Dictionary of Literary Biography: American Short Story Writers Before 1880

Against the background of the early American republic, characterized by hardships of settlement life, the effects of the Revolutionary War, and the repressiveness of Puritanism, there arose a vital new literary form-an extraordinary and uniquely American contribution to the world of letters-the short story. Readers can trace its evolution into the 19th century through profiles of 36 of its earliest practitioners in this DLB volume. Included is a list of suggested books for future reading.

36 entries include: Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Ambrose Bierce, Lydia Maria Chile, Samuel L. Clemens, Bret Harte, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, Henry James, Caroline Kirkland, Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe.