The following collection has been designed for students of English who have had little or no previous contanct with world literature. The purpose is to initiate and eventually install an appreciation of good literature and a love of reading. The authors represented here (in order of birth date) have been selected primarily because of the importance of their contribution to the short fiction genre. Brief but immediately relevant information about each author is provided as a guide to further research, which may be desired by the instructor or the student. The stories themselves have been chosen not only for the interest they should hold for beginner in literature, but also in order to illustrate various techniques of narration (first person, third person, limited point of view, omniscient point of view, dramatic monologue etc.). The vocabulary lists, which precede each story, can be supplemented according to the requirement of the instructor and the level of the students. The sets of questions on comprehension and writing techniques, which follow each story, can also be enriched if and as wished by the instructor. We hope that this volume will provide a basis for further exploration in to the world of literature.