Project Gutenberg 2004-02-01 Public domain in the USA. 3825 Jessup, Alexander 1871 Bunner, H. C. (Henry Cuyler) 1855 1896 Bunner, Henry Cuyler Chester, George Randolph 1869 1924 Cooke, Grace MacGowan 1863 1944 MacGowan, Grace Cooke, Mrs. William Curtis, George William 1824 1892 Edwards, Harry Stillwell 1855 1938 Hale, Edward Everett 1822 1909 Ingham, Frederic Darragh, J. Thomas Hale, E. E. (Edward Everett) Hale, Edward E. Harte, Bret 1836 1902 Harte, Francis Bret Hastings, Wells 1879 1923 Hastings, Wells Southworth Henry, O. 1862 1910 Porter, William Sidney Holmes, Oliver Wendell 1809 1894 Johnston, Richard Malcolm 1822 1898 Perch, Philemon Johnston, R. M. (Richard Malcolm) Kirkland, Caroline M. (Caroline Matilda) 1801 1864 Clavers, Mary Kirkland, C. M. (Caroline Matilda) Hale, Mrs. Kirkland, Mrs. (Caroline Matilda) Kirkland, Caroline Matilda Stansbury Lampton, William J. (William James) 1917 Lampton, William James Leslie, Eliza 1787 1858 Leslie, Miss (Eliza) Morris, George Pope 1802 1864 Morris, G. P. (George Pope) Morris, Geo. P. (George Pope) Poe, Edgar Allan 1809 1849 Poe, Edgar Allen Stockton, Frank R. 1834 1902 Stockton, Francis Richard Stockton, Frank Richard Twain, Mark 1835 1910 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens) The Best American Humorous Short Stories Edited and introduced by Alexander Jessup The little Frenchman and his water lots / G.P. Morris -- The angel of the odd / E.A. Poe -- The schoolmaster's progress / Caroline M.S. Kirkland -- The Watkinson evening / Eliza Leslie -- Titbottom's spectacles / G.W. Curtis -- My double; and how he undid me / E.E. Hale -- A visit to the asylum for aged and decayed punsters / O.W. Holmes -- The celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras county / Mark Twain -- Elder Brown's backslide / H.S. Edwards -- The hotel experience of Mr. Pink Fluker / R.M. Johnston -- The nice people / H.C. Bunner -- The Buller-Podington compact / F.R. Stockton -- Colonel Starbottle for the plaintiff / B. Harte -- The duplicity of Hargraves / O. Henry -- Bargain day at Tutt House / G.R. Chester -- A call / Grace M. Cooke -- How the widow won the deacon / W.J. Lampton -- Gideon / W. Hastings. Etext produced by Keith M. Eckrich and PG Distributed Proofreaders; HTML file produced by David Widger "The Best American Humorous Short Stories" by Alexander Jessup is a collection of comedic short stories curated from the rich tapestry of American literature, likely assembled in the early 20th century. This anthology aims to showcase diverse narratives that embody humor, emphasizing the art of the short story while celebrating the unique wit of various American authors throughout history. The collection promises an array of entertaining tales that explore the follies and foibles of human nature, often through the lens of well-known literary figures. The opening of the book includes a comprehensive introduction by editor Alexander Jessup, who outlines the criteria for selecting stories for this anthology. He carefully navigates the balance between presenting quality short stories and maintaining a focus on humor, recognizing the importance of context and character development alongside comedic elements. Examples of the types of humorists and stories that will appear in the collection are provided, alongside a discussion of the exclusion of some well-known humor writers whose work may not fit the anthology's standards. This sets the stage for a rich exploration of American humor through short stories, from the whimsical to the satirical, inviting readers to indulge in a literary journey marked by laughter and insight. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 70.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories, American PS Text Short Stories Category: Short Stories Category: Humour Category: American Literature 690888 2025-08-05T05:53:26.764057 text/html 667868 2024-10-28T18:20:04 text/html 555255 2025-08-05T05:53:35.765054 application/epub+zip 556777 2025-08-05T05:53:28.254069 application/epub+zip 394800 2025-08-05T05:53:27.444065 application/epub+zip 1236494 2025-08-05T05:53:41.396493 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1204905 2025-08-05T05:53:35.126005 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 894770 2022-09-05T10:55:26.786524 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 647085 2025-08-05T05:53:25.520117 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 626705 2024-10-28T18:20:04 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 29851 2025-08-05T05:53:41.676510 application/rdf+xml 9488 2025-08-05T05:53:27.655098 image/jpeg 1542 2025-08-05T05:53:27.548040 image/jpeg 519400 2025-08-05T05:53:26.821090 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia