Short Stories audiobooks

Mountain Man

By: Robert E. Howard

Narrated by: John McLain

Length: 35 minutes

Abridged: No

From pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard, the first story in his most commercially successful seriesA comedic western, "Mountain Man" is about the tall tales and big adventures of Brekenridge Elkins, an exaggerated, cartoonish version of Howard himself. The story first appeared in the March–April 1934 issue of Action Stories and was so popular... Read more

The Nice People

By: Henry Cuyler Bunner

Narrated by: Scott O’Neill

Length: 20 minutes

Abridged: No

Henry Culyer Bunner is considered a comedic genius of the short story form. Known for choosing distinctly American themes and characters, his stories are often seen as trivial, merely expanded anecdotes, yet they are so vitally treated that they grip and remain, and, often, lift and chasten. Here is "The Nice People," one of his best known... Read more

The Necklace

By: Guy de Maupassant

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 20 minutes

Abridged: No

A lesson on the power of vanity, "The Necklace" tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband. Mathilde always imagined herself as a socialite with beautiful gowns and wonderful jewels. Her husband, however, is a lowly clerk and the two have little money. Desperate to attend an important party, she borrows a friend's diamond necklace... Read more

The Lottery Ticket

By: Anton Chekhov

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 14 minutes

Abridged: No

Considered one of the greatest short story writers of all time, Anton Chekhov heavily influenced the evolution of the modern short story. Most notably, he used a technique that would later be called "stream of consciousness," in which he eschewed the traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Written in that... Read more

Adventure

By: Sherwood Anderson

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Length: 16 minutes

Abridged: No

Sherwood Anderson's most enduring work, Winesburg, Ohio, is considered one of earliest works of modernist literature. The sequence of short stories centers on the life of George Willard and those who live in the rural, pre-industrial town. "Adventure," a short story within the novel, tells the tale of Alice Hindman, a twenty-something girl, and... Read more

The Death of a Soldier

By: Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 21 minutes

Abridged: No

Before Louisa May Alcott achieved national fame with Little Women, she received success and recognition for Hospital Sketches, which was published in 1863. The book is based on her experience as a Civil War nurse at a Union hospital in Georgetown. In "The Death of a Soldier," an excerpt from the fourth chapter, she recounts the final days of a... Read more

The Story of an Hour

By: Kate Chopin

Narrated by: Tish Hicks

Length: 9 minutes

Abridged: No

Kate Chopin is a widely considered the forerunner to the feminist authors of the twentieth century. Focusing on themes of race and gender, her short stories largely center on life in rural Louisiana. In "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard has just learned that her husband is dead—believed to have died during a train accident. Her family fears... Read more

A Pair of Silk Stockings

By: Kate Chopin

Narrated by: Arielle DeLisle

Length: 11 minutes

Abridged: No

Kate Chopin is a widely considered a forerunner to the feminist authors of the twentieth century. Focusing on themes of race and gender, her short stories largely center on life in rural Louisiana. In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," a young woman unexpected finds herself with fifteen dollars. Inspired by her newfound wealth, she ignores her natural... Read more

A Society

By: Virginia Woolf

Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Known as one of the foremost modernist novelists of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf also wrote several shorter works. In "A Society," one of her earlier short stories, a young woman receives a substantial inheritance from her father, on the condition that she reads all of the books in London Library. Distressed by the unsatisfactory... Read more

The Death of a Government Clerk

By: Anton Chekhov

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 7 minutes

Abridged: No

Considered one of the greatest short story writers of all time, Anton Chekhov heavily influenced the evolution of the modern short story. Most notably, he used a technique that would later be called "stream-of-consciousness," in which he eschewed the traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Written in that... Read more

The Ice Palace

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrated by: Vanessa Hart

Length: 54 minutes

Abridged: No

One of F. Scott Fitzgerald's earliest short stories, "The Ice Palace" is about Sally Carrol Happer, a young Southern woman who is bored with her conventional life. She's engaged to Harry Bellamy, a young man from the North. Despite concern from her family and friends, Sally travels to Harry's hometown to meet his family. Hoping for an exciting... Read more

