American history overflows with good yarns. The many cultures which emigrated to the USA in the 19th Century provided a broad fertile experience on which the short story writer could draw. The authors contained in this collection were masters of the craft. The stories in the order they appear are:'Titbottoms Spectacles' by George William Curtis'The First Piano in Camp' by Samuel Davis .'Mr Tolman' by Frank R. Stockton.'Mrs Bullfrog' by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Against His Judgement' by Robert Grant. 'A Desperate Adventure' by Max Adeler. 'Occurence at Owl Creek' by Ambrose Bierce. 'The Stout Gentleman' by Washington Irving. 'Clothes' by Gustav Kobbé.'Negative Gravity' by Frank R. Stockton.