New Releases by Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce is a profound and haunting short story that delves into the themes of time, perception, and the harsh realities of war. First published in 1890, this classic tale is widely regarded as one of the most significant works of American literature, offering a striking commentary on the human experience during the Civil War. Through Bierce’s masterful narrative style and intricate storytelling, readers are taken on an emotional journey that challenges their perceptions of reality and illusion. The story centers on Peyton Farquhar, a Southern planter who is sympathetic to the Confederate cause. As the narrative unfolds, Farquhar finds himself standing on a bridge, bound and facing execution by Union soldiers. This tense opening scene immediately immerses readers in a sense of impending doom, evoking feelings of empathy and curiosity about Farquhar's motivations and background. Bierce skillfully employs vivid imagery and sensory detail to heighten the tension, drawing readers closer to the protagonist's impending fate. As the story progresses, Bierce artfully intersperses flashbacks into Farquhar's life, revealing the reasons for his involvement in the conflict and his deep desire to serve the Southern cause. This glimpse into his psyche serves to personalize his predicament, offering a more profound reflection on the nature of sacrifice and the ideals that propel individuals into war. Farquhar's strong sense of loyalty and his yearning for heroism is sharply contrasted with the grim reality looming overhead—his imminent death. One of the most compelling aspects of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is Bierce’s unique manipulation of time. As Farquhar is distracted by the sounds of nature and his thoughts, time begins to stretch and warp—moments feel like hours, and seconds fuse into a surreal experience. This psychological exploration of time serves as a poignant reflection of Farquhar’s state of mind as he grapples with the desire to escape and return to his life. Readers are drawn into his thoughts and emotions, experiencing his hope and despair as he envisions a desperate yet imagined escape. The moment of execution, juxtaposed with Farquhar’s vivid fantasies of survival, creates an intense emotional climax that leaves a lasting impact. Bierce's concise and evocative prose draws readers into a dream-like sequence where Farquhar envisions himself successfully dodging bullets and embarking on a treacherous but exhilarating homeward journey. This poignant portrayal of his mental escape represents the instinctual human desire to cling to life, even in the face of inevitable death. The story’s climax subverts expectations through an unexpected and shocking twist, revealing the harsh reality behind Farquhar's escape. As the narrative shifts back to the present, readers are confronted with the bitter truth of Farquhar's fate, stirring feelings of profound sadness and contemplation. The conclusion underscores the transient nature of life and the often-painful disconnect between our desires and the reality we inhabit. In addition to its rich themes of illusion and reality, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge serves as a powerful critique of war and its consequences. Bierce, having served as a soldier in the Civil War himself, imbues the text with a somber tone that resonates with notions of loss, sacrifice, and the used and discarded nature of human lives in the chaos of battle. The story invites readers to ponder the senselessness of violence and the impact it has on individuals and society at large. In conclusion, Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge remains a seminal work of American fiction that captivates readers with its psychological depth and emotional resonance. Through skillful narrative techniques, detailed characterization, and profound thematic exploration, Bierce crafts a timeless reflection on the human experience in the face of conflict and death. This story continues to evoke thought and discussion, making it an enduring piece of literature that is as relevant today as it was over a century ago.

The Devil's Dictionary is a collection of satirical aphorisms by Ambrose Bierce from 1911, gathering mostly blackly humorous or sarcastic definitions for about 1000 words. Although only a small portion of his work has been thoroughly received, Bierce, with the sarcastic, blackly humorous, often cynical narrative tone of his short texts, is considered, along with Edgar Allan Poe, to be the master of the uncanny short story, influencing authors such as Ernest Hemingway. Gröls Classics - English Edition

In "Fantastic Fables," Ambrose Bierce showcases his sharp wit and incisive social commentary through a collection of allegorical tales. Each fable, often featuring anthropomorphic animals or personified concepts, embodies moral lessons that critique the human condition and societal norms. Bierce employs an engaging mix of humor and cynicism, reflecting the literary style of the late 19th century, characterized by realism infused with irony. The work echoes the moralistic traditions of Aesop's fables while introducing a profound and often darkly humorous perspective that provokes readers to reconsider accepted wisdom. Ambrose Bierce, a journalist, and satirist, was renowned for his acerbic style and deep skepticism towards authority and convention. His experiences during the American Civil War and his tumultuous career as a writer imbued him with a comprehensive understanding of human folly and moral ambiguity. These experiences influenced his creative output, prompting him to distill his observations into sharp, concise narratives, making "Fantastic Fables" an embodiment of his worldview. Readers seeking a blend of humor, moral introspection, and social critique will find "Fantastic Fables" an illuminating and entertaining read. Bierce's timeless tales challenge the conventions of morality, inviting reflection on our own beliefs and behaviors. This collection remains essential for those who appreciate literature that is as thought-provoking as it is enjoyable.

"The Devil's Dictionary" is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842 to 1914) was an American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers.The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers.The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers.The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers. Bierce's witty definitions were imitated and plagiarized for years before he gathered them into books, first as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906 and then in a more complete version as The Devil's Dictionary in 1911.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers. Bierce's witty definitions were imitated and plagiarized for years before he gathered them into books, first as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906 and then in a more complete version as The Devil's Dictionary in 1911.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842[2] - circa 1914[3]) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". Despite his reputation as a searing critic, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including the poets George Sterling and Herman George Scheffauer and the fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events, and the theme of war. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops, and was not seen again.

Title: An Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeAuthor: Ambrose BierceLanguage: English

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Bierce includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Bierce’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Celepha�s is a collection of fantastic short stories authored by Howard Lovecraft, Lord Dunsany, Ambrose Bierce and Edgar Allan Poe with an introduction by Sigmund Freud. The main theme of the stories is the dream world, whether dreams inspired during sleep or with the help of exotic drugs. "Celepha�s", a fantasy story inspired by a dream recorded in Howard Lovecraft commonplace book as "Dream of flying over city", is a fictional city created in a dream by Kuranes, the anti-hero of the story. Celepha�s is described as being situated in the valley of Ooth-Nargai beside the Cerenerian Sea and its most remarkable feature is that it is unaffected by the passage of time, and takes no decay or wear, so that a person may leave it and return many years later to find that nothing has changed. "Celepha�s" was inspired by a tale by Lord Dunsany, "The Coronation of Mr. Thomas Shap", included in this collection, where the main character becomes more and more engrossed in the imaginary kingdom of Larkar, that he created, until he begins to neglect business and routine tasks of daily living. Ambrose Bierce's "A Horseman in the Sky", also included in this collection, inspired the imagery of the horses drifting off the cliff where the horizon of Celepha�s meets the sky. Other fantastic stories in this anthology include: Ambrose Bierce's Beyond the Wall, Edgar Allan Poe's SIOPE, Manuscript in a Bottle and The Oval Portrait as well as Howard Lovecraft's Azathoth, Beyond the Wall of Sleep, Dagon and Hypnos. The collection offers an excellent introduction to Howard Lovecraft's dream world complete with the inspirational stories that shaped its development. If you have enjoyed reading Necronomicon, The Call of Cthulhu, Robert Bloch's Psycho, Neil Gaiman' American Gods or Frederik Pohl's Virtual Nightmare you will definitely enjoy reading Celepha�s. Howard Lovecraft was the forefather of modern horror fiction having inspired such writers as Stephen King, Robert Bloch and Neil Gaiman. The influence of his Cthulhu mythos can be seen in film (Re-Animator, Hellboy, and Alien), games (The Call of Cthulhu role playing enterprise), music (Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath) and pop culture in general.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 - circa 1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters," and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation as a searing critic, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including the poets George Sterling and Herman George Scheffauer and the fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events, and the theme of war. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops, and was not seen again. Bierce was born in a log cabin at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio, on June 24, 1842, to Marcus Aurelius Bierce (1799-1876) and Laura Sherwood Bierce.His mother was a descendant of William Bradford. He was the tenth of thirteen children whose father gave all names beginning with the letter "A": in order of birth, the Bierce siblings were Abigail, Amelia, Ann, Addison, Aurelius, Augustus, Almeda, Andrew, Albert, and Ambrose. His parents were a poor but literary couple who instilled in him a deep love for books and writing.Bierce grew up in Kosciusko County, Indiana, attending high school at the county seat, Warsaw.He left home at 15 to become a "printer's devil" at a small Ohio newspaper.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 - circa 1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce"

A wonderful example of the macabre and surreal mind of Ambrose Bierce.

A young man works for his father at his dog-oil business whilst simultaneously helping his mother with her work as well. But when his duties for each of his parents overlap one day, the consequences are terrible and tragic. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

On a warm afternoon in the fall of 1861 Carter Druse is on picket duty on top of a cliff overlooking a valley where five regiments of the Union army are resting. The enemy is near, and the Union force means to surprise them in the night unless “accident or vigilance” forewarns them. Druse had been sleeping but wakes to see a man on a horse surveying the activity in the valley below. He sights his rifle, but hesitates when the rider turns and seems to look straight at him. In a crisis of conscience, Druse questions where his duty lies. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Complete and unabridged, this paperback gift edition of an American humor classic presents more than 1,000 comic definitions praised by H. L. Mencken as "some of the most gorgeous witticisms in the English language."

If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is "a person who talks when you wish him to listen," and happiness is "an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another." This is the most comprehensive, authoritative edition ever of Ambrose Bierce’s satiric masterpiece. It renders obsolete all other versions that have appeared in the book’s ninety-year history. A virtual onslaught of acerbic, confrontational wordplay, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary offers some 1,600 wickedly clever definitions to the vocabulary of everyday life. Little is sacred and few are safe, for Bierce targets just about any pursuit, from matrimony to immortality, that allows our willful failings and excesses to shine forth. This new edition is based on David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi’s exhaustive investigation into the book’s writing and publishing history. All of Bierce’s known satiric definitions are here, including previously uncollected, unpublished, and alternative entries. Definitions dropped from previous editions have been restored while nearly two hundred wrongly attributed to Bierce have been excised. For dedicated Bierce readers, an introduction and notes are also included. Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary is a classic that stands alongside the best work of satirists such as Twain, Mencken, and Thurber. This unabridged edition will be celebrated by humor fans and word lovers everywhere.

Begun in a weekly paper in 1881, Bierce's "dictionary" contained the sardonic definitions published by Ambrose Bierce as "The cynic's word book" in 1906.

Begun in a weekly paper in 1881, Bierce's "dictionary" of barbed definitions includes cynical epigrams, maxims, essays, and verses that illustrate the irreverent humor of the nineteenth-century satirist as he lampoons cherished American traditions.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short-story writer and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short stories, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical dictionary, The Devil's Dictionary. The dictionary offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language and also which lampoon religious and political doublespeak. Examples: LAWYER One skilled in circumvention of the law. FUTURE, n. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured.

An abridged and illustrated version of the original masterpiece by the acerbic American satirist Ambrose Bierce (b. 1842), addressed, in the author¿s own words, to 'enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humor and clean English to slang¿. Bierce was a journalist specializing in sharp satire, and also a writer of war and ghost stories, some with a distinctive Western flavor.

An incomparable satirist, Ambrose Bierce became the 'laughing devil' of the San Francisco news media, for he was about as discreet as a runaway locomotive, according to HL Mencken.

The complete and uncensored collection of definitions, anecdotes, language play and verse for over 1000 words, in the humorous and cynical pen of Ambrose Bierce.