Ambrose Bierce

Author profile

born

in Meigs County, Ohio, The United States

June 24, 1842

gender

male

genre

Short Stories, Nonfiction, Poetry

About this author

edit data

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary.

The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."

Despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow.

Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descr...more

combine editions
Ambrose Bierce's Books

Average rating: 4.05 · 18,258 ratings · 1,215 reviews · 479 distinct works · Similar authors

	An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 5,647 ratings — published 1890 — 36 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, David E. Schultz (Editor), S.T. Joshi (Editor) 4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 avg rating — 4,409 ratings — published 1911 — 178 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce by Ambrose Bierce, E.F. Bleiler (Editor) 4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 1,120 ratings — published 1964 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce by Ambrose Bierce, Ernest J. Hopkins (Editor), Ernest Jerome Hopkins (Editor) 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 671 ratings — published 1971 — 9 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce, Candace Ward (Editor) 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 322 ratings — published 1988 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories by Ambrose Bierce (Author), Susan L. Rattiner (Editor; with a biographical note) 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 219 ratings — published 1890 — 14 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Great Ghost Stories by Ambrose Bierce (Editor), E.G. Swain, Charles Dickens 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 116 ratings — published 1992 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales of Soldiers and Civilians by Ambrose Bierce, Tom Quirk (editor) 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 128 ratings — published 1891 — 24 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil's Dictionary and Other Works by Ambrose Bierce (Author), Gahan Wilson (Illustrator) 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 1991	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 93 ratings — published 1967	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Ambrose Bierce…

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Quotes by Ambrose Bierce

“The covers of this book are too far apart.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: books, criticism, humor, wit

1,257 people liked it

“Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

tags: insanity, love, marriage

1,233 people liked it

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: anger, anger-management, remaining-silent

724 people liked it

See all Ambrose Bierce's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Book Challenge: Michelle Kay's Reads 2009	4	572	17. April, 00:42 Uhr
College Students! : Michelle Kay's 2009 Reads	7	259	06. Mai, 21:12 Uhr
Happy & Brain...: * Politics – everyone may post	291	266	12. September, 18:33 Uhr
Glens Falls (NY) ...: "That's telling 'em!" - Great comebacks	9	22	29. September, 10:14 Uhr
Genealogy: Chapter 6: American Burial Customs and Folkways	7	16	15. Dezember, 14:11 Uhr
Between the Lines: 50 Books in 2009	62	249	31. Dezember, 11:16 Uhr
College Students! : The REAL Official School Year Challenge 09	97	1167	04. Februar, 17:14 Uhr

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Ambrose to Goodreads.