The Ambrose Bierce Collection

by Ambrose Bierce

This collection contains 200 + of the worlds of Ambrose Bierce, including short stories, fables, poetry, and non-fiction. The collection has been formatted for optimal viewing on the Kindle and is equipped with an active table of contents for smooth navigation! The collection AT A HANGING AND OTHER GHOST STORIES, Ways Of GhostsPresent At A HangingA Cold GreetingA Wireless MessageAn ArrestA Man With Two LivesThree And One Are OneA Baffled AmbuscadeTwo Military ExecutionsThe Isle Of PinesA Fruitless AssignmentA Vine On A HouseAt Old Man Eckert’sThe Spook HouseThe Other LodgersThe Thing At NolanThe Difficulty Of Crossing A FieldAn Unfinished RaceCharles Ashmore’s TrailScience To The FrontTALES OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS, Horseman In The SkyAn Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgeChickamaugaA Son Of The GodsOne Of The MissingKilled At ResacaThe Affair At Coulter's NotchThe Coup De GrâceParker Adderson, PhilosopherAn Affair Of OutpostsThe Story Of A ConscienceOne Kind Of OfficerOne Officer, One ManGeorge ThurstonThe Mocking-BirdThe Man Out Of The NoseThe Famous Gilson BequestThe ApplicantA Watcher By The DeadThe Man And The SnakeA Holy TerrorThe Suitable SurroundingsThe Boarded WindowA Lady From RedhorseThe Eyes Of The PantherCAN SUCH THINGS BE? Death Of Halpin FrayserThe Secret Of Macarger’s GulchOne Summer NightThe Moonlit RoadA Diagnosis Of DeathMoxon’s MasterA Tough TussleOne Of TwinsThe Haunted ValleyJo. Dunfer. Done For.A Jug Of SirupStaley Fleming’s HallucinationA Resumed IdentityA Baby TrampThe Night-Doings At “Deadman’s”Beyond The WallA Psychological ShipwreckThe Middle Toe Of The Right FootJohn Mortonson’s FuneralThe Realm Of The UnrealJohn Bartine’s WatchThe Damned ThingHaïta The ShepherdAn Inhabitant Of CarcosaThe StrangerNEGLIGIBLE TALES, Bottomless GraveJupiter Doke, Brigadier-GeneralThe Widower TurmoreThe City Of The Gone AwayThe Major's TaleCurried CowA Revolt Of The GodsThe Baptism Of DobshoThe Race At Left BowerThe Failure Of Hope & WandelPerry Chumly's EclipseA Providential IntimationMr. Swiddler's Flip-FlapThe Little StoryTHE PARENTICIDE CLUB, Favorite MurderOil Of DogAn Imperfect ConflagrationThe HypnotistTHE FOURTH ESTATE, Masthead, JournalistWhy I Am Not Editing "The Stinger"Corrupting The Press"The Bubble Reputation"THE OCEAN WAVE, ShipwreckollectionThe Captain Of "The Camel"The Man OverboardA Cargo Of Cat"ON WITH THE DANCE!" A REVIEWEPIGRAMSASHES OF THE BEACONTHE LAND BEYOND THE BLOWWHAT I SAW OF SHILOHA LITTLE OF CHICKAMAUGATHE CRIME AT PICKETT’S MILLFOUR DAYS IN DIXIEWHAT OC

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Collections, Ebooks, Humor

2804 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2008

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

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection for reading on the train

I have been wanting to reread some of the stories I had read in my English Lit classes back in the day. I'm pleasantly surprised by what was included and look forward to reading the works I'm unfamiliar. When I'm in the mood for some dark satire and some of my favorite short stories Bierce is one of my go to authors.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Delightful tales that will stay with you long after the cover closes.

[ʀᴏʙɪɴ · Rating 2 out of 5]

In his biography, Ambrose Bierce, Vincent Starrett says about the titular author: "There are many persons who do not care for the writings of Ambrose Bierce, and thousands — it is shocking to reflect — who never have heard of him." Thousands, I'd venture to say, who had the good sense to read better works by better authors.

Duped once again by American acquaintances into reading the great American classics, I had to obsessively plunge into the man's whole bibliography, searching for treasure at the bottom. Upon reaching the surface, I'm convinced more than ever that most canonized saints of Western literature are celebrities first and writers second.


1. The Fiend's Delight (★)
An inconsequential collection of short stories, poems, and articles that have no substance—none whatsoever—even for a debut novel. Bierce simply didn't have enough material to work with. It's like he scrapped the bottom of his mind with a butter knife and applied the leftovers to the pages. Was it little effort on his part or was he, a newly arrived American expatriate, having a nervous breakdown actively trying to impress his British next of kin?

2. Cobwebs from an Empty Skull (★)
The Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Andersen would've nodded in approval. Some of these tales and fables deserve to be added to the corpus of children's literature, but this book reeks of redundancy and really tests one's patience. At some point it feels like going through the spam folder in your inbox and reading all the junk mail one by one. I believe the author favored quantity over quality to meet the minimum standard requirement for a publishable hardcover.

3. The Dance of Death (★★)
This could be the earliest example of shitposting that I'm aware of, and it's a good one, even fooling preachers at the time of its publication who took it for an authentic condemnation. Psychology and sociology overlap in this unintentionally factual and brilliant treatise on the social vices pervading society, perpetuated by self-proclaimed Christians no less. It remains relevant as much today as it was in 1877.

4. Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (★)
Kurt Vonnegut called the famous An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge "the greatest American short story," and "a flawless example of American genius." A blatant hyperbole, no doubt, but the story does take you by surprise. The Soldiers section has two or three stories worth reading. Same goes for the Civilians section, though it's way worse in my opinion and entirely skippable.
Bierce's problem when it comes to short stories is that he doesn't try to keep readers engaged. He seems to assume they'll stick around long enough, eagerly anticipating the big pay-off from his so-called surprise endings which, in reality, have no real punch, and leave you scratching your head.

5. The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter (★★★)
I find it a bit strange, unsurprising even, that the one story to deserve 3 or 4 stars wasn't written by the man himself, though it sat well with him to take credit for it. The tale of a young and devoted monk whose youth causes him to err from the path of piety rather tragically. It may seem cliché(d), it's hardly a mystery or a thriller, but there's something that keeps the reader invested. Quite the humiliation for Bierce.

6. Black Beetles in Amber (★)
Bierce's wit and interesting outlook certainly set him apart from his contemporaries; but foolery is an art, and a fool's rhymes may fall flat if he rambles too much. His poems are shallow and take themselves too seriously.

7. Can Such Things Be? (★)
I was tempted to give it two stars because it's simply a collection of classic Victorian ghost stories, typical of the era in style and narrative. But ultimately, they just aren't that interesting or memorable.

8. Fantastic Fables (★)
To quote from the introduction to this book: "The person that can read this handsome little book without a succession of broad smiles must be well-nigh destitute of humor."
Don't think for even a moment, that you being a seasoned reader, will be able to casually stroll through 245 witty fables. For a novelette, this is an excruciating and unrewarding reading experience. Dry, redundant, convoluted and anything but funny.

9. Shapes of Clay (★)
Ambrose Bierce was many things: journalist, civil war veteran, humorist, storyteller, single mother, but poet wasn't one of them. This is yet another poetry collection where it's obvious, even to a rookie such as myself, that he wasn't cut out for it. He seemed to be self-aware at least, masquerading his prosaic nonsense as "satire".

10. Write It Right: A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults (★★)
A good read, if a little outdated.

11. The Shadow on the Dial and Other Essays (★)
The insipid ramblings of an ostentatious journalist on many sociopolitical issues. Partly realistic, partly idealistic, the language is preachy and stifling, just as you'd expect. If you think it's in your best interest to give up on the author as soon as possible, start with this collection of essays.

12. Ashes of the Beacon (★)
A discourse on the prevailing forms of government and political ideologies (you know the ones) in the spirit of Plato and Aristotle. It reads like speculative fiction. Bierce plays a narrator from the far future and reflects on the present state of the United States and its history. I'm not too sure what he was aiming for.

13. The Devil's Dictionary (★)
Possibly one of the worst books here. One might think that this is a satirical version of the Oxford English Dictionary, word for word, or something along those lines. Instead, you get a limited amount of hand-picked words—poorly chosen at that—with a cynical definition slapped on them; sometimes less of a definition and more like venting. Bierce opted for erudition instead of concision, and this is the result: obsolete, vapid, heavy-handed and altogether maladroit.

14. Negligible Tales (★)

15. Tangential Views (★)

16. The Opinionator (★★)
Reflections on art, literature, writing, including reviews and articles on such subjects. The best non-fiction book in the complete works, if you ask me. Contains some of what I thought to be strong advice on the craft of writing and, in my humble opinion and limited experience, the most brilliant essay on literary criticism I've read to date. This book is perhaps the only instance of Bierce casting away the sock and buskin to show the real man underneath: the only time one is genuinely interested in what he has to say.

17. A Cynic Looks at Life (★)
Sometimes it's too obvious Bierce isn't philosophizing but proselytizing. While not really a book, there's a section titled The Criticism that's strictly biographical. So what could go wrong? All 4 articles read like a eulogy, delivered in a very exaggerated tone, by disciples exalting him to godhood. Relatively unknown, a way with words, a preachy attitude, few acquaintances, and a mysterious disappearance? Sounds like a cult leader to me.


18. The Scrap Heap (★)
The absent-minded scribbles on the back of a notebook by a bored student.

19. The Letters of Ambrose Bierce (★)
It's hard to explain, but in some of the letters I felt like Bierce was roleplaying. They don't provide any more insight on the self-proclaimed cynic if you've made it this far into his life (about 4000 pages). On an unrelated note, it's actually true that not all men are created equal. Even his letters are tedious to read—as dry as the man himself.

20. Bits of Autobiography (★★)
The real mystery surrounding Ambrose Bierce is that the stories taking place inside his head were less interesting than the ones happening outside of it.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his writing style so much!!!!

[Shannon Mudd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories. Fantastic writing of late 19th century. Stories are split in three categories: War stories that come out of the Civil War, Horror Stories and Tall Tales. All are great. The depiction of the horrors of war still resonate all these years later.

In terms of Tall Tales, a Cargo of Cats is quite fun.

[Marfy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the Library of America edition, but it's not listed here. Yet.