Questing after Pancho Villa’s revolutionary forces, Ambrose Bierce rode into Mexico in 1913 and was never seen again. He left behind him theDevil’s Dictionary and a remarkable body of short fiction. This new collection gathers some of Bierce’s finest stories, including the celebrated Civil War fictions ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge‘ and ‘Chickamauga‘, his macabre masterpieces "The Damned Thing" and "Moxon's Master", and his hilariously horrific "Oil of Dog" and "My Favorite Murder". —back cover TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Suggestions for Further Reading A Note on the Text From In the Midst of Life Soldiers: A Horseman in the Sky An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Chickamauga A Son of the Gods One of the Missing Killed at Resaca The Affair at Coulter’s Notch The Coup de Grâce Parker Adderson, Philosopher An Affair of Outposts The Story of a Conscience One Kind of Officer The Mocking-Bird Civilians: The Man Out of the Nose The Man and the Snake The Boarded Window From Can Such Things Be? Can Such Things Be?: Moxon’s Master A Tough Tussle A Resumed Identity The Night-Doings at “Deadman’s” The Realm of the Unreal The Damned Thing Haïta the Shepherd The Ways of Ghosts: Present at a Hanging A Wireless Message Soldier Folk: Three and One Are One From Negligible Tales Negligible Tales: A Bottomless Grave Jupiter Doke, Brigadier-General The City of the Gone Away The Major’s Tale Curried Cow A Revolt of the Gods The Parenticide Club: My Favorite Murder Oil of Dog From Antepenultimata A Bivouac of the Dead From The Opinionator The Controversialist: The Short Story Explanatory Notes Glossary of Military Terms Battle Sites and Battle Leaders
Author
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842-1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events. Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71. He is believed to have traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on that country's ongoing revolution. Despite an abundance of theories, Bierce's ultimate fate remains a mystery. He wrote in one of his final letters: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico—ah, that is euthanasia!"
