"There is something about the number 3. The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two. Most religions also have 3 this and 3 that and, of course, in these more modern times, three’s a crowd may be too many, except when it’s a ménage à trois. It seems good things usually come in threes.Whatever history and culture says WE think 3, a hat-trick of stories, is a great number to explore themes and literary avenues that classic authors were so adept at creating.From their pens to your your ears."
"We love reason, advancing through facts to reach a conclusion that explains exactly where we are at. When literary masters create their stories on this theme we are left with some quite brilliant and riveting works that help us gain fascinating insight into both author, story and the world beyond.1 - Philosophical Stories - An Introduction2 - In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka3 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 1 by Herman Melville4 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 2 by Herman Melville5 - The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoyevsky6 - Parker Adderson, Philosopher by Ambrose Bierce7 - Dickory Cronke, The Dumb Philosopher or Great Britain's Wonder by Daniel D8 - Plato's Dream by Voltaire9 - The Shades, A Phantasy by Vladimir Korolenko10 - Gods in Exile by Heinrich Heine11 - An Evening Guest by Alexander Kuprin12 - Bellerophon To Anteia by Mary Butts13 - Putois by Anatole France14 - The Lightning Rod Man by Herman Melville15 - Moxon's Master by Ambrose Bierce16 - A Country Doctor by Franz Kafka"
"In this series we turn the pages of classic short stories to put together the literary building blocks of how a particular genre or theme began, how it built its foundations to become the well-loved and well-worn genre that it is today.Do authors have the same ideas at more or less the same time? Or can they sniff out an opportunity as to which way the tastes of an audience are moving. Success undoubtedly builds success and in literary terms we can more politely say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the surest way to reach a hungry readership is to build on the fortune and flair of your literary colleagues. We all fear the world will end badly. Even worse that we might be caught up in it. In this volume our authors summon up stories which illustrate and flavour our thinking and imaginings on just how a society would reach that precipice, how it would ultimately be.01 - Foundations of Fiction - Dystopian - An Introduction2 - A Dream of Armageddon by H G Wells3 - The Park of Kings by Alexander Kuprin4 - Into the Sun by Robert Duncan Milne5 - The Cloud-Men by Owen Oliver6 - The Republic of the Southern Cross by Valery Bryusov7 - The End of the World by Simon Newcomb8 - The World's Last Cataclysm by Robert Duncan Milne9 - Within An Ace of the End of the World by Robert Barr10 - Christmas Formula by Stella Benson11 - The Repairer of Reputations by Robert W Chambers"
"Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions - Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.Those taken away by their own hand leave many questions and many sorrows. In this volume ten of our vaunted authors share stories of tragedy and the early demise of characters who take a tortured path of no return.01 - The Top 10 - Suicide - An Introduction02 - In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka03 - Suicides by Guy de Maupassant04 - The Victory by Rabindranath Tagore05 - Paul's Case by Willa Cather06 - Claude Gueux by Victor Hugo07 - The Mourner by Mary Shelley08 - A Slav Soul by Alexander Kuprin09 - Cohen of Trinity by Amy Levy10 - A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac11 - The Quadroons by Lydia Maria Child"
