

This guide is for you if you see yourself as someone who needs a bit of help becoming more social in today's society. If you feel uncomfortable being in social situations, then this guide can help you get started on the path towards social success.

Sinclair Lewis’ George F. Babbitt is a complicated and conflicted character. When you think you have his next move figured out, he surprises you. As you begin to like him, he does something to evoke the “what a rat” response. Male menopause wasn’t a pre-Great Depression term, but you could say George has all the symptoms....

From Boston to Liverpool in a little over four hours? Jules Verne tells us how it might be done.

In this missive Ambrose Bierce recounts two days in his life, April 6 and April 7, 1862, perhaps the two most significant days of his life. He and over 100,000 other combatants have gathered about a small church near the town of Corinth, "a wretched place--the capital of a swamp, two days' march west of the Tennessee River". The church is Shiloh, and it will lend its name to the great battle that took place there.

Volume 19 of the Tom Swift series, Tom Swift and his Big Tunnel finds our hero in Peru, South America, along with his friends, Koku the Giant and Mr. Damon blasting his way to the Andes Mountains using a new explosive developed by the young inventor. Of course there are plenty of thrills in this volume. What would you expect with an explosive more powerful than dynamite, and dealing with a new set of villains.

Ambrose Bierce, a veteran of the Civil War and writer of note, had a fascination with death and PTSD as a result of his war experience. "One of the Missing" follows Private Jerome Searing, an Army scout, as he goes behind enemy lines. In today's military, Searing would probably be in the Navy Seals or Army Special Forces. He was good at his job, and his job was soldiering.

"The Coup de Grâce" a short story by Ambrose Bierce, himself a troubled veteran of the American Civil War, details a fictional situation, which may be based on some truth. An act so humane and yet so repugnant it would not be spoken of. War is unglamorous and ugly.

Born in the Yukon, White Fang is a Wolf, or mostly Wolf - his father was a Wolf, his mother was half dog, but for all intents and purposes it was a Wolf. He looked like Wolf, fought like a Wolf, and thought like a Wolf. Early in his cubhood he was captured by an Indian, and raised as a sled dog, the Wolf nearly beaten out of him, but not quite. Subjected to human brutality and a very little human kindness he becomes a deadly fighter until rescued by a wise and kindly man. A heartwarming story.

Long before the Internet, mass media, or radio, it is estimated that Charles H. Spurgeon (1834 - 1892) appeared before more than 10 million people. Known as the "Prince of Preachers" Spurgeon, he remains influential today among Christians of many denominations. Taken from "Evening by Evening (Readings at Eventide)" these are the selected readings for February.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic short story of a man born in his 70s who ages backward as those around him age in the normal direction. Both humorous and heartbreaking at times, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was the basis for the David Fincher movie of the same name, though the movie differs in several key ways from Fitzgerald's original story.

This work identifies some of the masks worn by the sociopath, when he happens to be employed as a professor.

From Tales of Soldiers and Civilians - In the Midst of Life, this, the second tale of the "Civilians" section, takes us into the paranormal as the protagonist becomes a witness to a possible murder. But is it murder when an individual has such power over another individual as to cause their own death?

Ambrose Bierce participated in one of the bloodiest wars in American history, and though he survived, the war haunted him the rest of his life. Today we have a name for the demon that haunts many of those "more fortunate" who survive: post-traumatic stress disorder. In World War I and World War II they called it shell-shocked. The battle of Chickamauga was surpassed in casualties only by the battle of Gettysburg.

Tom Swift and His Air Glider by Victor Appleton, volume 12 of the Tom Swift series, takes our hero to Siberia in search of a long lost platinum mine. In order to accomplish this, the young inventor invents an "air glider" that (don't try this at home) operates best in a hurricane. In this episode instead of his arch rival Andy Foger, the Czarists provide the intrigue as they attempt to capture Tom and his friends.