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Classic American Short Stories
Five great American short story writers, dating from the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth centuries are represented here. Different in atmosphere and writing style, they nevertheless caught the mood and concerns of the day in a way that was distinctly American. Bierce's 'An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge' leaves echoes in the imagination; the stories by Crane and London recall the themes of the Civil War and the Klondike for which they are well known. Twain's humour is to the fore in 'The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' and O. Henry's sharp observation makes his neat tales a joy to listen to.
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First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 13, 2025
9 short stories by various American authors.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce. a Confederate sympathizer is caught attempting to sabotage a Union bridge; he is to be hanged. in his final moments, he thinks of his wife and child and the cold water below him...the board is released, the rope tightens at his throat, but then—it breaks. he is plunged into the river, struggles to shore, and wandering for hours sees the lights of his home again...5 Stars.
The Veteran, Stephen Crane. a sequel as it were to The Red Badge of Courage. old Civil war veteran Henry Fleming has lived to tell his war stories amongst his friends and neighbors. he admits, to his young grandson's horror, the fear he felt in battle. the next night the old veteran's barn is set alight....Fleming runs in again and again, rescuing his livestock. as the timbers crash down in flame, the colts are remembered, left in the barn. the veteran runs in one more time, and the roof finally collapses. 3 stars.
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain. A reread. i'd forgotten how funny this story is. a gambler who'd put money on anything and a frog who can jump remarkably high....what can go wrong? 4 stars.
O. Henry:
After Twenty Years. i feel i must have read this before at some point as it was so familiar. a man waits on a lonely street corner after dark; a beat cop happens by and asks his business. the stranger is waiting, he says, for a friend he hasn't seen in 20 years...when they'd parted they'd agreed to meet after 2 decades on that very spot. a little later the stranger is arrested and handed a note...it's O. Henry, so of course there is a twist. 3 stars.
A Retrieved Information. a bank robber, the best in the business, comes to a small town one day, meets a girl, and gives up his life of crime. some time later, engaged, prosperous, and respected, an accident occurs that threatens to uncover his past. a very sweet ending. 4.5 stars.
While the Auto Waits. a wealthy young lady is approached in the park by a humble shop clerk. they begin to converse; the lady sighs over the frivolities and tiresomeness of the high-class life, while the young man listens in sympathetic appreciation. when it is time for them to go their separate ways,
The Last Leaf. also a reread. when Johnsy falls very ill one winter, she makes up her mind to die when the last leaf has fallen off the ivy that grows outside her window. finally, only one leaf remains...but despite the wind and rain, it refuses to fall. Johnsy gradually regains the will to live, even as a tenderhearted old artist on the floor below quietly dies after completing his masterpiece. 4.5 stars.
Makes the Whole World Kin. a burglar breaks into a house one night only to discover a strange camaraderie: both men have an arthritis unrelieved by any remedy. in the end the burglary is called off and the two men go out for a drink. 3 stars.
Brown Wolf, Jack London. a sled dog, hungry and wandering the countryside, is taken in by an affectionate couple and named Wolf. when a man from the Yukon comes to town he recognizes the dog as his own Brown, his best dog whom he'd raised from a pup. neither master wants to give up Brown Wolf, and so the decision falls to the dog himself. i'm not Jack London's biggest fan, but the story wasn't bad. 3 stars.
despite some lower ratings i'm giving this collection 5 stars because it kept me very entertained.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce. a Confederate sympathizer is caught attempting to sabotage a Union bridge; he is to be hanged. in his final moments, he thinks of his wife and child and the cold water below him...the board is released, the rope tightens at his throat, but then—it breaks. he is plunged into the river, struggles to shore, and wandering for hours sees the lights of his home again...5 Stars.
The Veteran, Stephen Crane. a sequel as it were to The Red Badge of Courage. old Civil war veteran Henry Fleming has lived to tell his war stories amongst his friends and neighbors. he admits, to his young grandson's horror, the fear he felt in battle. the next night the old veteran's barn is set alight....Fleming runs in again and again, rescuing his livestock. as the timbers crash down in flame, the colts are remembered, left in the barn. the veteran runs in one more time, and the roof finally collapses. 3 stars.
