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  American Short Story The -...

  Mark Twain, Henry James, Kate...

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  The American literary tradition has, in a far shorter span of time than others throughout history, achieved a glowing and glittering reputation. 
   
  From its transatlantic roots it has absorbed the sons and daughters of other cultures, other lands and made them part of her own. 
   
  America prides itself on liberty, on justice for all and, if you are a wealthy white man, that is essentially true.  Sadly, many other segments of society find it difficult to feel or become part of this endeavour. 
   
  Within this chronological history of the American short story, that prejudice has helped shape the borders of those two endless questions about any anthology.  Why that story? Why that Author? 
   
  We made some hard choices.  We start with Uriah Derrick Dárcy, an unlikely American name and, to all intents, it appears to be a pseudonym, about whom little is known or can be verified. He leads our literary parade.  From here leviathans appear on a regular basis; Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, Twain but also note how many women are here and not just Stowe, Alcott and Chopin.  Women’s status as writers is often neglected or undervalued, predominantly due to their second-class social status throughout much of history but their stories, their angles of approach to writing are both expertly crafted and refreshing.   
   
  Another stain on the social and cultural fabric of American has been that of Race.  Black people were harshly and unfairly treated as a matter of course.  The Civil War may have opened the door but in reality little changed.  The majority of the stories included here written by black authors are disturbing in the wrongs they were accused of, and the burdens they were forced to carry.  This eye-opening literature enables us to once more take stock and applaud and bring some glimmers of recognition to their struggles and their art.  
   
  There are some authors, liberally sprinkled throughout, both male and female who may previously have escaped your attention.  Enjoy them.  Adore them.  Make them part of your everyday reading and listening.  These forgotten voices are fine examples both of their craft, their art, and their take on society as it was then. 
   
  In the period we cover from the late 18th Century, around the time of the American Revolution, up until the catastrophe of World War 2, the printing press was creating a market to share words.  With industrialization and a large swathe of people eager to be distracted from hard working lives, a plethora of magazines and periodicals shot up, all clamoring for works to publish, to share those words, to introduce new ideas and explain how some of us view ourselves and each other.  Some of these authors were only published that way, one story wonders—hitched to the fading star of a disposable periodical.   
   
  And, of course, the elephant in the room was the English.  In its early days US copyright law was non-existent and didn’t recognise anyone else’s.  Publishers were free to take the talents of Dickens or Trollope and freely print it without permission or coin.   Competing against that, gave you a decided disadvantage. 
   
  Within these stories you will also find very occasional examples of historical prejudice.  A few words here and there which in today’s world some may find inappropriate or even offensive.  It is not our intention to make anyone uncomfortable but to show that the world in order to change must reconcile itself to the actual truth rather than put it out of sight.  Context is everything, both to understand and to illuminate the path forward.  The author’s words are set, our reaction to them encourages our change. 
   
  Within this melting pot of styles, genres and wordplay one fact stands out: The American short story Literary tradition has a strong, vibrant and almost inclusive history, if you know where to look.  Which is here

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  HorrorBabble's Night Terrors -...

  Arthur J. Burks, Henry Kuttner,...

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  A collection of stories exploring the struggles of the unconcious mind. 
  Contents: 
  Vale of the Corbies by Arthur J. Burks (Weird Tales, 1925) 
  Dreams of an unkindness of ravens. 
  A Dream of Red Hands by Bram Stoker (The Sketch, 1894) 
  The sad tale of a man plagued by terrible nightmares. 
  Thirteen Phantasms by Clark Ashton Smith (The Fantasy Magazine, 1936) 
  A series of strange visions torment a sick man. 
  The Lady in Gray by Donald Wandrei (Weird Tales, 1933) 
  A strange woman and a loathsome gray slug. 
  The Crawling Chaos by H. P. Lovecraft (Beyond the Wall of Sleep, 1943) 
  The consequences of dabbling with opium. 
  The Watcher at the Door by Henry Kuttner (Weird Tales, 1939) 
  The horrible dreams of a man called Edward Keene. 
  The Man in the Tree by Ian Gordon (That Time of the Night, 2023) 
  A boy visited by a strange figure in a tree overlooking his bedroom window. 
  What Waits in Darkness by Loretta Burrough (Weird Tales, 1935) 
  A dreadful recurrent dream. 
  A Vignette by M. R. James (The London Mercury, 1936) 
  Nightmares connected to a haunted plantation. 
  The Dream Snake by Robert E. Howard (Weird Tales, 1928) 
  A terrified individual recounts the details of a recurring nightmare.

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  Sticky Fingers: The Complete...

  JT Lawrence

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  **All 6 books (72 short stories) now in one bumper binge-worthy edition.** 
  If you're a fan of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" or Roald Dahl's short stories, you'll love these addictive and unsettling stories with a twist in the tale. 
  Light horror meets psychological suspense in these deliciously bite-sized tales. Perfect for life's in-between moments, or staying up late bingeing them all. 
  ESCAPE 
  A suicidal baby knows he was born into the wrong life. He has to get creative to correct the mistake, much to his mother's horror. 
  THE ITCH 
  An intense, uncontrollable, unexplainable itch lands the protagonist in a mental institution. 
  BRIDGE GATE 
  In this poignant and charming short story, a daughter yearns to connect with her absent father through the letters they exchange. She's not put off by his pedantic corrections of her writing, despite the slow reveal that he is less than perfect himself. 
  THE UNSUSPECTING GOLD-DIGGER 
  A woman gradually poisons her husband so that she doesn't have to break his heart. 
  *** 
  ★★★★★ "Lawrence makes every word count, telling each story with elegance and emotional punch.” — Patsy Hennessey 
  ★★★★★ "JT Lawrence is the queen of short stories." — Dora Bona 
  ★★★★★ "Each story is masterfully constructed ... Humorous, touching, creepy, but most of all entertaining, this collection is superb." — Tracy Michelle Anderson 
  *** 
  If you're a fan of Roald Dahl or Gillian Flynn, you'll love these unsettling stories with a twist in the tale. 
  Are you ready to stay up all night with USA Today bestselling author JT Lawrence? 
  Click now to start reading. 
  "Sticky Fingers" has been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Hindi.

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  The Girl Next Door

  Elizabeth Noble

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  A gorgeous and unforgettable novel set in a turn-of-the-century New York apartment building on the Upper East Side, The Girl Next Door features four interwoven stories about love, life and living together. This emotional read is full of fascinating characters.

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  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

  Washington Irving

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  The quiet Dutch community of Sleepy Hollow lay in the Adirondack mountains on the western shore of the mighty Hudson River in America’s colonial period. The solitude of the woods was breathtaking, and not even a schoolmaster was immune from the eerie miasma which everyone knew permeated the dense forest. 
  Written in 1820, Washington Irving’s The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow has become a classic of American literature, and has been retold in many different ways. Here is the original, from Irving’s own hand.

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  The Murders in the Rue Morgue

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been recognized as the first detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination". C. Auguste Dupin is a man in Paris who solves the mystery of the brutal murder of two women. Numerous witnesses heard a suspect, though no one agrees on what language was spoken. At the murder scene, Dupin finds a hair that does not appear to be human. Writing the first true detective in fiction, Poe's Dupin originated many literary conventions which would be used in future fictional detectives including Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Many later characters, for example, follow Poe's model of the brilliant detective, his personal friend who serves as narrator, and the final revelation being presented before the reasoning that leads up to it. Dupin himself reappears in "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" and "The Purloined Letter"

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