From British humorist and author of Three Men on a Boat comes this collection of ghost stories-told around the fire on Christmas Eve, because, according to Jerome, almost all English ghost stories begin on Christmas Eve. He introduces them tongue-in-cheek as "sad but authentic"-delightful and entertaining for any fan of Jerome.

The author of Three Men in a Boat, writes himself in as a character in this marvelous novel. The plot unfolds as he and three of his bachelor friends (he is married) set out to write a novel. As they embark on this venture and their eccentricities come into play, will they ever manage to finish the story?

While they are discussing the possible illnesses they may have, Jerome, Harris, and George all realize they suffer from the same thing-working too much. Upon the realization, the three best friends decide that they must go on a vacation. After rejecting the ideas of a sea trip or country stay, because Jerome doesn't like the sea, and Harris finds the country to be dull, the men decide on a boat trip. With their bags packed and with the company of...

A decade after their wild boat ride adventure on the Thames river, J, Harris, and George reunite for another vacation. Older, richer, and fatter, but not wiser, the three men stumble through mishaps and surprises as they journey to Germany. First saying their goodbyes, J and Harris seek the approval of their wives, worried about leaving their kids. Their wives are supportive, secretly considering their husbands' trip from home as a vacation for themselves...

(Excerpt): "Once upon a time in Zandam, which is by the Zuider Zee, there lived a wicked man named Nicholas Snyders. He was mean and hard and cruel, and loved but one thing in the world, and that was gold. And even that not for its own sake. He loved the power gold gave him-the power to tyrannize and to oppress, the power to cause suffering at his will. They said he had no soul, but there they were wrong. All men own-or, to speak more correctly, are...

Although not the equal of his "Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow" (1886), one can still find sublime passages here and there that demonstrate the occasional genius of a wonderful observer and humorist. The passages are worth reading the rest.

Collection of humorous stories, the framing being that they are told by a waiter named Henry. Generally good, but with the last, "The Wooing of Tom Sleight's Wife", is the best. It's a terrific tale in which a sailor, parted from the girl he'd secretly married in Maine, many years later falls in love with a barmaid in Paris -- one who happens to be exactly the same person.

Featuring five works of extraordinary short fiction, John Ingerfield: And Other Stories is an unforgettable collection that textualizes the aspects of human nature that are often left unspoken while exploring nostalgia and the macabre. In The Woman of Saeter, an uneventful hunting trip turns into a spooky experience when two men are forced to take shelter in a mysterious hut in the woods. With a similar tone, Silhouettes is a frightening recollection...

(Excerpt): "They look so dull and dowdy in the spring weather, when the snow drops and the crocuses are putting on their dainty frocks of white and mauve and yellow, and the baby-buds from every branch are peeping with bright eyes out on the world, and stretching forth soft little leaves toward the coming gladness of their lives. They stand apart, so cold and hard amid the stirring hope and joy that are throbbing all around them."

A really intriguing short story about the lives of three couples in their forties, who are given the chance to go back through time, at the age of 20, with the knowledge of the future. What would a young person do, knowing that following his instinct would most probably lead to his wretchedness? How does one differentiate between reality and dream? How frightened is one, knowingly deciding to take the same steps in life the second time as he did the...