The Best of America: Seven Classic Short Stories

by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving

This anthology of unabridged short stories represents some of the most significant works from the most influential American authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Includes the "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving, "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Mermaids" by Louisa May Alcott, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, and "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Fantasy, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published June 1, 2012

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.

Reviews

[Lars Dradrach · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irwing - a classic i have heard about but never read, you can't go wrong with the classics 4 Stars

“Young GoodMan Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne - a classic dark, gothic tale, of the witches at Salem 4 Stars

“The Fall of The House of Usher”, By Edgar Allan Poe - listened to Most of Poe's stories recently in classic narrations by Basil Rathbone, and it's even better the second time around 4. stars

“Mermaids” by Louisa Mae Alcott, a charming children's tale, a little to YA 3 stars

“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaberas County”, by Mark Twain - Not one ot Twains best - 3 stars.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce - Amazing but but tragic tale from the civil war 4 stars.

“The Gift of The Magi” by O. Henry - skipped it this time around as i listened to it recently

[Hugh Centerville · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This anthology of unabridged short stories represents some of the most significant works from the most influential American authors of the 19th century."

Most of these stories, if you’re old enough, you read in eleventh or twelfth-grade English Lit. Back then you were maybe annoyed with your teacher for her insistence on intruding upon the narrative with her analysis, a stick to beat the life out of it.

Just, let’s read it, you wanted to shout but the old gal had a paycheck to earn and the truth is, these stories really do have depth. Enough so it brings to mind the oft-repeated adage from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and most often attributed to Kate Hepburn. (She outlived most all of her contemporaries so she gets the credit.)

We didn’t know how to blow things up in those days so we had to tell a good story.

Included are two scary stories, Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The House of Usher is Poe at his unrelenting, uncompromising best.

Horror, back then, was psychological.

Usher and his sister are the last of a dynasty. She’s wasting away from a mysterious disease and with his fear of the body snatchers (common in those days,) Usher does what any rational (or irrational) bro in a horror story would do. He entombs Sis in a place where the snatchers can’t get her but from where she can get him.

Spoiler: Sis ain’t dead.

That’s creepy, that’s Poe.

Goodman Brown is set in the latter half of seventeenth-century Puritan New England, a time and place where the devil was much more real than he is today. Folks then could easily imagine meeting him on a dark night in the forest, which is of course what happens to Goodman Brown.

A chance encounter that changes a man’s outlook forever.

Also included are Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and Louisa May Alcott’s The Mermaid.

Ol’ Rip it was who defined forever our perception of the Catskill Mts as enchanted. Hike those mountains and come down the slopes late afternoon to distant thunder and try to convince yourself the thunder isn’t Henry Hudson and his men playing at nine-pins. Or what’s more fun, go ahead and believe it is them. Enjoy imagining them but if you encounter them, don’t sneak sips of their mead. They won’t like it.

The Little Mermaids is a story that might have been written today and made into a Disney movie. (Or might have skipped book form and gone directly into the theaters.)

A young girl yearns to become a mermaid and magically, she does.

With her wish fulfilled and settled in beneath the waves, life isn’t so great. It’s without stress or purpose, and our young protagonist grows bored and then distressed with the aimlessness of it all. Life, she has always been taught, is a striving toward Heaven and she misses the striving and what else she misses is how her underwater life might be a preview of the afterlife she seeks. Once you’ve attained Paradise, what else is there? Heaven, it must be noted, goes on for a very long time.

Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is here, as is The Gift of the Magi by O Henry.
The Jumping Frog is the 1865 story that leaped Twain to fame. (Leaped, get it?) and O Henry’s The Maji is his most enduring work. The former proves Twain’s genius. It never gets old. The Maji is a slog. If you already know the denouement, which most of us do, what else is there?

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce rounds out this all-star cast.

The Occurrence brings to mind Claude “Curly” Putnam Jr.’s song, The Green Green Grass of Home, and the list of those who have recorded it is an all-star cast of its own. Porter Waggoner, Bobby Bare, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joan Baez, to name a few, and oh, a guy named Elvis.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to try some authors of works considered classics to determine which I will enjoy reading. This collection is an opportunity to try out the writing styles of well known authors such as Edgar Allen Poe and others. While several were already familiar to me, it was enjoyable reading short stories by each. I was impressed most by how much I liked Irving and Bierce. I will look for more books by both.

[J.Istsfor Manity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio book. All classics, indeed — except Alcott’s “Mermaids,” which was the only story here I was unfamiliar with, and better suited for an 8-year old girl, the reading was so treacly, and the story despite being a child’s story was as dull as could be. Most of it purple prose, but I suppose the best of American purple prose.

[midnightfaerie]

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving


Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne


The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe


Mermaids by Louisa May Alcott


The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain


An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce


The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

[Cindy B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the classic stories “you must read before you die.” All worth reading as each have a smidgen of the authors’ talents apparent in them.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven stories from America's classic writers. Great collection, especially as an audiobook.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some old familiar stories and some new. I enjoyed listening to these tales.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

a solid collection of old-timey weirdness. that mermaid story was wild.

[Elliott Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories create a style of American story telling. Distinctly moralized and directed at children.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice short stories, a break between longer reads/listens.