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  A Wireless Message - From their...

  Ambrose Bierce

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  Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language.  
  Growing up in Koscuisko County, Indiana poverty and religion were defining features of his childhood, and he would later describe his parents as “unwashed savages” and fanatically religious, showing him little affection but always quick to punish. He came to resent religion, and his introduction to literature appears to be their only positive effect. 
  At age 15 Bierce left home to become a printer’s devil, mixing ink and fetching type at The Northern Indian, a small Ohio paper. Falsely accused of theft he returned to his farm and spent time sending out work in the hopes of being published. 
  His Uncle Lucius advised he be sent to the Kentucky Military Institute. A year later he was commissioned as an Officer.  As the Civil War started Bierce enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment.  
  In April 1862 Bierce fought at the Battle of Shiloh, an experience which, though terrifying, became the source of several short stories. Two years later he sustained a serious head wound and was off duty for several months. He was discharged in early 1865.  
  A later expedition to inspect military outposts across the Great Plains took him all the way to San Francisco. He remained there to become involved with publishing and editing and to marry, Mary Ellen on Christmas Day 1871.  They had a child, Day, the following year.  
  In 1872 the family moved to England for 3 years where he wrote for Fun magazine. His son, Leigh, was born, and first book, ‘The Fiend’s Delight’, was published.  
  They returned to San Francisco and to work for a number of papers where he gained admiration for his crime reporting. In 1887 he began a column at the William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner.  
  Bierce’s marriage fell apart when he discovered compromising letters to his wife from a secret admirer. The following year, 1889 his son Day committed suicide, depressed by romantic rejection. 
  In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’.  Success and further works including poetry followed.  
  Bierce with Hearst’s resources helped uncover a financial plot by a railroad to turn 130 million dollars of loans into a handout. Confronted by the railroad and asked to name his price Bierce answered “my price is $130 million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States”.  
  He now began his first foray as a fabulist, publishing ‘Fantastic Fables’ in 1899.  But tragedy again struck two years later when his second son Leigh died of pneumonia relating to his alcoholism.  
  He continued to write short stories and poetry and also published ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’.  
  At the age of 71, in 1913 Bierce departed from Washington, D.C., for a tour of the battlefields where he had fought during the civil war. At the city of Chihuahua he wrote his last known communication, a letter to a friend. It’s closing words were “as to me, I leave here tomorrow for an unknown destination,” Ambrose Bierce then vanished without trace.

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  Jerry Bundler - From their pens...

  WW Jacobs

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  William Wymark Jacobs was born on 8th September 1863 in Wapping, East London.  
  He was educated at a private school and then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London. 
  In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank.  In 1885 his first short story was published but it was not until almost the turn of the century that he would abandon his post office career to that as a full-time writer. By then he was a very popular author, his collections selling extremely well and with an excellent income. 
  His best-known work is the macabre ‘The Monkey's Paw’ and he is also highly regarded for his ghost stories although much of his remaining short story output is streaked with humour.  His characters are immediately identifiable and we all know that life will take chunks out of them in no time at all.  
  Jacobs married the noted suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams in 1900 at West Ham, Essex. They went on to have two daughters and three sons as they settled down to life.  
  By the outbreak of the First World War his literary output had declined and he now mainly spent his time rewriting his earlier stories for the stage.  In all he wrote 18 plays. 
  W W Jacobs died on 1st September 1943 at Hornsey Lane, Islington in London. He was 79.

