Can such things be? [Hardcover]

Ambrose Bierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1972

The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free. Original Publisher: Boni

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA --Two masters of the horror form, in handsome new editions. Bierce's baroque nihilism and Bloch's colloquial morbidity have a natural appeal to teens. Both books include the authors' best known story (``The Damned Thing'' and ``Where the Buffalo Roam,'' respectively) and both could be used creatively in the classroom.

Copyright 1990 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for the works of Ambrose Bierce:

''These pieces are not dated, nor are they lacking any of the narrative elements necessary to attract and hold the attention of anyone interested in the horror genre.'' -- SF Booklog

''Ambrose Bierce was an iconoclastic literary genius and . . . most readers will enjoy his malevolent skepticism and underlying rage against hypocrisy . . . His legacy is memorable.'' --Amazon.com editorial review --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: White Lion (1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0856170054
• ISBN-13: 978-0856170058
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,565,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent...if abbreviated, February 26, 2011

By 

James David Reyome - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Can Such Things Be? (Kindle Edition)

I know more about Bierce himself than of his stories, except for the classic, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", which is quite well known, and rightfully so. But Ambrose Bierce is one of those writers whose persona was at least the equivalent of his tales. I'll leave that to you to discover as I did, however; the joy is in the hunt!

This rendering of "Can Such Things Be?" is excellent, a collection of Bierce's creepier tales. Some are better than others, and the whole was a bit spoiled by the absence of his "Missing Persons" stories, most pointedly the infamous "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field". The complete edition can be found as an ePub on Google Books and can be converted to Kindle format rather easily if you're so inclined, but it lacks the attention to formatting and corrections this one has--all in all, a wonderfully done piece. As such, even with the omissions it's still a VERY worthwhile read with some wonderfully gruesome twists that will stay with you a long time. If you've never read Bierce, this is a terrific introduction and a wonderful free download; it was, in fact, the first for my new Kindle. I suspect you will enjoy it at least as much as I did!