Books with author B. Ambrose

Tales of Soldiers and Civilians is a collection of short stories written by Ambrose Bierce. Published in 1891, the 26 stories detail the lives of soldiers and civilians during the American Civil War. His famous story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is included in this collection.In the preface to the first edition, Bierce maintained that the book had been "denied existence by the chief publishing houses of the country." He credited the eventual publication of the book to his friend, Mr. E. L. G. Steele, a merchant from San Francisco, who was listed with the 1891 copyright.[3] In 1898, Tales was republished along with other stories by G.P. Putnam's Sons under the title In the Midst of Life.George Sterling, in the introduction to a later (1927) edition, noted that as a result of "obtuse critics and a benighted public", the book failed to become the sensation Bierce had expected. The original publication contained nineteen stories, while those in later publications increased in number; 1898 to 22, and 1909 to 26.The original nineteen stories were retained in the 1898 publication, but were not entirely collectively retained in the 1909 edition.Four of these were transferred by Bierce into his collection Collected Works, Can Such Things Be?In a similar fashion, Bierce moved eight stories into the 1909 version of In the Midst of Life from the 1893 edition of Can Such Things Be?Sixteen of the original stories were initially published in the San Francisco Examiner... Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – circa 1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". Despite his reputation as a searing critic, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including the poets George Sterling and Herman George Scheffauer and the fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events, and the theme of war. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops, and was not seen again.

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge' is a short story by American author Ambrose Bierce. It is one of the best classic tales filled with detail and vision. This story inspires the imagination, then provides one of the best twists ever invented. The story is set in the time of the Civil War. It is famous for its irregular time sequence and twisted end. Bierce's abandonment of strict linear narration in favor of the internal mind of the protagonist is considered an early example of experimentation with stream of consciousness. It is one of Bierce's most anthologized stories.

A celebrated journalist in his lifetime, Ambrose Bierce was the author of sardonic, mischievous definitions of words that appeared in various San Francisco newspapers. Over several years these were compiled for a mock dictionary, originally published in 1906 as The Cynic’s Word Book and reissued in an expanded version as The Devil’s Dictionary in 1911.One of the most popular satirical works of world literature, The Devil’s Dictionary – here enriched with over 800 definitions left out from the original publications – brilliantly lays bare the hypocrisies of American society and displays a razor-sharp wit to rival that of Bierce’s contemporary Mark Twain.

This collection of short and chilling ghost stories was originally published in 1913 and is loosely organized into four categories: The Ways of Ghosts, including “An Arrest,” in which a murderer is escorted back to jail by the prison guard he murdered to escape; Soldier Folk including “A Man with Two Lives,” in which a man dead and buried returns to claim his belongings, Some Haunted Houses, including “The Other Lodgers,” in which a man checks into what he believes is a hotel only to discover it is an abandoned hospital, and Mysterious Disappearances, including “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field,” in which a man disappears in full view of witnesses while crossing a field.Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842-1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. 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.

''The Devil's Dictionary'' is a humorous look at English vocabulary by American writer and columnist Ambrose Bierce. When you first hear the title "The Devil's Dictionary", you may think the book has something to do with Satanism or black magic.This couldn't be further from the truth. Bierce liked the title because he felt that he was being devilish or mischievous in his satirical treatment of common words and phrases. Hence, "The Devil's Dictionary" is a satirical rendition of the dictionary. Satire is the literary use of humour, exaggeration, and irony in order to point out specific issues in society. Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary uses the format of a dictionary to redefine popular words in the American vernacular, including marriage, religion, lawyer, and conservative. The definitions seem to define the words as they really are in society rather than as the set definition laid down by scholars. Not only does he point out the absurdity of society, but he also takes jabs at people in powerful positions, such as lawyers, government officials, and lexicographers. In many of the entries, Bierce not only provides a definition, but he also provides a contextual example.