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain. A reread. i'd forgotten how funny this story is. a gambler who'd put money on anything and a frog who can jump remarkably high....what can go wrong? 4 stars.
O. Henry:
After Twenty Years. i feel i must have read this before at some point as it was so familiar. a man waits on a lonely street corner after dark; a beat cop happens by and asks his business. the stranger is waiting, he says, for a friend he hasn't seen in 20 years...when they'd parted they'd agreed to meet after 2 decades on that very spot. a little later the stranger is arrested and handed a note...it's O. Henry, so of course there is a twist. 3 stars.
A Retrieved Information. a bank robber, the best in the business, comes to a small town one day, meets a girl, and gives up his life of crime. some time later, engaged, prosperous, and respected, an accident occurs that threatens to uncover his past. a very sweet ending. 4.5 stars.
While the Auto Waits. a wealthy young lady is approached in the park by a humble shop clerk. they begin to converse; the lady sighs over the frivolities and tiresomeness of the high-class life, while the young man listens in sympathetic appreciation. when it is time for them to go their separate ways,
The Last Leaf. also a reread. when Johnsy falls very ill one winter, she makes up her mind to die when the last leaf has fallen off the ivy that grows outside her window. finally, only one leaf remains...but despite the wind and rain, it refuses to fall. Johnsy gradually regains the will to live, even as a tenderhearted old artist on the floor below quietly dies after completing his masterpiece. 4.5 stars.
Makes the Whole World Kin. a burglar breaks into a house one night only to discover a strange camaraderie: both men have an arthritis unrelieved by any remedy. in the end the burglary is called off and the two men go out for a drink. 3 stars.
Brown Wolf, Jack London. a sled dog, hungry and wandering the countryside, is taken in by an affectionate couple and named Wolf. when a man from the Yukon comes to town he recognizes the dog as his own Brown, his best dog whom he'd raised from a pup. neither master wants to give up Brown Wolf, and so the decision falls to the dog himself. i'm not Jack London's biggest fan, but the story wasn't bad. 3 stars.
despite some lower ratings i'm giving this collection 5 stars because it kept me very entertained.
December 9, 2020
A nice reminder that those short stories they forced you to read in middle school were actually pretty good.
June 12, 2011
This audiobook had excellent readers and a good selection of short stories, but it should really be called "O. Henry and Friends" because five of the nine tales are by him. Here's what's inside:
1. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce (1890) - A Civil War ear hanging takes an odd turn in a story that is strangely modern in it's tweaking of time line and perspective. Five out of five stars.
2. "The Veteran" by Stephen Crane (1896) - An elderly war vet's story disappoints his grandson and then shows amazing courage later that night. Four out of five.
3. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain (1865) - Wanna learn how to rig a frog-jumping contest? This far-too-aggressive story-teller does. Three out of five stars.
4. "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry (1904) - Keeping a date made two decades earlier was not in the main character's best interest. Five out of five.
5. "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry (1928) - A former safe cracker puts his criminal tools to good use, which an old acquaintance notices. Four out of five.
6. "While the Auto Waits" by O. Henry (1908?) - A romantic encounter in the park proves looks can be deceiving. Four out of five.
7. "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry (1907) - A woman is convinced she'll die as soon as the last leaf on the wall outside her window falls, but a friend has other ideas. Five out of five.
8. "Makes the Whole World Kin" by O. Henry (1911) - A burglar's evening takes an usual turn. Five out of five.
9. "Brown Wolf" by Jack London (1906) - What if man's best friend had more than one friend himself? Four out of five.
1. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce (1890) - A Civil War ear hanging takes an odd turn in a story that is strangely modern in it's tweaking of time line and perspective. Five out of five stars.
2. "The Veteran" by Stephen Crane (1896) - An elderly war vet's story disappoints his grandson and then shows amazing courage later that night. Four out of five.
3. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain (1865) - Wanna learn how to rig a frog-jumping contest? This far-too-aggressive story-teller does. Three out of five stars.
4. "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry (1904) - Keeping a date made two decades earlier was not in the main character's best interest. Five out of five.
5. "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry (1928) - A former safe cracker puts his criminal tools to good use, which an old acquaintance notices. Four out of five.
6. "While the Auto Waits" by O. Henry (1908?) - A romantic encounter in the park proves looks can be deceiving. Four out of five.
7. "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry (1907) - A woman is convinced she'll die as soon as the last leaf on the wall outside her window falls, but a friend has other ideas. Five out of five.
8. "Makes the Whole World Kin" by O. Henry (1911) - A burglar's evening takes an usual turn. Five out of five.
9. "Brown Wolf" by Jack London (1906) - What if man's best friend had more than one friend himself? Four out of five.
February 27, 2019
This five hour audiobook is a collection of 17 stories by seven different authors. All of them were written more than a hundred years ago. Half of them were written by O. Henry and the others were written by Mark Twain, Anbrose Bierce, Stephen Crane, Jack London and Kate Chopin. I enjoyed all of the stories and was surprised that most of them have an unexpected ending. All but Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" were new to me.
I downloaded this audiobook through the free SYNC audiobook program for young adults in 2016. The stories are a good introduction to late nineteenth and early twentieth century American short stories.
I downloaded this audiobook through the free SYNC audiobook program for young adults in 2016. The stories are a good introduction to late nineteenth and early twentieth century American short stories.
May 8, 2025
As someone who knows little about American literature, I found these stories a good introduction to writers who might be worth investigating: war and violence seem to be among the main themes of the tales but O'Henry's stories, for example, are entertaining and occasionally amusing. The best story in my view was 'Brown Wolf' and I would certainly consider reading more by Jack London.
December 17, 2019
I understand these stories are classics, but except for the Jack London story and the Osage Bridge one, they seemed a little predictable. I'm not super skilled and reading fiction, so it is something I will practice more of.
July 15, 2018
Very well done audio book of classic short stories.
October 6, 2020
🤤😴 Zzzzzzzzzz soooooo boring
July 9, 2024
Some are so interesting and I don’t know why some short stories were even written.
September 12, 2009
All five are classics authors from an older period of the American short story. Their tales seem to have been chosen for the importance of voice; Crane's "The Veteran" is controlled more by the titular veteran's dialogue than by the third person narration, Twain's "Jumping Frog" is a first person account with almost painful attention to the way people talk, dialogue is essential to O. Henry's entries, and even Bierce's story gropes for character and survival in a way that penetrates the third person. William Roberts brings them to life, accentuating Bierce's desperation, Twain's wry humor and all the different plots of Henry. O. Henry is overrepresented with five stories to everyone else's one, and despite them being shorter they are hardly that much better than what can be found in the halls of Twain. It may be that Henry benefits from it simply because he isn't read as often as peers like Twain and London. Regardless, all five are authors one ought to read, and given the run time is below three hours, this an excellent introduction to the American short story.
November 22, 2016
This was a decent short-story collection with some classic American authors.
Stories include:
1. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
2. The Veteran by Stephen Crane
3. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
4. After Twenty Years by O. Henry
5. A Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry
6. While the Auto Waits by O. Henry
7. The Last Leaf by O. Henry
8. Makes the Whole World Kin by O. Henry
9. Brown Wolf by Jack London
Stories include:
1. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
2. The Veteran by Stephen Crane
3. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
4. After Twenty Years by O. Henry
5. A Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry
6. While the Auto Waits by O. Henry
7. The Last Leaf by O. Henry
8. Makes the Whole World Kin by O. Henry
9. Brown Wolf by Jack London
August 28, 2016
This collection of short stories were all well written, but as an audiobook it was difficult. Because the stories are short every detail counts, which means the reader has to pay attention. This is sometimes hard to do with audiobooks as I tend to space out at times. With longer text this isn't usually a big deal, but with shorter pieces it interfered in understanding the basics of the story.
July 19, 2011
Listened to this as an audio book from the library. Short stories are great to listen to on a walk, working in the yard, cleaning house...I only got so far as the O'Henry ones and enjoyed them thoroughly!
August 22, 2016
Great collection of American short story, heavy on the O. Henry, which was a delight for me since I am most familiar with "The gift of the Magi" and had not read or heard the others. SYNC audio did a great job of choosing this title as a summer download!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews