"Everyone loves a story. Whether around a campfire or through a CD, tellers of tales have been spinning yarns to their enthralled audiences since the beginning of time. We at Reader's Digest, perhaps because of our tendency to condense and get quickly to the heart of things, are especially fond of short stories. And in this book, we've selected for your reading pleasure, 15 of the finest short stories ever written.
A short story, someone once said, is something 'that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime'. Because they have to create their effect in very few words, short stories are like great miniature paintings, tightly focused and organized in such a way that every detail counts. In fact, many writers feel it's harder to write a good short story than a good novel. Says the well known woman writer Isabel Allende: 'Novels are, for me, adding up details... Short stories are more difficult -- they have to be perfect, complete in themselves.' Because of its intensity, reading a short story can be a more profoundly moving experience than reading a novel. Most of the authors in this collection are British, but the great masters of the short story from other countries are also represented. The range of mood and subject matter of these stories is as wide as life itself -- from mischief in Saki's 'The Open Window', to loneliness in Sienkiewicz's 'Lighthouse Keeper'; from nimble detective work in Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Red-Headed League' to tenderness in Oscar Wilde's 'The Selfish Giant'.
Classic Short Stories is a treasure trove of fascinating reading, ideal for reading aloud to children or for dipping into at random. It will enrich and enliven your life -- and that of every member of your family. So put it on a handy place on your bookshelf because you'll be reaching for it again and again in the years to come."