For Reading Out Loud

Jack London, Brown Wolf

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

His name was John Griffith Chaney. When he came to write, he took his stepfather’s surname and made himself immortal as Jack London. Here is one of ...

Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle

03 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The iconic story that launched Washington Irving's career as a writer: Rip Van Winkle

Anton Chekhov, The Lady With the Dog

26 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anton Chekhov’s classic 1899 story, “The Lady with the Dog”

Thanksgiving 2023

19 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, two very engaging tellers of stories.

Arthur Conan Doiyle, A Scandal in Bohemia

12 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The game’s afoot in one of Sherlock Holmes’s truly unique (and witty) cases. “A Scandal in Bohemia,” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

G. K. Chesterton, The Queer Feet

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

G. K. Chesterton’s priest-detective encounters the master criminal Flambeau in “The Queer Feet.”

Edgar Allan Poe, The Black Cat

29 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Edgar Allan Poe's classic 1843 story, "The Black Cat"

Robert Louis Stevenson, Markheim

22 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A dark and intriguing tale by Robert Louis Stevenson, “Markheim.”

W. Somerset Maugham, the Verger, Salvatore

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two small masterpieces by W. Somerset Maugham: The Verger and Salvatore

Guy de Maupassant, Moonlight

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A classic Guy de Maupassant story, “Moonlight”

Willa Cather, Tom Outland's Story 3

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight, the conclusion of Willa Cather’s “Tom Outland’s Story”

Willa Cather, Tom Outland's Story, 2

17 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The second of three parts of Willa Cather’s “Tom Outland’s Story

Willa Cather, Tom Outland's Story 1

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight, the start of a three -part tale by Willa Cather, “Tom Outland’s Story.”

Jean Giono, The Man Who Planted Trees

03 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

First appearing in French in 1953, this story has become a favorite with readers worldwide. It is in the first place a lovely and moving story, and it...

Somerset Maugham, A String of Beads

27 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Somerset Maugham: A String of Beads

Bret Harte, The Outcasts of Poker Flat

20 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brett Harte’s most famous story: “The Outcasts of Poker Flat.”

Joseph Roth, The Lady on the Train, Hermann Bahr, The Beautiful Wife

13 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two short stories, by two Austrian writers, about travels. Gute Reise, bon voyage!

Chekhov, Love; Kusenberg, My Thieves

06 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two short stories tonight: one classic, one modern; one Russian, one German; one by Chekhov, one by Kusenberg.

Bret harte, The Indiscretion of Elsbeth

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A surprisingly light and playful story by Bret Harte: The Indiscretion of Elsbeth.

Edgar Allan Poe, Thge Purloined Letter

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone knows about this story. How many have read it? Here is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Purloined Letter.”

Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party,” first published in 1922, and as fresh, engaging, and enigmatic now as when it first appeared in the We...

Anton Chekhov, The Bet, A Work of Art

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A brace of stories by Anton Chekhov: “The Bet” and “A Work of Art.”

Werner Bergengruen, The Sand Doctor

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Werner Bergengruen takes an amused and skeptical look at misleading national identities in his story “The Sand Doctor.”

O. Henry, One Thousand Dollars, While the Auto Waits

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A brace of stories by the ever-engaging O. Henry: “One Thousand Dollars” and “While the Auto Waits.”

Susan Glaspell, At Twilight

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Glaspell’s compassionate story of a professor as he reflects on a forty-year career and what it may have meant.

Alphonse Daudet, The Pope's Mule

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alphonse Daudet’s "The Pope's Mule" is the amusing story of an animal that waited patiently for seven years to repay a man who mistreated her.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes Christmas adventure, roast goose and all the trimmings.

The Gift of the Magi

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

O. Henry's most famous story: The gift of the Magi

Stephan Kalinski and Iain Botterill, Cinderella

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The classic fairy tale Cinderella, reconsidered and retold by Stephan Kalinski and Iain Botterill.

O. Henry, The Clarion Call

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two old friends find themselves on opposite sides of the law in O. Henry’s “The Clarion Call.”

P. G. Wodehouse, Doing Clarence a Bit of Good

04 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

P. G. Wodehouse created dozens of memorable characters who appeared in their own series of stories. He hit gold when he came up with Bertie Wooster an...

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Modern Retelling, Stephan Kalinski and Iain Botteril

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A modern retelling by Stephan Kalinski and Iain Botterill of a fairy tale classic.

I. L. Peretz, Bontsha the Silent

20 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I. L. Peretz was one of the great Yiddish storytellers. Here is one of his most famous tales.

E. Allan Poe, A Descent into the Maelstrom

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An early classic of science fiction, this one by Edgar Allan Poe

Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Man on the Train

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A charming story by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the Ann of Green Gables novels.

Ambrose Bierce, The Bottomless Grave

23 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who but "Bitter Bierce" could come up with the genre of comic horror?

