The Lady or the Tiger? (Creative Classic Series) [Library Binding]

Frank Richard Stockton (Author), Sandra Higashi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1983 | Series: Creative Classic Series

A princess must choose the fate for her lover--the lady or the tiger.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Two identical doors. Behind one is a blushing beauty. Behind the other, a horrible beast. Which will the young man choose? The Lady or the Tiger? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Creative Co (Sd) (November 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871919680
• ISBN-13: 978-0871919687
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,886,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very appealing typesetting in this edition, March 29, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lady, or the Tiger? (Creative Short Stories) (Library Binding)

Human nature does not change. The story's writing is gorgeous and captures any person's imagination. Treat your family to this classic. We read it aloud.

I love the design of this particular version of the book - one slim volume, and the simple cover - two doors, four eyes. That says it all.

5.0 out of 5 stars Original and thought provoking, November 22, 2011

By 

w0rdy - See all my reviews

I had originally read the first story of this book in school. I loved the thought of your imagination at the ending. I search long and hard for a copy of the whole book and found an original printing of the book in a little out of the way antique store many years ago(it was no longer in print and this was before Kindle and smart phones were a glimmer of thought). The second story in the book, The Discourager of Hesitancy, is even more thought provoking. Frank Stockton was an amazing writer and his work is classic. This is a must read for everyone.

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Short Story that Makes the Reader Think!, May 31, 2011

By 

Fr. Charles Erlandson (Tyler, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lady, or the Tiger? (Kindle Edition)

I remember reading this story, "The Lady or the Tiger" out of my 8th grade literary reader, and I've been fascinated with the story ever since. If you haven't read it, you should: there's a reason it's a classic story.

The story is famous primarily because the author, Frank R. Stockton, has purposely left the ending ambiguous (hence the title of the story). I'll try not to give away too much of the story, but basically, a princess falls in love with a lover below her rank in life. Her father imprisons the lover and offers an unusual punishment. He's placed in an arena that faces two doors. Behind one is a tiger; behind the other is a beautiful woman who the offending lover must marry. The princess knows which door has the tiger and which has the woman, but she's the one who has to decide the fate of her lover. Depending upon how you read the character of the princess as she's developed in the story (and depending on your own psychology), the reader gets to decide which door the princess motions to the lover to take.

I remember writing my own complicated and a little bit bizarre ending to the story when I was younger. It's a story with a built-in thought-experiment that will keep you thinking long after you've read the story. Better yet: read it with a friend or friends and have each try to defend their own interpretation!

The story itself is worth reading, even if you know what's coming at the end because Stockton writes so calmly and simply, leaving barely enough crumbs of clues for the reader to make his decision on how the story ends. It's a simply and beautifully told story, and now you can read it on your Kindle.

Unlike some free Kindle works, this one was easy to read and formatted well.

Enjoy!