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The Signet Classic Book of American Short Stories
The best of American short fiction
Spanning over 100 years of literary history, here are 33 of the finest short stories by Washington Irving * Nathaniel Hawthorne * Edgar Allan Poe * Herman Melville * Harriet Beecher Stowe * Bret Harte * Bayard Taylor * Rose Terry Cooke * Ambrose Bierce * Hamlin Garland * Mary E. Wilkens Freeman * Henry James * Charlotte Perkins Gilman * Sarah Orne Jewett * Grace Elizabeth King * Harold Frederic * Kate Chopin * Stephen Crane * Edith Wharton * Mark Twain * Jack London * F. Hopkinson Smith * Zona Gale * O. Henry * Sherwood Anderson * Ernest Hemingway * John Dos Passos * Stephen Vincent Benet * Willa Cather * William Faulkner * James Thurber * F. Scott Fitzgerald * William Saroyan
688 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1985
8 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Burton Raffel
148 books29 followersBurton Raffel was a translator, a poet and a teacher. He has translated many poems, including the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 9, 2019
I have just started to read that book of Burton Raffel. The writers gathered here without exception, write powerfully and meaningfully. there is development represented in progression of these stories. Exactly as there has been growth and change in the American society.
Each writer has been allowed only a single story. The aim hasn't been to portray the career of any writer,but the collective career of the Pre- World War two American story itself, its achievements,it's, its history and its constantly changing but always compelling face
- from the INTRODUCTION by Burton Raffel
Each writer has been allowed only a single story. The aim hasn't been to portray the career of any writer,but the collective career of the Pre- World War two American story itself, its achievements,it's, its history and its constantly changing but always compelling face
- from the INTRODUCTION by Burton Raffel
December 31, 2018
Washington Irving, The Specter Bridegroom
Antlers over the head of the groom had it all. Fabulous! (Google to wear the horns if you don't get the joke.)
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown
Not read yet.
Edgar Allan Poe, The Gold Bug
Tried to read it when a kid and abandoned. Not attempted for the second time--yet.
Herman Melville, Bartleby The Scrivener
Not read yet. (SHAME!)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Miss Asphyxia
As far as I get, it's not a short story, but a chapter from the novel Oldtown Folks. Very promising chapter, but it's not finished as a short story.
Bret Harte, The Iliad of Sandy Bar
Not read yet.
Bayard Taylor, Who Was She?
Not read yet.
Rose Terry Cooke, Grit
Not read yet.
Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Already read. Excellent.
Hamlin Garland, The Return of a Private
Not read yet.
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, A New England Nun
Louisa Ellis finds herself trapped in a moral dilemma: her feelings for her fiance, Joe, who was 14 years away in Australia making money, are long faded. The couple is still determined to marry. Good analyses here.
Henry James, The Real Thing
Not read yet.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
Already read. Excellent.
Sarah Orne Jewett, The Flight of Betsey Lane
Currently reading. Good analyses here.
Grace Elizabeth King, La Grande Demoiselle
Not read yet.
Harold Frederic, The War Widow
Not read yet.
Kate Chopin, Madame Celestin's Divorce
Just divorce him already!
Stephen Crane, The Blue Hotel
Not read yet.
Edith Wharton, A Journey
Not read yet.
Mark Twain, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
Not read yet.
Jack London, All Gold Canyon
Not read yet.
F. Hopkinson Smith, The Rajah of Bungpore
Not read yet.
Zona Gale, Nobody Sick, Nobody Poor
Not read yet.
O. Henry, One Thousand Dollars
Somehow O. Henry's stories are too sweet and bright for me. No fault.
Sherwood Anderson, Queer
Not read yet.
Ernest Hemingway, Up in Michigan
Not read yet.
John Dos Passos, Great Lady on a White Horse
Not read yet.
Stephen Vincent Benet, The King of the Cats
You can't fool a cat so easily. Well-written, but the plot is slightly lame.
Willa Cather, Neighbour Rosicky
Not read yet.
William Faulkner, Turnabout
Not read yet.
James Thurber, The Evening's at Seven
The marital angst of an unnamed male hero. Written in the signature minimalist style of James Thurber.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Long Way Out
No way out of the well.
William Saroyan, Ever Fall in Love with a Midget?
Stream of the special kind of consciousness.
Antlers over the head of the groom had it all. Fabulous! (Google to wear the horns if you don't get the joke.)
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown
Not read yet.
Edgar Allan Poe, The Gold Bug
Tried to read it when a kid and abandoned. Not attempted for the second time--yet.
Herman Melville, Bartleby The Scrivener
Not read yet. (SHAME!)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Miss Asphyxia
As far as I get, it's not a short story, but a chapter from the novel Oldtown Folks. Very promising chapter, but it's not finished as a short story.
