Our family has a tradition of making a Christmas gift for everyone in the family. This year, I made little 16 page books from a single double-sided sheet of paper, folded and stapled. The books contain different public domain short stories.
I posted them on itch.io for free for you all to download and enjoy. Feel free to print, give, sell in vending machines, and do whatever you want to do with them.
These stories are public domain in the United States; they may not be public domain where you live. I was limited by the format of the books to 2500 to 3000 words, so I couldn't include some of my favorite longer stories. The stories currently available are:
- "The Case of the Missing Will" by Agatha Christie. Inspector Poirot is called to investigate on behalf of an independant-minded woman who may be cheated out of an inheritance from a chauvinistic uncle.
- "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. The classic tale of revenge and duplicity from the greatest horror writer of the 19th century.
- "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" by Robert E. Howard. The creator of Conan pens this fantasy story of King Kull and his escape from the boredom of ruling a kingdom.
- "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain. One of the great humorist's most well-known works, this tall tale still has the power to bring a smile to your face.
- "Postmark Ganymede" by Robert Silverberg. Pulp fiction featuring spaceships and adventure from the Hugo and Nebula award-winning master of sci-fi.
- "A Horseman in the Sky" by Ambrose Bierce. A Union lookout in the Civil War spots a lone Rebel horseman in a tense confrontation.
- "Gift of the Magi" by O Henry. Probably the best Christmas story ever, this a great read no matter the time of year.
- "A Vintage from Atlantis" by Clark Ashton Smith. This pirate yarn takes a weird turn when the buccaneers find a jar of wine from an ancient civilization.
- "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton. Equal parts romance and suspense, the ending will be turning over in your head for days.
- "The Lumber Room" by Saki. A young boy ventures into a forbidden room in this witty story by one of the masters of short literature.
If you have any other suggestions, let me know, but remember that the stories need to be less than 3000 words and public domain in the United States.
submitted by /u/SayethWeAll
[comments]
Source link