I agree with the previous two reviewers and join them in recommending this book, especially to those who have not yet read much Tolstoy. Rather than repeat what's been said, let me add one caveat and two complaints.

First, the caveat. If you already own a lot of Tolstoy's short fiction, you should preview this book to decide whether it offers enough new material to warrant buying. This anthology includes a number of familiar classics (mentioned in the other reviews), but you may decide it's still worth purchasing for the less common and early works.

Now for the complaints. _Kreutzer_Sonata_, or _Father_Sergius_? If I had to make an either-or choice, I think I would choose _Father_Sergius_. The editor chose _Kreutzer_Sonata_. A defensible choice, but not my preference.

A more serious complaint I have regards an omission. I would think that a Tolstoy anthology with "courage" and "conflict" in the subtitle would have to include _Hadji_Murat_. Its absence seems an oversight to me.

Despite these minor criticisms, I'm still giving this collection 5 stars on the merits of the works themselves. You will never regret time spent reading Tolstoy.

This collection of Tolstoy's work covers a period from 1852 (The Invaders) thru 1893 (Walk in the Light While There is Light). From the first published writing that marked him as a talent too good to ignore, through his religious conversion, and his soul-searching conclusions.

Some of his greatest short works are here. "The Recollections of a Billiard-Marker" is one of the early writings, and one of the bet descriptions of the effects of addiction (in this case an addiction to gambling) I have ever read. The Sevestopol Sketches (there are three of them) give one of the closest descriptions of men in war possible (the defense of Sevestopol during the Crimean War, which fell to the British and French). A group of religious parables. "The Death of Ivan Ilyitch" is a fantastic description of the internal battles waged when fighting with death. And "The Kreutzer Sonata" is a discussion of the place of men and women in society that should be required reading by anyone who thinks they understand the opposite sex.

There is enough in these stories to give the reader a chance to understand the author before attacking the larger and more famous major works.

There should be a higher number of stars that could be used for really classic fiction, and if there were, this book would warrant them. It includes many of Tolstoy's greatest short stories. The ones that made him famous. The ones that first showed his talent.

These stories span a period of over forty years, from "The Invaders" (1842) to "Walk in the Light While There is Still Light" (1893). We get a chance to not only read great stories, but to see the growth of a talent that started out better than most ever achieve.

"Recollections of a Billiard-Marker" (1855) is a less well known example of Tolstoy's ability to show the degeneration of a character. In this case it is by addiction to gambling that destroys a man, and the boy who works in a billiard hall who narrates. If this was the only story in the book, it would be worth buying, but it is not. It's not even the best one here.

Has there ever been a better description of men at war than "The Sevastapol Letters"? All three are here. Has anyone caught loneliness and despair better than "The Death of Ivan Ilyitch"? It's here.

No one catches class difference in fewer words. No one describes the ways we look at each other, the words we use, the words we don't use, better than this man.

Since this is a foreign novel, one must also mention the translation (by Isabel F. Hapsgood for the Sevestapol Letters, and Nathan Haskell Dole for everything else). They are good, they allow the language the feeling of another time, while allowing it to sound also current and easily readable.

A great way to cover much of the short fiction of one of the greatest fiction writers of all time.

There has never existed a more witty writer than Samuel Clemens, our beloved Mark Twain. Everything the man has ever written, particularly as age sharpened his sense of irony, carries a most suave and acute style of point-of-view. Every observation, every poignancy, every comment he makes is exquisitely nailed down with a genius's flair for words. While some readers of today may find some of his essays antiquated and over-worded, all I can say is that this man possessed the finest intellect ever granted to a human being and was able to produce it on paper with a resounding flourish. Not to mention the finest humor also.

I have read most books by and about Mark Twain and was thrilled to recently come across this collection of his works. Out of the essays he has written in this volume, "In Defense of Harriet Shelley" is my favorite. This essay is Mark's review of Professor Dowden's book titled "Life of Shelley". Ordinarily, I would never have heard of the poet Shelley's adultery while married to his first wife, Harriet, nor even cared if I had, but Mark, who reviewed many books of his era (including his hilarious upbraiding on the grammatically incorrect Fenimore Cooper's novels!) put it all in perspective for me - brought it right up to present time and concern, so to speak. Every sentence in that particular essay is loaded with vintage Twain-ism and he does so rightly defend Harriet that when you finish reading, you want to print a copy of it and post it everywhere in your own defense of Harriet as well! At least I felt that way.

Other essays of note in this book are "Saint Joan of Arc", "Mental Telepathy" and "The Death of Jean", the latter particularly profound since Mark writes about the death of his daughter, Jean, who while visiting him, dies as a result of an epileptic stroke. The bereaved father began this essay on the eve of her death and finished it within scant days; thus this writing displays a desperate immediacy to it - outpourings of a heart lamenting it's disbelief and shock. We see and feel with the man here in his most vulnerable state, hoping perhaps to find in his own writing, some link to his now-dead child.

This volume of essays was published in 1963 and I would love to see it reprinted again, updated with a catchy illustrated front cover, etc, (costs be damned) just to lure in a generation of readers who otherwise might never come across it.

Anyone who has read Twain will know that he has an unusually sharp wit and is one of the funniest men of ANY century; however, I wager that most do not perceive his grasp of issues important regardless of time, particularly the relationship of man to his (hypothetical) superiors, and human nature in general. With this book the best of both his worlds may be enjoyed: his humorous stance is in full effect in many of his hilarious essays; but the introspective character of his inner debates about man and God are also here preserved. It is recommended for anyone who wishes to see both sides of Twain's literature, and get a few belly laughs and deep thoughts while at it.

