Most Popular Books by Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a short story with a twist by American author, Ambrose Bierce. Set during the American Civil War, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is the story of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer condemned to death by hanging from Owl Creek Bridge. This story has been hailed as an early pioneer in "stream of consciousness" storytelling. This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it. Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes

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."

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.

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.

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" 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 (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.

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"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Cynic''s Dictionary is an indispensable resource offering satirical reinterpretations of terms in the English language, covering every aspect of human foolishness and frailty. A conspicuous, and it is hoped not unpleasant, feature of the book is its abundant illustrative quotations from eminent poets.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.