Max Beerbohm, A. V. Laider

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An absorbing story by The Incomparable Max: A. V. Laider

Maurice Leblanc, Arsène Lupin in Prison

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Like Sherlock Holmes on the other side of the law, Arsène Lupin played the game for the game's sake. Even from prison!

Dashiell Hammett, The Sign of the Potent Pills

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A side of Dashiell Hammett you may not have met before.

Agatha Christie, The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Something to stimulate the little gray cells: Inspector Poirot investigates.

Will James, The Seeing Eye

11 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A tale by the multi-talented author-illustrator Will James, famous tale-teller of the American West.

G. K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

11 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Trifles? In Chesterton's vision, they become tremendous.

Henry Lawson, The Drover's Wife

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"The Drover's Wife," a classic tale by one of the great Australian bush poets, Henry Lawson.

H. G. Wells, That Man Who Could Work Miracles

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

H. G. Wells offers an urban fantasy, a kind of comedy-science fiction tale, The Man Who Could Work Miracles.

Kenneth Grahame, The Reluctant Dragon, Part II

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of Kenneth Grahame's "The Reluctant Dragon"

Kenneth Grahame, The Reluctant Dragon, Part I

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Part One of Kenneth Grahame's "The Reluctant Dragon"

Willa Cather, The Enchanted Bluff

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An evocative story of boyhood dreams: Willa Cather’s “The Enchanted Bluff”

Mark Twain, Travelling with a Reformer

24 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bet you haven't read it: Mark Twain's "Travelling with a Reformer."

Somerset Maugham, Mr. Know-All, The Happy Man

17 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two short stories by William Somerset Maugham, the world-traveling author whose stories have captivated generations of readers: “Mr. Know-All” and...

Ol Henry, The Ransom of Red Chief

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

O. Henry’s classic and beloved story, “The Ransom of Red Chief”

Stefan Zweig, The Burning Secret, Part IV

03 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stefan Zweig’s “The Burning Secret,” Part 4 of 4.

Stefan Zweig, The Burning Secret, Part III

26 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stefan Zweig’s “The Burning Secret,” Part 3 of 4.

Stefan Zweig, The Burning Secret, Part II

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stefan Zweig’s “The Burning Secret,” Part 2 of 4.

Stefan Zweig, The Burning Secret, Part I

12 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stefan Zweig’s powerful Novella “The Burning Secret.” Part one of four.

Anna Katharine Green, An Intangible Clue

04 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The game’s afoot. Introducing Violet Strange, debutante and discreet criminal investigator, in Anna Katharine Green’s “An Intangible Clue.”

Frank R. Stockton, The Lady, or the Tiger?

29 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Frank R. Stockton’s endlessly discussible “The Lady, or the Tiger?”

Ring Lardner, Alibi Ike

22 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ring Lardner at his amused and observant best: “Alibi Ike.”

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Abel and His Great Adventure

15 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s unforgettable characters, Abel Armstrong embodies wonder, affirmation, and sweetness in the face of great personal los...

Kate Chopin, Désirée's Baby, A Pair of Silk Stockings

08 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two short stories by Kate Chopin: Desiree's Baby and A Pair of Silk Stockings

P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest

01 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves (please don’t call him a butler; he is a gentleman’s personal gentleman) are in New York, somewhat on the lam ...

John Buchan, The Loathly Opposite

24 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cracking codes, fathoming a code maker. John Buchan’s “The Loathly Opposite.”

Risse, The Theft

17 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A compact story, taking on themes of guilt, atonement, and redemption.

Odell Shepard, Rain on the Roof, My Next-door Neighbors

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In celebration of the return of spring, two short pieces by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Odell Shepard.

Wodehouse, Ukridge's Insurance Syndicate

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Just for the fun of it, one of P. G. Wodehouse’s beloved characters, Stanley Featherstonehaugh Urkidge, as always scheming to make a buck or a pound...

Nikolai Gogol, The Overcoat, Part II

27 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The second, concluding part of Nikolai Gogol’s “The Overcoat.”

Nikolai Gogol, The Overcoat, I

20 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An intriguing story that admits of various interpretations, the Ukrainian author Nikolai Gogol’s 1842 story “The Overcoat” influenced generation...

Irish Fairy Tales

13 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

St. Patrick’s Day is at hand, and so a couple of Irish fairy tales, collected by W. B. Yeats.

E. W. Hornung, A Trap to Catch a Cracksman

06 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In A. J. Raffles, the amateur cracksman, E. W. Hornung created one of the mythic figures of modern crime fiction. Here is “A Trap to Catch a Cracksm...

Alphonse Daudet, The Last Class

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“The Last Class,” Alphonse Daudet’s elegiac story of the lives of ordinary people changing against the background of war with a foreign power.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher, The Bedquilt

20 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s wise, compassionate, beautifully observed story of an overlooked member of a family: “The Bedquilt.”

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Aunt Philippa and the Men

13 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

‘What will Father say?’ I questioned. ‘Lots o’ things,’ conceded Aunt Philippa grimly. ‘But I don't see as it matters when neither you no...

