100 World’s Greatest Short Stories

by Various

100 World’s Greatest Short Stories is an extraordinary anthology that brings together a century-spanning selection of the finest short fiction ever written. From the timeless classics of authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Anton Chekhov, and Mark Twain, to the provocative and thought-provoking tales of modern masters, this collection showcases the breadth, depth, and richness of the short story form.

Each story captures a unique aspect of the human experience—love, ambition, morality, tragedy, humor, and the eternal struggle between hope and despair. Readers are invited to journey through diverse landscapes, from the bustling streets of Victorian England to the far reaches of distant continents, exploring cultures, eras, and philosophical perspectives that continue to resonate across generations.

With works that balance literary elegance, emotional intensity, and moral reflection, this anthology is both a celebration of storytelling and a testament to the enduring power of literature. Whether enjoyed as a leisurely read or studied for its craft, 100 World’s Greatest Short Stories remains an essential collection for anyone seeking to experience the timeless magic, insight, and artistry of the world’s greatest writers.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

1401 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2025

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Gnana Sujan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of Short stories. Authors from all over the world, genres across the universe.

Stories conveyed different moods, themes and emotions.

Some stories made laugh out loud, some made me cry, some made think deeper, some comforted, some haunted me, some were mysterious, some were suspenseful, some had irony at end, and some had open endings, some had messages and some doesn't even had a theme, some were a fantasy and some where fantastic.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, who decided these were the greatest stories? They were mistaken.

[Harshada · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice experience to have read the 100 greatest short stories (supposedly). Though most of the authors were of the 19th century and I'm not too fond of that century's literary work.

Some of the greats - Edgar Poe, Dostoevsky, Maupassant, HG Wells, Saki, Frank Baum, Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Hawthorne, O Henry, Oscar Wilde, Stephen Leacock
Some of the controversial letdowns - Anton Chekhov, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Virginia Woolf

[Shabana Mukhtar]

Started in April, read first 10 or so, but stopped after that. The problem with short story collection is (with me reading short story collection), that I can't read it all at once. I need to space them. Let's keep it aside for later part of 2026.

[Prakash Sevekari]

Hb

[Elamparithi G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Stories which are written during BC to 1900s. We can feel the various ages, while we travel through this book

[Sophie Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book especially ‘the man with two lives’ by Anton Chekhov. It sparked curiosity, intrigue and wonder. It’s an old timely classic with chaos and confusion. It tick all of my personal boxes on a good short story and would highly recommend. I wish there was more to it as with many more.

[Aves Trainor · Rating 1 out of 5]

False advertising. Not the greatest stories, and the e-book doesn’t even list or name the authors.