The Specialty of the House [Hardcover]

Stanley Ellin (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 268 pages
• Publisher: Amereon Ltd (June 10, 1956)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884111474
• ISBN-13: 978-0884111474
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE PERFECT SHORT STORY, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Specialty of the House (Hardcover)

It's scandalous that any of Stanley Ellin is out of print, but "The Specialty of the House" should always be in print somewhere. As big a fan as I am of John Collier, Roald Dahl and Saki, no single story of any of them can match Ellin's (first!) story. There is not a word that could be added to improve it, nor one that could be removed without diminishing it. In the thirty five years that have passed since I first read it, I doubt that six months have passed without my rereading it, and I find new pleasures each time. And the rest of Ellin is only a notch below this story (personal favorites - "Kindly Dig Your Grave, "The Last Bottle in the World", and "The Blessington Method"). If you've never read Ellin, do yourself a favor and try to find any of his story collections.