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The Street of the First Shell
The room was already dark. The high roofs opposite cut off what little remained of the December daylight. The girl drew her chair nearer the window, and choosing a large needle, threaded it, knotting the thread over her fingers. Then she smoothed the baby garment across her knees, and bending, bit off the thread and drew the smaller needle from where it rested in the hem. When she had brushed away the stray threads and bits of lace, she laid it again over her knees caressingly. Then she slipped the threaded needle from her corsage and passed it through a button, but as the button spun down the thread, her hand faltered, the thread snapped, and the button rolled across the floor. She raised her head.
46 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2012
About the author
Robert W. Chambers
712 books617 followersRobert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.
Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.
Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.
Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.
After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.
Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.
On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.
Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.
Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.
Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.
Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.
After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.
Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.
On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.
Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 7, 2015
This has been presented as a horror story. It not, really - except in the sense that war is truly horrific.
The piece introduces us to a circle of struggling artists and friends in Paris, and shows how the raging Franco-Prussian war affects their lives, in 1870.
The piece introduces us to a circle of struggling artists and friends in Paris, and shows how the raging Franco-Prussian war affects their lives, in 1870.
July 2, 2019
Probably the strangest inclusion in "the king of yellow" so far.
Not a typical horror story, and no real references to the king in yellow itself. This tells a story set during the Franco-Prussian war from the perspective of an American artist.
Stranger still, it has a happy ending.
Not a typical horror story, and no real references to the king in yellow itself. This tells a story set during the Franco-Prussian war from the perspective of an American artist.
Stranger still, it has a happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2020
A nightmarish short story about the horrors of war. When I was reading it, I could not help but wonder the fate of my country in the coming years and the possibility of a war. If it was to happen, the situation of the city that I live in would be very similar to the situation of Paris in this short story. The notion of eating rodents was incredibly chilling.
June 23, 2025
Who would guess, by this story, that it was actually the French who invaded Prussia and started the Franco-Prussian War? And there was probably plenty of pasta to eat, just like in the French Revolution. But Parisians would rather eat roof rabbits (🐀s) than pasta! NB: Unbeknownst to most Americans (like Cambers, Hemingway et al), the French don't hate the Prussians, who they really hate are the Parisians, the decadent, communist, 🐖s! I'm a 🐸 radish, so I know. Think of the US and NY citiots. Why do citiots favour communism (socialism), you may ask? They want to turn the country people, who produce all the food and wine they guzzle, into their SLAVES!
May 24, 2026
I have so many questions... but not in a good way.
What is happening? There are so many characters and I cared for none of them. All of them are so shallow. You always lose sight of who is who and the whole "I'm an American in France" trope has been done quite heavily in this book. And now there's two of them!
Why is this even part of the King in Yellow? This has nothing to do with the rest, honestly why is it included in the anthology?
And the battle scene is pure chaos, but again, not in a good way.
What is happening? There are so many characters and I cared for none of them. All of them are so shallow. You always lose sight of who is who and the whole "I'm an American in France" trope has been done quite heavily in this book. And now there's two of them!
Why is this even part of the King in Yellow? This has nothing to do with the rest, honestly why is it included in the anthology?
And the battle scene is pure chaos, but again, not in a good way.
September 26, 2022
One of the worst stories I've read with no apparent reason as to why it should be included into The King in Yellow.
The description of characters is practically non-existent, so I had no idea who the story was talking about at any given moment, even when the names of characters were mentioned. The pacing itself is also awkward, to say the least.
Eventhough I was trying my best to followd the story, the end experience felt like reading every 5th sentence of a decent story.
The description of characters is practically non-existent, so I had no idea who the story was talking about at any given moment, even when the names of characters were mentioned. The pacing itself is also awkward, to say the least.
Eventhough I was trying my best to followd the story, the end experience felt like reading every 5th sentence of a decent story.
July 20, 2023
I have no idea why this story was included in The King In Yellow. Totally horrible story, the only one I couldn't finish because I had no clue what was going on. It's hard to be engaged in this story when I don't know who's talking half the time and I can't make heads or tales of what's going on. Would have gave it zero starts if I could.
March 20, 2021
Virkelig god beskrivelse af oplevelsen af krig og belejring fra almindelige menneskers synspunkt. Både hverdagen under en belejring og selve krigshandlingerne beskrives mesterligt.
December 16, 2023
4.25⭐
October 24, 2025
That took so long and then… it just ended. What did that have to do with The King In Yellow anyway? It was like it got included by accident.
December 18, 2025
Snooze fest for me.
May 5, 2026
(3)
Yeah alright. Pretty prose and an interesting if kind of confusing story. Didn’t do a great job establishing characters.
Yeah alright. Pretty prose and an interesting if kind of confusing story. Didn’t do a great job establishing characters.
December 30, 2025
disappointing, but maybe only because I expected it to be "weird" fiction
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews