Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories

by Ambrose Bierce, Peter Yearsley (Narrator)

Ambrose Bierce: satirist, critic, poet, short story writer and journalist. His fiction showed a clean economical style often sprinkled with subtle cynical comments on human behaviour. Nothing is known of his death, as he went missing while an observer with Pancho Villa’s army in 1913/14.

The Ways of Ghosts: Stories of encounters with the ghosts of the dead and dying. The spirits of the dead reach out to the living, to pass on a message or to pursue a killer.

Contents (with beginning time):
Present at a Hanging (02:06)
A Cold Greeting (07:07)
A Wireless Message (11:15)
An Arrest (17:04)

Soldier Folk: Oddities of death and life; from a man who finds that his death is uncertain, through the effects of war on the family, duty that survives death, to the memory of revenge.

Contents (with beginning time):
A Man with Two Lives (00:31)
Three and One are One (06:23)
A Baffled Ambuscade (14:18)
Two Military Executions (19:45)

Some Haunted Houses – Part One: Encounters of the living with the spirits of the dead who have been bound into buildings. An old man revenges himself; a journalist investigates a haunted house; and the quivering vine that tangles the face of a deserted home.

Contents (with beginning time):
The Isle of Pines (00:31)
A Fruitless Assignment (10:39)
A Vine on a House (17:54)

Some Haunted Houses – Part Two: Houses where the living are never seen again, memories of the mortuary live on, and a murdered man wanders through.

Contents (with beginning time):
At Old Man Eckert’s (00:30)
The Spook House (06:36)
The Other Lodgers (16:04)
The Thing at Nolan (21:50)

Mysterious Disappearances: Three short tales of men who have vanished living their ordinary lives, sometimes in full view of witnesses; plus a short, probably fictional, description of a theory to partly explain these events.

Contents (with beginning time):
The Difficulty of Crossing a Field (00:32)
An Unfinished Race (05:18)
Charles Ashmore’s Trail (07:50)
Science to the Front (12:23)

(Summaries by Peter Yearsley)

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Ghosts

120 pages, Audiobook

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

died perhaps 1914

Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.

People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.

The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."

People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.

Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.

Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.

Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A peddler probably was murdered at a remote farm. How did the reverend find this out? What was Old Baker's role? A short but very creepy Bierce story with a nice twist. Recommended!

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was full of some very good stories. They are good for a small scare, but not ones that will give nightmares.

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 αστεράκια με το ζόρι. Πολλές προσδοκίες δημιούργησε η περίληψη του συγκεκριμένου βιβλίου, νομίζω, για να αποδειχτεί τελικά "μάπα το καρπούζι". Έψαχνα στο κάθε διήγημα να βρω τον τρόμο που θα με κρατούσε ξάγρυπνη τα βράδια, αλλά δεν τον βρήκα πουθενά. Βέβαια οπωσδήποτε με βοήθησε χθες βράδυ να κοιμηθώ μια ώρα αρχύτερα. Αν δεν το βρείτε δανεικό από φίλο ή σε κάποια δημοτική βιβλιοθήκη, μην μπείτε καν στον κόπο να ξοδευτείτε. Δεν αξίζει.

[Amy (Other Amy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this way too fast and will have to go back to it, but I can't say that is a chore. This brief little morsel is well worth the read and is available free from several locations, including Project Gutenberg. Published in 1913 (the same year its author disappeared on the Mexican border), this volume collects several of Bierce's ghost stories, with a brief frame from Bierce that delights by wading into the science fiction end of the pool. The stories are repetitive, but the author's signature biting understatement is present throughout. The whole experience would probably be better if you stretch it out a bit, one story an evening, say, instead of gulping it down like I did. Highly recommended.

[Zain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why Did Ambrose Bierce Disappear?

Not a word of dismay. Not a word of desolation. Discomfort, dejection, distress or despondency!

What I have to say instead is I’m euphoric, ecstatic, exulted and elated!

The stories are horrifying, horrendous, hair-raising and hideous!

These ghost stories will leave you thinking. Make sure the lights are on while reading and stay away from haunted houses.

They may have been written one hundred years ago, but people are still disappearing....I’m just saying...

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

most of these I have read before but hey! it's Ambrose Bierce! worth reading over & over.

[Holmlock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bierce at his best, though not bad either. The ghost stories here are all told in a very matter-of-fact kind of way. This doesn't lend itself well to the telling of a ghost story, as it just about eliminates any chance of creating the accompanying horror such stories should elicit. His straightforward tone fails to create any kind of atmosphere and in the end the stories aren't dissimilar to that of newspaper articles. However, lacking in mood they may be, they still have some interesting concepts and aren't without worth. That being said, there are much better ghost story collections out there which I'd recommend over this. It's not bad, but don't go in expecting M.R. James. Nor expect the quality of Bierce's other, far greater, ghost story collection “Can Such Things Be?”.

2 ½ stars

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These read more like collected tales. Like someone interviewed people about their ghostly experiences, and these stories are what they told him. There's just not much effort, I guess.

