Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

In this volume words sparkle and dance with a verve and purpose that other literary talents quite simple do not possess. Known principally for their novels the short story in their hands is fresh, compelling; a world of wonders. Genius is written with their names.

01 - The Top 10 - The Classic Novelists - The Men

2 - The Signalman by Charles Dickens

3 - Araby by James Joyce

4 - The Crocodile. An Extraordinary Incident - Part 1 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

5 - The Crocodile. An Extraordinary Incident - Part 2 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

6 - Winter Dreams by F Scott Fitzgerald

7 - Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson

8 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 1 by Herman Melville

9 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 2 by Herman Melville

10 - How Much Land Does A Man Need by Leo Tolstoy

11 - Malachi's Cove by Anthony Trollope

12 - The Million Pound Bank Note by Mark Twain

13 - The Matador of the Five Towns - Part 1 by Arnold Bennett

14 - The Matador of the Five Towns - Part 2 by Arnold Bennett