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  Mark twain: The Complete Novels

  Mark Twain

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  Here you will find the complete novels of Mark Twain: 1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Starts at Chapter 1 2. The Prince and the Pauper Starts at Chapter 373. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Starts at Chapter 704. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Starts at Chapter 1135. The American Claimant Starts at Chapter 1586. Tom Sawyer Abroad Starts at Chapter 1847. Pudd'nhead Wilson Starts at Chapter 1978. Tom Sawyer, Detective Starts at Chapter 2199. A Horse's Tale Starts at Chapter 23010. The Mysterious Stranger Starts at Chapter 24511. The War Prayer Starts at Chapter 25612. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Starts at Chapter 25713. The Million Pound Bank Note Starts at Chapter 25814. Hunting the Deceitful Turkey Starts at Chapter 26015. The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm Starts at Chapter 26116. Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc Starts at Chapter 26217. The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today starts at Chapter 33619. A Double Barreled Detective Story starts at Chapter 400

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  Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice...

  Simon Foster

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  Simon Foster’s short & sweet edition cuts out the fluff from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen and gets straight to the good stuff. Savor the best literature of all time without spending years of your life treading through long traditional books. 
  Simon Foster books are a suitable length for the human attention span, helping you to remember the key details of every book. By the end, you’ll be able to impress your friends, family, or even a professor with your knowledge of Pride & Prejudice without spending hours reading the original edition. 
  Stop wasting hours trying to dissect complex English from old classic books. English has changed over time, and books from hundreds of years ago feel like a different language than modern English. 
  Enjoy classics the modern way. Once you discover the joy of listening to classics with Simon Foster, you will never want to go back to old stuffy paperback classics. Welcome to the future of literature!

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  A Midsummer Night's Dream

  William Shakespeare

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  A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of William Shakespeare's most enchanting and beloved comedies—a magical tale where love, illusion, and mischief collide under the moonlit sky. Set in ancient Athens and an enchanted forest nearby, the play weaves together multiple storylines filled with romance, mistaken identities, playful deception, and whimsical fantasy.
  
  At the heart of the story are four young lovers—Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena—who find themselves entangled in a complicated web of affection and jealousy. When Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, as commanded by her father, she flees into the forest with Lysander, the man she truly loves. Demetrius follows in pursuit, with Helena chasing after him in desperate devotion. What unfolds is a night of chaos and comedy when fairy magic interferes with human emotions.
  
  Hovering over the forest is the quarrel between Oberon, the King of the Fairies, and Titania, his Queen. Their dispute disrupts both the natural world and the lives of the mortals who wander into their realm. Determined to teach Titania a lesson, Oberon enlists the mischievous sprite Puck to use a magical flower whose nectar causes the victim to fall in love with the first creature they see upon waking. However, Puck's playful mistakes lead to hilarious consequences, causing lovers to switch affections and turning order into delightful confusion.
  
  Adding another layer of humor is a group of amateur craftsmen rehearsing a play for the Duke's wedding. Their clumsy performance preparations provide comic relief, especially when one of them, Nick Bottom, becomes the unwitting target of fairy enchantment.
  
  Through poetic language, witty dialogue, and imaginative storytelling, Shakespeare explores themes of love's irrationality, the thin line between dream and reality, the transformative power of imagination, and the unpredictability of desire. The forest becomes a symbolic space where societal rules loosen, identities shift, and characters confront their true feelings.
  
  Both lighthearted and profound, A Midsummer Night's Dream remains a timeless celebration of romance, magic, and the human heart. Its blend of fantasy and humor continues to captivate readers and audiences, reminding us that love—like a dream—can be beautiful, bewildering, and wonderfully unpredictable.

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  The Emancipated

  George Gissing

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  The Emancipated explores the complexities of marriage, personal freedom, and societal expectations in late Victorian England. The story centers on Everard Domby, a disillusioned barrister trapped in a loveless marriage to a woman whose conventional mindset stifles his intellectual and emotional growth. As he grows closer to Dora Mead, a divorced and independent-minded woman considered scandalous by society, Everard is forced to confront his own ideals versus social reality. Gissing critiques the institution of marriage and the rigid moral codes of the time, portraying the inner turmoil of individuals torn between duty and desire. With psychological depth and sharp social observation, the novel questions what it truly means to be free—especially for those who challenge the norms of family, gender, and class.

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