Bret Harte, The Iliad of Sandy Bar
Not read yet.
Bayard Taylor, Who Was She?
Not read yet.
Rose Terry Cooke, Grit
Not read yet.
Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Already read. Excellent.
Hamlin Garland, The Return of a Private
Not read yet.
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, A New England Nun
Louisa Ellis finds herself trapped in a moral dilemma: her feelings for her fiance, Joe, who was 14 years away in Australia making money, are long faded. The couple is still determined to marry. Good analyses here.
Henry James, The Real Thing
Not read yet.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
Already read. Excellent.
Sarah Orne Jewett, The Flight of Betsey Lane
Currently reading. Good analyses here.
Grace Elizabeth King, La Grande Demoiselle
Not read yet.
Harold Frederic, The War Widow
Not read yet.
Kate Chopin, Madame Celestin's Divorce
Just divorce him already!
Stephen Crane, The Blue Hotel
Not read yet.
Edith Wharton, A Journey
Not read yet.
Mark Twain, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
Not read yet.
Jack London, All Gold Canyon
Not read yet.
F. Hopkinson Smith, The Rajah of Bungpore
Not read yet.
Zona Gale, Nobody Sick, Nobody Poor
Not read yet.
O. Henry, One Thousand Dollars
Somehow O. Henry's stories are too sweet and bright for me. No fault.
Sherwood Anderson, Queer
Not read yet.
Ernest Hemingway, Up in Michigan
Not read yet.
John Dos Passos, Great Lady on a White Horse
Not read yet.
Stephen Vincent Benet, The King of the Cats
You can't fool a cat so easily. Well-written, but the plot is slightly lame.
Willa Cather, Neighbour Rosicky
Not read yet.
William Faulkner, Turnabout
Not read yet.
James Thurber, The Evening's at Seven
The marital angst of an unnamed male hero. Written in the signature minimalist style of James Thurber.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Long Way Out
No way out of the well.
William Saroyan, Ever Fall in Love with a Midget?
Stream of the special kind of consciousness.
January 17, 2009
I read this book over about a 5 year span. Quite the mixed bag. Some of the stories are truly great: Bartlbey the Scriviner, The Blue Hotel, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and A Journey are some of the standouts. Others are quite clever like Who Was She?, Grit, The Rajah of Bungpore, and the King of the Cats. Lots are forgettable. But there are some that are truly, downright, awful. Awful awful awful. Henry James' The Real Thing and William Faulkner's Turnabout are both vying for worst story of all time for me at the moment. Great Lady on a White Horse made me put the book down for a year. Overall, I'd say if you avoid the bad stories, I highly recommend this collection for the good ones.
Read
May 7, 2023This collection of short stories begins early in the history of the US and moves forward from there, with one entry per writer featured. Brief biographies of each writer were also included before the stories. For me, this had the effect of placing the stories in their proper historical context and creating a sense of forward motion as I moved through the collection. I felt as if I was getting a sampling of many different writers (some I'd heard of, some I hadn't, some I'd read works of before and others I hadn't) and gaining a stronger sense of how US culture and the short story as a form have evolved over time.
I think this did a lot to help with the fact that many of the stories obviously include the types of attitudes a modern reader would no longer approve of, especially as someone living in the US who has a sense of how things have progressed since the final story featured and has a hope that we will continue to do so. Maybe I'll even have some small part in shaping that. A writer can dream!
That being said, there were some stories that were surprisingly refreshing, particularly from the earlier female authors. I found myself wondering why I never had heard about them before and in some cases wanting to read more of their works. Perhaps I will at some point.
No rating given here because some of the stories I loved (The Yellow Wallpaper will always be one of my favorites) while others I certainly didn't (skip the Hemingway story if it's going to be triggering for you). I think that's always going to be the case with a collection like this. Different people have different tastes, but I think the collection as a whole achieved its goal in providing the reader a wide and varied selection.
I think this did a lot to help with the fact that many of the stories obviously include the types of attitudes a modern reader would no longer approve of, especially as someone living in the US who has a sense of how things have progressed since the final story featured and has a hope that we will continue to do so. Maybe I'll even have some small part in shaping that. A writer can dream!
That being said, there were some stories that were surprisingly refreshing, particularly from the earlier female authors. I found myself wondering why I never had heard about them before and in some cases wanting to read more of their works. Perhaps I will at some point.
No rating given here because some of the stories I loved (The Yellow Wallpaper will always be one of my favorites) while others I certainly didn't (skip the Hemingway story if it's going to be triggering for you). I think that's always going to be the case with a collection like this. Different people have different tastes, but I think the collection as a whole achieved its goal in providing the reader a wide and varied selection.
Want to read
October 18, 2025Read so far:
The specter bridegroom / Washington Irving --2
Young Goodman Brown / Nathaniel Hawthorne --3
The gold bug / Edgar Allan Poe --4
Bartleby the scrivener / Herman Melville --4
Miss Asphyxia / Harriet Beecher Stowe --
*The Iliad of Sandy Bar / Bret Harte --
Who was she? / Bayard Taylor --2
Grit / Rose Terry Cooke --
An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge / Ambrose Bierce --4
The return of a private / Hamlin Garland --3
A New England nun / Mary E. Wilkins Freeman --3
The real thing / Henry James --4
The yellow wallpaper / Charlotte Perkins Gilman --3
*The flight of Betsey Lane / Sarah O. Jewett --
La grande demoiselle / Grace Elizabeth King --
The war widow / Harold Frederic --
Madame Célestin's divorce / Kate Chopin --2
The blue hotel / Stephen Crane --2
A journey / Edith Wharton --2
The man that corrupted Hadleyburg / Mark Twain --3
*All gold canyon / Jack London --
The rajah of Bungpore / F. Hopkinson Smith --
Nobody sick, nobody poor / Zona Gale --
*One thousand dollars / O. Henry --
"Queer" / Sherwood Anderson --
Up in Michigan / Ernest Hemingway --2
Great lady on a white horse / John Dos Passos --
The king of the cats / Stephen Vincent Benét --2
Neighbour Rosicky / Willa Cather --5
Turnabout / William Faulkner --
*The evening's at seven / James Thurber --
*The long way out / F. Scott Fitzgerald --
*Ever fall in love with a midget? / William Saroyan--
The specter bridegroom / Washington Irving --2
Young Goodman Brown / Nathaniel Hawthorne --3
The gold bug / Edgar Allan Poe --4
Bartleby the scrivener / Herman Melville --4
Miss Asphyxia / Harriet Beecher Stowe --
*The Iliad of Sandy Bar / Bret Harte --
Who was she? / Bayard Taylor --2
Grit / Rose Terry Cooke --
An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge / Ambrose Bierce --4
The return of a private / Hamlin Garland --3
A New England nun / Mary E. Wilkins Freeman --3
The real thing / Henry James --4
The yellow wallpaper / Charlotte Perkins Gilman --3
*The flight of Betsey Lane / Sarah O. Jewett --
La grande demoiselle / Grace Elizabeth King --
The war widow / Harold Frederic --
Madame Célestin's divorce / Kate Chopin --2
The blue hotel / Stephen Crane --2
A journey / Edith Wharton --2
The man that corrupted Hadleyburg / Mark Twain --3
*All gold canyon / Jack London --
The rajah of Bungpore / F. Hopkinson Smith --
Nobody sick, nobody poor / Zona Gale --
*One thousand dollars / O. Henry --
"Queer" / Sherwood Anderson --
Up in Michigan / Ernest Hemingway --2
Great lady on a white horse / John Dos Passos --
The king of the cats / Stephen Vincent Benét --2
Neighbour Rosicky / Willa Cather --5
Turnabout / William Faulkner --
*The evening's at seven / James Thurber --
*The long way out / F. Scott Fitzgerald --
*Ever fall in love with a midget? / William Saroyan--
February 7, 2012
This is a fantastic collection of short stories that covers all ends of the American literary spectrum. Included are some well-known favorites by stalwart authors (Poe's "The Gold Bug," Irving's "The Spectre Bridegroom," "Bartleby the Scrivener") along with obscure gems from literary giants (Fitzgerald, Wharton, Faulkner in a seemingly accessible mode for once). Also well worth exploring are the extended monologue of Bayard Taylor's "Who Was She?," Charlotte Perkins Gilman's years ahead of its time feminism in "The Yellow Wallpaper," and Dos Passos's voyeuristic slice of NYC life. There are many other great tales in this volume, along with an impressive introduction to American literature of the time spanned by this anthology. This is a book to seek out and keep on hand as a helpful reference on the evolution of American literature.
Read
September 23, 2013My favourites: Gilman, Taylor and Thurber, sorry for the more evident choices. As a stranger, the gentle, rural, generous America full of charity, solidarity, generosity and idealism depicted is the country I came to love ... Though that spirit doesn't seem to prevail today. Two more things notic...
Read
September 22, 2010The Specter Bridegroom by Washington Irving
The Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
The Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
Read
November 10, 2013Collection of American short stories through the years, by some very famous writers and the not so famous. Best just may be near end of collection (by Willa Cather).
September 25, 2015
Thes a re separate stories, I sometimes skip an author and find a more modern one,
right now it is Bayrd Taylor's story "Who Was She ?" romantic and realistic
right now it is Bayrd Taylor's story "Who Was She ?" romantic and realistic
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews