The Oxford Book of Historical Stories [Paperback]

Michael Cox (Editor), Jack Adrian (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 1995

Historical fiction has long produced many of our best-loved works, from War and Peace to Gone with the Wind, from A Tale of Two Cities to Lonesome Dove. The imaginative recreation of a period beyond living memory has a power to evoke the past better than any history textbook. Now, veteran anthologists Michael Cox and Jack Adrian have collected fifty years worth of historical short stories, offering entertainment and illumination for general readers and devoted fans.
The Oxford Book of Historical Fiction ranges far and wide, bringing together the work of a diverse array of writers. Here Aldous Huxley rubs shoulders with Arthur Conan Doyle, Rafael Sabatini with William Faulkner, and Elizabeth Gaskell with John Buchan. There are tales of adventure, studied chronicles of lives of the past, tightly plotted stories, and well-informed illustrations of the experience of life in ages long gone. The settings range from Alexander the Great's empire to the American South during the Civil War, from Napoleonic France to Cromwell's England. Emperors and kings, poets and soldiers walk these pages, in tales of intrigue, quest, mystery, and romance.
For serious short story readers or those with a taste for history, The Oxford Book of Historical Stories is a marvelous collection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... an ideal Christmas gift! The editors have gathered a diverse collection of 36 stories, written over the past 150 years ... this book offers much more. It is designed for entertainment and for those with a taste for fiction set in the past. ... there is an excellent introduction to the collection as a whole. The editors have done a magnificant job. It is a "literary feast".' Peter Berresford Ellis. Hampstead and Highgate Express. Dec '94

'splendid book ... It is as impressive and prestigious a collection of period pieces as can ever have been assembled in 400-odd pages, and proves yet again, that when it comes to illuminating the past, few if any academic historians are in the same street as the historical fiction writer who knows his business ... we can be grateful for the best 17.99 worth I have struck in a long time; as someone said, you couldn't write it for the price.' George MacDonald Fraser, The Oldie, Dec '94

'The writing styles in this excellent collection of derring-do romances are as various as the settings ... running throughout this invigorating, absorbing and of course frequently hilarious collection is a common theme. All the stories are rooted firmly in the imagination and present a complementary means of understanding the past.' Richard Edmonds, Birmingham Post --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

About the Editors:
Michael Cox is the editor of such books as The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories and The Oxford Book of Victorian Detective Stories. Jack Adrian has compiled a number of anthologies, including Detective Stories from the Strand, Strange Tales from the Strand, and is the editor of two E.F. Benson volumes, Desirable Residences and Other Stories and Fine Feathers and Other Stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192832085
• ISBN-13: 978-0192832085
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,195,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Cox is the biographer of the ghost-story writer and scholar M. R. James. His first novel, The Meaning of Night, was shortlisted for the 2007 Costa First Novel Award. He lives in rural Northamptonshire, England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For history fiends like me, January 7, 2004

By 

Alexander the Great (Bindi Bindi, Queensland, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Book of Historical Stories (Hardcover)

This is a great book. If you want your historical fiction in small bites instead of great dusty tomes, this is it.

It's also surprising to see who has written history tales over the years.

Just buy it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of different stories, June 21, 2001

By 

Lesley West (St James, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oxford Book of Historical Stories (Hardcover)

I bought this book for one story only - the wonderful and witty "A Slice of Medieval Life" which packs a real punch in its 3 and a half pages. The other stories were neither here nor there really.

But I am pleased to report that they all have justified the purchase, and I have enjoyed them all. This is a great book for people who like their doses of historical fiction, without ploughing through the great heavy tomes in which it is usually presented.

The stories are well written and very clever, and all in all this book is well worth your attention.