The Diamond as Big as the Ritz

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 1 hour 41 minutes

Abridged: No

Written in the same vein as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most imaginative shorter works. John T. Unger is a young southerner who goes to Montana for summer vacation with a wealthy college classmate. But the classmate's family proves to be much more than simply... Read more

Brown Wolf

By: Jack London

Narrated by: Adam Verner

Length: 38 minutes

Abridged: No

Jack London was one of the first fiction writers to achieve worldwide fame. Though he is best remembered for his novels The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set during the Klondike Gold Rush, his short stories are considered masterful. Here in "Brown Wolf," a couple living on a homestead in Northern California who take in a stray sled dog... Read more

A Blackjack Bargainer

By: O. Henry

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 38 minutes

Abridged: No

O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer—a master of surprise endings—who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. Here is "A Blackjack Bargainer," the story of the drunken Yancey Goree, a washed-up lawyer who has lost his money, possessions, property, and self-respect as a result of playing poker. After settling a... Read more

The Stone of Invisibility

By: Giovanni Boccaccio

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 14 minutes

Abridged: No

The most enduring work by the Renaissance humanist Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron is a collection of one hundred stories about ten young noblemen and noblewomen who escape the plague by moving to a country villa outside the Italian city of Florence. Highly influential, numerous writers have borrowed from Boccaccio's tales, including Edgar... Read more

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith

Length: 15 minutes

Abridged: No

Though known for his classic novels of adventure and coming of age, Mark Twain is equally esteemed for his short stories, which abound with the colorful characters and often comic antics readers have come to expect from his longer works. Included here is "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," a wild yarn involving a case of mistaken... Read more

Prince Bull

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir

Length: 17 minutes

Abridged: No

Charles Dickens created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters. Widely regarded as the greatest writer of the Victorian period, his novels and short stories continue to be widely popular today. One of his lesser known works, "Prince Bull" is the story of a powerful prince named Bull; his lovely wife called Fair Freedom; and... Read more

The Gift of the Magi

By: O. Henry

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 14 minutes

Abridged: No

O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer—a master of surprise endings—who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. In "The Gift of the Magi," one of his best-known works, a young couple at Christmas time who, despite having little money, buy secret gifts for each other. A moral lesson on the importance of love and... Read more

Eve’s Diary

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

Length: 44 minutes

Abridged: No

Though known for his classic novels of adventure and coming of age, Mark Twain is equally esteemed for his short stories, which abound with the colorful characters and often comic antics readers have come to expect from his longer works. Included here is "Eve's Diary," the comic tale of Eve, the first woman in the Judeao-Christian creation... Read more

Skip Tracer Bullets

By: Joe Archibald

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Joe Archibald's pulp detective series features Willie Klump—a hapless private investigator who formerly worked for the prestigious Hawkeye Detective Agency—and his many misadventures. Here in "Skip Tracer Bullets," Willie is once again down on his luck. His fortunes change when a new case leads him to stolen diamonds … but Willie soon finds... Read more

Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad

By: M. R. James

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 53 minutes

Abridged: No

M. R. James was a prolific and hugely successful author, now credited with redefining the ghost story form. By abandoning many of the formal gothic clich├®s of his predecessors and using more contemporary settings, James set the stage for future generations of writers. Originally published in 1904, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" is... Read more

The Monkey’s Paw

By: W. W. Jacobs

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 24 minutes

Abridged: No

Originally published in 1902, "The Monkey's Paw" is a classic horror short story written by author W. W. Jacobs. In the story, the paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy... Read more

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

By: Ambrose Bierce

Narrated by: Kyle Munley

Length: 27 minutes

Abridged: No

Set during the American Civil War, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is the classic short story of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer condemned to death by hanging from Owl Creek Bridge. Flashing between the present and the past—from Peyton's thoughts as he stands on the bridge to his memories as a major Confederate supporter in the... Read more

Death and the Woman

By: Gertrude Atherton

Narrated by: Rachel Fulginiti

Length: 17 minutes

Abridged: No

Gertrude Atherton was a gothic novelist and short story writer. A prot├®g├®e of Ambrose Bierce, his influence can be seen in many of her stories, which often have overt references to the supernatural. In "Death and the Woman," a woman sits all alone in grief at her dying husband's side, waiting for Death to claim him. In the creepy, desolate... Read more