Little Clothbound Classics

Street Haunting

Virginia Woolf

‘The hour should be evening and the season winter, for in winter the champagne brightness of the air and the sociability of the streets are grateful’. In such conditions, Virginia…

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Bonjour Tristesse

Francoise Sagan

Published when she was only eighteen, Francoise Sagan's astonishing novella, Bonjour Tristesse, became an instant bestseller. It tells the story of Cecile, who leads a carefree life with her…

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The Awakening

Kate Chopin

This candid portrayal of a woman who refuses to accept her allotted role as wife and mother caused an outcry when it was published in 1899. It is the story…

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Babylon Revisited

F. Scott Fitzgerald

This collection brings together some of F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest stories

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Calypso in London

Sam Selvon

Describing life in the Caribbean and day-to-day adventures in London, this collection features many of Sam Selvon's most acclaimed stories

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Chess

Stefan Zweig

Stefan Zweig's acclaimed novella Chess is a disturbing, intensely dramatic depiction of obsession and the price of the past.

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Death in Midsummer

Yukio Mishima

Filled with rich description and luxurious beauty, these ten tales of loss and longing from one of Japan's greatest writers show the pull between duty and desire, ecstasy and death

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The Fall

Albert Camus

One of Albert Camus' most famous works, The Fall is a brilliant, complex portrayal of lost innocence and the true face of man.

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The Imitation of the Rose

Clarice Lispector

The small incidents of life become moments of inner revelation in the luminous writing of Clarice Lispector.

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The Library of Babel

Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges remains one of the most influential short story writers of the twentieth century, whose spellbinding tales of magic, mystery and murder are shot through with deep philosophical…

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My Friend Maigret

Georges Simenon

A small time crook has been murdered on an Mediterranean island--a thug, drunk, pimp and thief--yet just before he died he was heard boasting about his friend Maigret! Maigret, who…

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Nabokov’s Dozen

Vladimir Nabokov

Thirteen ingeniously crafted stories make up Vladimir Nabokov's baker's dozen.

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Summer

Edith Wharton

A novella regarded by Edith Wharton as one of her very best, Summer tells the tale of forbidden sexual passion and thwarted dreams set against the backdrop of a lush…

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About Love

Anton Chekhov, Ronald Wilks (trans.)

Three of Chekhov's lesser-known stories, now beautifully rendered into English by novelist David Helwig. Sublimely illustrated by Seth.

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Bliss

Katherine Mansfield

Includes the three tales: Bliss, The Daughters of the Late Colonel and The Doll’s House .

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Dream Story

Arthur Schnitzler, J.M.Q. Davies (trans.)

This wonderful translation of Dream Story will allow a fresh generation of readers to enjoy this beautiful, heartless and baffling novella. Dream Story tells how through a simple sexual admission…

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The Enchanted April

Elizabeth von Arnim

Elizabeth von Arnim's brilliant, irrepressible novella, tells the tale of four very different women who find themselves far away from the drizzle of London and instead in the warmth of…

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The Lagoon

Joseph Conrad

On sea, on land, at the edges of the colonial experience, Joseph Conrad's short stories offer a glimpse of the violence, the kindness, and the mystery at humanity's heart.

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Letters to a Young Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke, Charlie Louth (trans.)

Written during an important stage in Rilke’s artistic development, these letters contain many of the themes that later appeared in his best works. Essential reading for scholars and poetry lovers.

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Moonlight

Guy de Maupassant, Siân Miles (trans.)

Often described as the father of the modern short story, there is perhaps no other writer more closely associated with the form than Guy de Maupassant. Included here is his…

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Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

Tackling universal themes of friendship and shared vision, and giving a voice to America’s lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men remains Steinbeck’s most popular work, achieving success as a…

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Shooting an Elephant

George Orwell

An account of author’s experience as a police officer in imperial Burma; killing an escaped elephant in front of a crowd ‘solely to avoid looking a fool’. This title features…

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A Spy in the House of Love

Anais Nin

Although Anais Nin found in her diaries a profound mode of self-creation and confession, she could not reveal this intimate record of her own experiences during her lifetime. Instead, she…

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Territory of Light

Yuko Tsushima, Geraldine Harcourt (trans.)

From one of the most significant contemporary Japanese writers, a haunting, dazzling novel of loss and rebirth –

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White Nights

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ronald Meyer (trans.)

Regarded as one of world literature's foremost novelists, Fyodor Dostoevsky's short stories are also some of the best ever written

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The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

Arthur Conan Doyle

From the first story to what was presumed to be the last, this selection presents the very best of Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective.