Some of them are really creepy though.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bierce's eerie tales of mystery. I have an audio version which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Theresahpir · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not a book that would be of interest to everyone, I found Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories to be a wonderfully delightful collection of spooky stories set around the Civil War era. Each story was short and to the point, not relying on a lot of convoluted and unnecessary details and imagery to...enhance...the reader's experience.

It's an interesting way of presenting this collection of ghost stories. In what comes across as a journalistic presentation of facts, as opposed to flowery story-telling, these tales are very hard to distinguish whether or not they are actually fictitious or not! In fact, I've actually seen several of the tales (or those with identical motifs) presented in other works as works of non-fiction. I'm still confused as to whether or not this was a non-fiction collection or simply a collection of completely made up tales presented in a way as to come across as real ghost stories. Maybe its a mixture of both?

Either way, I loved the collection despite it being slightly repetitive in some aspects ( I mean, how many reasons are there for a ghost to come back? hehehehe). The short length makes it perfect to read a story at a time, or to marathon read it on a dark and stormy night. If you appreciate classic tales of the paranormal, you won't be disappointed.

[Simon Cleveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short collection is guaranteed to make you feel eerie in those cold, dark nights when you stayed home alone to read. But then again how else to savor these stories? Here is a pointer. Get your hands on a copy of this book sometime around mid-day Friday. Blow off your friends for the night and go straight home. Wait until the daylight is just a memory and then sit with this book on your favorite old chair, preferably near a window, and delve into it with only the nightstand light on. Take time reading each page, relish each word, don't pay attention to the creepy scratching on you window, or the squeaking in the other rooms, it's all just in your mind. Whether you'll remember about the serial murders in the book, or the ghostly apparitions- it won't matter. What'll matter is how you experience reading about them...give it a try, be brave...

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to a Librivox audio recording of this book when commuting on the train. The ghost stories were short, simple, subtle, not overly dramatic or sensationalized - and eerily spooky for that.

If I had read them on a dark, windy night, or as a child, I think I would have been so crept out by their weird surreality that I would've been kept from sleeping.

...As it was 6am and I'd been up since five, I had little trouble dozing on the train.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent collection of ghost stories that can be read in a very short period of time. Some of the stories end with a nice twist that leave you with chills, but the majority of them are repetitive and end far too abruptly, leaving you to wonder what the purpose of the story even was. Many of them felt like unfinished drafts for what could be turned into much better stories. Not bad if you have an hour or two to kill though.

[teleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But I had in my pocket a photograph of Barting, which had been inclosed in the letter from his widow. It had been taken a week before his death, and was without a mustache."

It was super easy to fall in love with this book. The simple tones used throughout the stories are beautiful. I especially love the background information, and then, in the last sentence, there is your horror. The building up doesn't seem as though it is happening, and I love it.

I was shocked at how thin the book as, around 40 pages, and thought this could be a slight downside, but NO! I love the skinniness because of the short stories! It feels so cute and is a beautiful short read!

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightfully spooky. I especially liked 'A Wireless Message', 'The Spook House', and 'The Other lodgers'.

[Richie Kercenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another ghost story which Bierce had centered round the principle of guilt and punishment. A peddler was murdered by a farmer in the latter's property. Years afterwards, his punishment is brought home at the hands of his victim, or not..
The ghost of the peddler was merely witnessed by the narrator at the spot where the farmer had died. Whether the latter had killed himself out of remorse, or was executed by the ghost of his victim remains a mystery.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambrose Bierce was a contemporary of Mark Twain but much more acerbic and less prolific. I'm not sure how to describe his style - I think it's something you either like or you don't. I do. After reading M.R. James's Collected Ghost Stories, I felt in the mood for more and read this one. A world of difference. Where James is florid and Victorian, Bierce is terse and American. But both write good stories. These are exceptionally short, some only a few paragraphs. But some of the shortest ones pack the biggest punch. Beirce purports to have gotten the stories from a man whose veracity he can't vouch for. Yet he says that the inquiries he has done appear to support the stories. Most of them deal with disappearances. My favorite concerns a reporter sent to stay overnight in a reportedly haunted house. He has an experience with a severed head which I won't go into detail about because that's the best part. In conclusion, Bierce expounds on what could cause the disappearances and suggests Dr. Hem's theory may account for it (remember, this is all made up!). Hem believes there may be spaces through which we can fall (like black holes)and never come back. Nothing can escape: not light, not sound.

I enjoyed Bierce's attempts. Several of the stories deal with horror ideas I've not seen before - see A Vine on a House.

The stories are short and sweet, and, if you are a Bierce fan, worth adding to your collection.

[Grace Harwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed reading this short volume of ghost stories from Ambrose Bierce. Again (as in The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter) there is that famous Gothic trope of distancing himself as the author from the tales by stating that they have been told to him as true and the reader is not to question too much as to explanations. However, something akin to an explanation is attempted at the end with Dr. Hem's theory of "cavities" in the earth being as "Space is pervaded by luminiferous ether..." which enables people/entities to disappear. It's not much of an explanation, it's true, to a modern reader, but it's a bit like the old theory that there was a tropical paradise at the North Pole, if only the explorers could get through the ice to find it(!) It's always interesting to read these formerly held theories, which were based on ignorance and guesswork, because nobody actually really knew what the answers were.

