A woman aged 70 whose husband had died recently decides to go on holiday in the car to the battlefields of Northern France as she had done so many times before with Victor. She visits a restaurant and sits very close to an elderly Britsh couple. The man becomes very abusive towards his wife and she feels very embarrassed to be English. However, she...

Worthy but penniless Hughey Erskine is horrified by his painter friend's heartless attitude to the tramp posing for a portrait. Hughey gives the tramp money, only to learn there has been a mixup which may set Hughey back further from marrying his adoring fianc‚e.

A young woman gives her true love, a soldier, her locket before he goes away to war. Promising he will always keep it safe, when the locket returns but the young man does not, the young woman's world falls apart...but the twist in the tale will move even the steeliest listener's heart.

A woman sits in a dusky room with a man from whom she hopes to illicit a marriage proposal. However, an uninvited interloper comes and disrupts her well-laid plans, and throws the potential arrangement into uncertainty...in a very unexpected and even amusing fashion!

A soldier becomes obsessed with his enemy equivalent in wartime - the German soldier who has his same serial/conscription number as himself. As he drives himself mad with contemplation, through the soldier's thoughts Buchan presents the human reality of war - young men killing young men, who share similarities, interests, characteristics and dreams...

Little Chandler, the story's protagonist, is unhappy in his family life as a father and husband. The arrival of a successful friend further amplifies his feelings of inadequacy and despair, making him think about what he would have liked to do, and why it is that he lacks the courage to make the career that he dreams of. A train-of-consciousness st...

These UNABRIDGED short stories largely depict middle-class human relationships within and outside the family written with biting satire, irony, much humour and a pervading sadness.

Edith Wharton displays typical expertise in this portrayal of high society tensions. Jane Lethbury surprises and confounds her husband in asking him to let her adopt a baby.

Arsene Lupin, master criminal and 'gentleman thief', is locked up in a prison cell when a brilliant crime bearing all of his hallmarks is committed. Could there be a copy-cat criminal out there in the underworld? But who could match the cunning, agility and grace of Arsene Lupin?

Emily and Charles, an English couple, take the car from Dover to Calais in France. Following a rather average lunch of soggy chips ("I thought you said the French make the best chips" - Emily) they motor South until they arrive at a beautiful old hotel, a former Royal palace in the middle of champagne country. While Emily is changing for dinner Cha...

A sensual and evocative story about a married woman whose desires are enflamed by another woman, the distant and non-committal Pearl. A study of the urges of women and men alike, ideas of fidelity and hidden longing, this story is both melancholy and hopeful, with a female protagonist that doesn't quite fit the mould and is empathetically and inter...

Some great and varied short stories written by The 39 Steps thriller writer, John Buchan. Perhaps best remembered for 'The 39 Steps', John Buchan also wrote several collections of short stories. In this selection, tales about war-time code-breaking (echoing Buchan's own experience as an Intelligence Officer in WW1), cannibalism, and swashbuckling a...

A shepherd nears his final hours in this bleak yet insightful and evocative picture of dying. Encompassing many of the stages of grief, the man experiences fear, resignation and resolution in this lonely tale which also examines religion and the possible solace of companionship.

Taken from the collection 'Further Fables For Our Time', this tale from James Thurber will delight cat lovers and loathers alike. William the cat lives his life believing that he is the centre of the world. Although other cats take against his egotism and pompous nature, William trots through life unawares, until one day peril aboard a ship changes...

Mrs. Mooney, separated from her husband, a butcher who descended into alcoholism, runs a boarding house for working men. Her daughter Polly entertains the boarders by singing and flirts with them. When Mrs. Mooney learns that her daughter is having an affair with one of the men, she starts to wonder how she may manipulate the situation. An interest...

A coming-of-age story of sorts, which follows a boy from Dublin as he fantasises over his friend's sister. Also a tale of disillusionment and 'growing up', the story is a skilful expose of the naivety of youth and the unrealistic expectations we place on others. A stunning examination of an adolescent mind and the conflicts between youth and adulth...

After an automobile race outside Dublin, a 26-year-old Irishman named Jimmy, the son of a wealthy former butcher, accompanies the French team back into the city. Then follows an evening of eating, drinking, yachting and gambling, which Jimmy, or more likely his wallet, may live to rue.

Legal loopholes, mistaken identity and unreliable evidence all feature in this story of a murder trial where all is not as 'cut and dried' as it seems. An old woman has been murdered, but who did it, and will retribution be forthcoming?

This chilling classic Irish short story is one of the best in the genre and is read in a fitting Irish brogue by T.P. McKenna. The very beautiful Nora Guare and her Mother live in the lonesome district of West Munster in Ireland. Their cabin is the only one within a three mile radius. One day along comes the Brown man on his Brown horse wearing Bro...

Written with biting satire, much humor and a pervading melancholy, this story is a fine example of Fay Weldon's exquisite and accomplished talent for short story writing.

Mark and Molly, a married couple, share the same birthday although occupy different positions on the astrological chart. Molly is fastidious, devoted and frugal and hopes that Mark can appreciate her approach to life and adopt it for the sake of their growing family. A poignant story about the innate power of nature over nurture and the pointlessne...