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Babette’s Feast

Isak Dinesen

Karen Blixen, author of the acclaimed memoir Out of Africa, was also a master of the short story form - her tales offer luminous meditations on rebirth and redemption…

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Big Blonde

Dorothy Parker

In the stories collected here, Dorothy Parker brilliantly captures the spirit of the decadent Jazz Age in New York, exposing both the dazzle and the darkness.

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Truman Capote

Meet Holly Golightly - a free spirited, lop-sided romantic girl about town.

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The Cossacks

Leo Tolstoy

A brilliant short novel based on Tolstoy’s early life as a soldier in the Caucusus, The Cossacks has all the energy and poetry of youth while at the same time…

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The Gift of the Magi

O. Henry

O. Henry is one of the most popular American writers of the twentieth century and a true master of the short story. This selection of tales ranges from Christmas in…

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Ice

Anna Kavan

Set in a frozen world that is gradually being devastated by ever-encroaching ice, Anna Kavan’s masterwork follows one man’s pursuit of a mysterious silver-haired girl to the ends of the…

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The Nutcracker

E.T.A. Hoffmann, Joachim Neugroschel (trans.), R. J. Hollingdale (trans.), Sally Hayward (trans.)

The inspiration for the classic ballet, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s irresistible tale of magic and mystery continues to be the perfect encapsulation of a child’s wonder at Christmas.

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Reginald’s Christmas Revel

Saki

With his signature flair and razor-sharp wit, Saki is an undisputed master of the short story. His tales are by turns hilarious, festive, supernatural and macabre, but all offer fabulous…

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Snow Country

Yasunari Kawabata, Edward G. Seidensticker (trans.)

Shimamura is tired of the bustling city. He takes the train through the snow to the mountains of the west coast of Japan, to meet with a geisha he believes…

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The Star-Child

Oscar Wilde

With warmth, tenderness and quiet wit, Oscar Wilde’s fables and fairy tales have moved and delighted for generations. In this selection are stories from The Happy Prince and A House…

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The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

Carson McCullers

A collection of Carson McCullers’ stories, including her novella The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Wunderkind .

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Cosmicomics

Italo Calvino

This is an account of the universe as a cosmic joke, surreal random fiction. Ofwfq is like matter - he can be neither created nor destroyed. In 1000 diverse shapes…

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Hell Screen

Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Jay Rubin (trans.)

Akutagawa was one of the towering figures of modern Japanese literature, and is considered the father of the Japanese short story. This paradigmatic selection, which includes the stories that inspired…

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Lady Susan

Jane Austen

Told through a series of letters, Jane Austen’s magnificent first novella is as subversive as it is charming.

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Lolly Willowes

Sylvia Townsend Warner

In this early feminist classic, a London spinster breaks free from her controlling family and escapes to the countryside. She soon discovers that her new neighbors are a coven of…

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The Lottery

Shirley Jackson

This chilling tale of a lottery in a small town which ends in death remains a powerful piece of literature and is a true classic in every sense of the…

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The Masque of the Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe

Arguably America’s most influential short story writer, Edgar Allan Poe’s tales of suspense never fail to spook and amaze. Gathered in this selection are his very best horror stories

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Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka, Michael Hoffman (trans.)

Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him rescuing her from their office building…

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Of Ghosts and Goblins

Lafcadio Hearn

In this haunting collection, the phantoms and ghouls of Japanese folklore stalk the page. Lafcadio Hearn, a master storyteller, drew on traditional Japanese folklore, infused with memories of his own…

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Passing

Nella Larsen

A taut exploration of race and gender, Passing is one of the Harlem Renaissance’s greatest works.

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The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran

An inspirational guide to living that delivers spiritual, yet practical, homilies on a wide variety of topics central to daily life, including: love, marriage and children; work and play; possessions…

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The Queen of Spades

Alexander Pushkin

'The Queen of Spades', one of Pushkin's most popular and chilling stories, is accompanied here by the thrilling 'Dubrovsky' and unforgettable 'Tales of Belkin'.

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Little Clothbound Classics

Street Haunting

Bonjour Tristesse

The Awakening

Babylon Revisited

Calypso in London

Chess

Death in Midsummer

The Fall

The Imitation of the Rose

The Library of Babel

My Friend Maigret

Nabokov’s Dozen

Summer

About Love

Bliss

Dream Story

The Enchanted April

The Lagoon

Letters to a Young Poet

Moonlight

Of Mice and Men

Shooting an Elephant

A Spy in the House of Love

Territory of Light

White Nights

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

Babette’s Feast

Big Blonde

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Cossacks

The Gift of the Magi

Ice

The Nutcracker

Reginald’s Christmas Revel

Snow Country

The Star-Child

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

Cosmicomics

Hell Screen

Lady Susan

Lolly Willowes

The Lottery

The Masque of the Red Death

Metamorphosis

Of Ghosts and Goblins

Passing

The Prophet

The Queen of Spades