P. G. Wodehouse, The Début of Battling Billson

06 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

P. G. Wodehouse’s beloved, exasperating character Ukridge. Always low on cash, never seeking an ordinary job that would involve actual work. Always...

Edith Wharton, Thge Other Two

30 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Twice-divorced Alice Waythorn is seen through the eyes of her third husband, who is haunted, so to speak, by the unexpected appearances of his wife’...

Robert Louis Stevenson, A Lodging for the Night

23 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The life of the rogue poet François Villon (1431-1463?) inspired this short story. Robert Louis Stevenson tells of adventures on a bleak and snowy ni...

Arthur Conan Doyle, Silver Blaze

16 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Classic Conan Doyle, classic Sherlock Holmes: a neatly constructed adventure of the most famous of detectives and his friend and chronicler Dr. John H...

Bram Stoker, Greater Love

09 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A touching story of plainspoken folk, sensitively narrated by the surprisingly versatile Bram Stoker.

Jack London, Amateur Night

02 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jack London takes Manhattan as he tells the story of a young woman from the Midwest determined to break into journalism in New York.

Anatole France, Our Lady's Juggler, Robert Benchley A Good Old-Fashioned Chreistmas

26 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Boxing Day, also called St. Stephan’s Day, two seasonal stories, one based on a medieval legend, the other based on imagined good old days.

O. Henry, The Cop and the Anthem, Anton Chekhov, Misery

19 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two masters, two stories. One by O. Henry, one by Chekhov. One comic, one melancholy. Both with a kind sympathy for the outsider in the story.

Chesterton, The Flyng Stars

12 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first yuletide story of the season. Over many stories in the Father Brown saga by G. K. Chesterton, the priestly sleuth pursues the elusive master...

Kathleen Norris, The Rainbow's End

28 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kathleen Norris’s engaging story about success and the incidental expenses. Also, in this November month, when we give thanks for abundance, a poem ...

Thanksgiving 2021

21 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stories for a season of thanks: O. Henry’s “Two Thanksgiving Gentlemen” and selections from Jonathan Sams’ Reflections of a Fishing Parson.

Mary Freeman, The Revolt of "Mother"

14 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A remarkable portrait of meekness and courage, Mary Freeman’s “The Revolt of ‘Mother’” is told at once with sympathy and amusement.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The Late Benjamin Franklin

07 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Twain in high spirits tonight with “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” and “The Late Benjamin Franklin.”

Poe, Valdemar, Amontillado

31 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Halloween. The ideal time for Edgar Allan Poe. And so, two classic tales.

Poe, Valdemar, Amontillado

30 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Halloween. The perfect time for Edgar Allan Poe. Here are two classic tales.

Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

24 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) was a soldier, newspaperman, poet, and short story writer. Settling in San Francisco, he became a journalist with Hearst’...

W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw

17 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

So many stories have taken their inspiration from tonight’s tale as almost to obscure W. W. Jacob’s story, “The Monkey’s Paw.” When even Th...

Robert Louis Stevenson, The Body-Snatcher

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings,” wrote Robert Louis Stevenson in his Child’s Garden of...

Frank R. Stockton, The Widow's Cruise

03 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Frank R. Stockton’s “The Widow’s Cruise,” we meet some veteran tellers of whoppers: four old salts, wholesalers of tall tales. And who tell...

O. Henry, A Blackjack Bargainer

26 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Far from his normal haunts in New York, the city of “The Four Million,” O. Henry spins a tale set in the American Southwest.

Anton Chekhov, The First-Class Passenger, A Happy Man

19 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two stories by a writer’s writer, Anton Chekhov.

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Akin to Love

12 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight, from Canada, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s gently humorous story, “Akin to Love.”

Grazia Deledda, The Open Door

05 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A beautifully observed and crafted early story by Nobel Prize-winning Italian author Grazia Deledda.

Ring Lardner, The Golden Anniversary

29 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If the narrator of tonight’s story were your conversation partner, you might not get in a word edgewise: Ring Lardner’s “Golden Honeymoon.”

Maurice Leblanc, Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late

22 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight’s high-spirited story features a confrontation between crime fiction’s two most extraordinary minds, Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin and...

Guy de Maupassant, The Jewels, Theodule Sabot's Confession

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two wryly observed stories by a master storyteller, who said, “It is the lives we encounter that make life worth living”: Guy de Maupassant.

Kathleen Norris, Poor Dear Margaret Kirby

08 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In “Poor Dear Margaret Kirby,” the significance of a devastating loss is realized only much later. A wise, insightful story by Kathleen Norris (18...

Ring Lardner, Haircut

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sports writer, humorist, satirist, novelist, Ring Lardner was a versatile writer with the sharpest of ears for American vernacular speech. Here is one...

George Egerton, A Little Grey Glove

25 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright (1859-1945) wrote under the pen name George Egerton. Here is a modern love story, written in the Victorian age.