I stumbled upon the short stories of Stevenson kind of by accident, and what a happy accident that was! I can now say that Stevenson wrote both some of my favorite novels and some of my favorite short stories. I haven't gotten around to reading all of his stories yet, but I have loved those that I have read. I can't possibly describe how much I enjoyed Markheim, which is without a doubt my favorite short story of all time. Despite my rather limited reading of Stevenson's short stories, I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

There is nothing so exciting as a Stevenson novel--Kidnapped, Master of Ballantrae, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde--who can forget them once you've read them? These short stories have the same ability draw you in. The reading is effortless, and Stevenson's backgrounds don't labor with a conscious attempt at reality. They exist for the story and are as true as need be, and not more. From the South Sea to a Medieval City, the variety is pleasing and keeps you reading. Some of the best stories are "The Bottle Imp" (I doubt if a better twist on King Midas has ever been written), "Sire De Maltroit's Door" (A surprisingly good romance than manages, somehow, to skip all the usual elements) and "The Suicide Club" (not half as grim as it sounds, and showing RLS's ability to penetrate human thought).

These stories are highly recommended and aren't something to be read when you are all out of the "good" standard Stevenson--they stand as some of his best works and should be read just for the pure fun of it.

This is a fascinating compliation of true stories about some of the bravest people ever! Their stories of death, suffering and discovery in THE final frontier of our planet are absolutely riveting! If you "get" why they did it, you'll treasure this book. Even if you don't understand their reasons for having to explore Antarctica, you'll still be i for a great read and find a special respect for these true warriors.

This collection features stories so humourous that there should be a warning for heart patients. Ranging from advice for "Curing a Cold" to an angry article "Concerning Chaimbermaids", this set of articles will provide so much laughter aerobics will be unneccessary during the duration of the reading.

This wonderful collection proves once and for all that there is more to Irving than "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The stories contained within this volume are wonderfully told and sparkle with imagination. The pieces from "The Alahambra" were the most impressive.

Amazing collection of short stories. I bought it approximately 2 yrs ago, and I continue to open it on a monthly (if not weekly) basis to re-read some of the most amazing literature ever written for inspiration. A must buy for intellectuals seeking freedom from the mundane that is so commonly worshipped nowadays.

Good stuff, with a single flaw. Two novellas, very different. The first set in the Antarctic, the second in Manhattan and Eastern Europe. In the first a narrator tells a story of a death aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker in the Southern Ocean. I thought the distance provided by the narrator was a wonderful device, and enjoyed seeing the clues into the narrator's own personality from the narration. The flaw is the ending which is one section too long. The second story of death and memory is good stuff, a near perfect combination of interior and exterior detail. These are well worth the novella size effort.

It's easy to envision Twain as an American traveler on a steamboat up the Mississippi, but he actually was a world traveler, spending most of his time on the road from age 18 onward and crossing the Atlantic 27 times in the course of his life, writing about his adventures and experiences overseas. His letters and serial writings are culled by Neider to provide this fine collection of his best travel pieces.

This book would have at least 4 stars if not for the negatives mentioned below. Regardless, the reader is truly exposed to Mark Twain's thoughts about his life as if he was on the porch with you talking about them. Particularly interesting were his recollections of his early childhood, his exposure to slavery and African Americans at that time, his lecture travels later in life, and difficulties with publishers. You also seem to catch fragments of stories that might/should have made it into his published works. (And his comments on all of the unpublished material that he destroyed! To be able to read that material now . . . .) Overall, a very enjoyable book that does well to capture a truly great American author.
There were some negatives -- The numerous times that Twain was apparently financially duped by publishers, relatives, and acquaintances was depressing, and much of the middle part of the book became a lament, in my opinion, because of that. But still, you get the perspective of a great author who was either genuinely financially naive or a lousy custodian of his money; or perhaps he 'stretched the truth' a little.
Also, at least in my copy, the pages were out of order in several places. (It was the equivalent to actually sitting on a porch with the great author, listening, but being occasionally interrupted by clouds of mosquitoes.) The out-of-order pages made it extremely annoying, and if you get a copy like that, send it back!

Treat yourself to the autobiography of a great man whose rich life held everything - humor, joy, sadness, passion and heartbreak. I love his highly evolved sense of social justice and his clear perception of the hypocrisies of his time (and indeed ours). The most touching aspect of this book is the way he opens up and gives us access to the most intimate and tender parts of himself. This is one of the best autobiograpies I've ever read and I've read it countless times. This book will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud.

The problem with putting together Twain's ramblings about himself is that in the original, they are scattered all over his life in no particular organization. The editors of this version have put them in roughly chronological order and taken out some of the more repetitious pieces--and it really works well when you sit down with this remarkable book and make your way through the life tale of the greatest of all tall tale men.

What also comes through clearly is the immense sadness and loneliness he felt at the end of his life. He is a man looking back on a lifetime of irreplaceable moments, some tragic, some unjust, many downright hilarious--and some unspeakably poignant, as when Twain mentions his pride to discover that his little daughter Susy, who died before him, had started writing his biography.

If you want to know more about the man who saw a river so wide it only had one bank, this is the place. More than almost any biography I can remember, this one made me smile, made me laugh loudly, and just as often filled my eyes with tears.

"I love to think of the great and godlike Clemens." -- Rudyard Kipling