The stories are a bit samey - lots of folk appearing after they'd been murdered - not to do much other than stand around and look gory it seems. Also lots of people disappearing in plain sight (perhaps swallowed up by luminiferous ether...). It's interesting to read in the context of what actually happened to the author at the end of his life - he disappeared without a trace... Spooky...

[Arax Miltiadous · Rating 3 out of 5]

εχμ ναι...
" Συμβαίνει...
... και στους πιο Επιφυλακτικούς!"
Αυτό θα προσέθετα στο τέλος του βιβλίου, συνοδευόμενο με την ανατριχιαστική φώτο του Bierce και ένα σκίτσο σαρδόνιου χαμόγελου.
Το βιβλίο, όπως προϊδεάζει και ο τίτλος, περιλαμβάνει διηγήματα.
Διηγήματα σκοτεινά, με μια αρχαϊκή πνοή επαρχιώτικου μυστηρίου να τα διέπει, εμπνευσμένα ή ακόμη και βασισμένα σε ρεαλιστικότατα συμβάντα.
Παραδέχομαι ότι χρειάστηκε να διαβάσω όλο το " Συμβαίνει και στους πιο ρεαλιστές", την πρώτη υποενότητα δηλαδή, για να καταφέρω να αφοσιωθώ στον απλό, δημοσιογραφικό χαρακτήρα της γραφής του και αυτό τον ακατέργαστα ρεαλιστικό τρόμο που πραγματευόταν.. Αφού κερδήθηκε η αφοσίωση, ε μετά με ρούφηξε μέχρι το μεδούλι..
Είναι περίεργα κυνικό βιβλίο.. Σαν να προκαλεί τον φόβο σου και να απολαμβάνει εις το μετέπειτα τα σημάδια της καταρράκωσης σου.. Δεν με επηρέασε τόσο πολύ προσωπικά μα, το απόλαυσα σαν να μπορούσε.. :)

[Yassemin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, a short story collection of VERY short stories, about 20 in all, relating to ghostly presences, appearances and mysterious disappearances of people and so on.

My only complaint would be that the stories were in some cases ridiculously short of which made me think, well what was the point in that?! But for the most part I enjoyed all of the stories, all of which are broken down into various sections such as haunted houses, mysterious disappearances, army related and so on, so a variety as well which was good.

This was more of a 3.5 stars than 3 stars for me! It was a good book just not outstanding.

[Shawn Fairweather · Rating 2 out of 5]

40 pages of various storylines that are often repetitive. Some may have trouble finding the stories scary due to the fact that this piece is dated especially when compared to modern standards but remember that these stories are over a 150 years old. In any event the stories are not well developed and seem to be simply plot lines often ranging from a few paragraphs to a couple of pages. Often times they dont feel like stories at all but more or less someone revisiting an experience they believe they had. Very dry and hard to stay awake at times while reading unfortunately.

[Karina Vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

En presencia de un ahorcado y otras historias de fantasmas : 3 estrellas.

Los cuentos son muy breves, son buenos y no mucho más. La temática me gusta, pero no se desarrolla como en la actualidad estamos acostumbrados. Ahí queda expuesta su antigüedad, una época distinta, en la que quizá una historia así sí llegaba a conmover y asustar.
De todas maneras, sirve como introducción y me trajo algún que otro recuerdo de este tipo de cuentos (los clásicos programas del viejo Infinito sobre apariciones y fantasmas que veía cuando era chica).

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These ghost stories all take place at or around the time of the Civil War. It makes sense that the war would spur ghost stories and many of them in this collection are fine. I have to say the first story, Present at a Hanging was my favorite so as I read on, the stories had less charm for me. Still, the collection was entertaining and fun. Everyone likes to be scared once in awhile and ghost stories help us deal with our inner most fears.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Concise little stories about ghostly happenings. I could string together several to make a more modern horror story, which makes these good source material for sparking writing ideas.

I've read the compiled writings of Charles Forte, particularly The Book of the Damned, which this reminded me of. I suspect Forte of borrowing Bierce's format for his works.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

only one of the stories personally resonated but then one is enough- I believe the author he was telling stories he had heard from mostly reliable sources but the times were perhaps more credulous. Still
I do believe he would not have a hard time gathering them today from good honest people.There are More things Horatio...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are civil war-era short ghost stories. Nothing incredible, just some spooky little tidbits to be told around a campfire. It took me a couple to get a feel for them; they're very simple, but it was worth a read.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, most of the stories follow similar themes. But taken as a whole you can feel the influence of the 19th Century Spiritualism movement and the effect of the Civil War on Ambrose Bierce and the community in general in how they approached ghost stories.

[Carla JFCL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun little collection of old, classic, not-so-scary ghost stories.

[Justin Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

These aren't so much ghost stories as journalistic accounts of hauntings and other strange occurrences.

[A.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cool non-fiction book. Here we get a fascinating collection of very short, true ghost stories.