The Mechanics Institute Library has a deep and extensive collection of short stories that stretches back to the early 20th century. Many of these you can find in anthologies such as The O. Henry Prize stories, The Year's best stories, or a number of other short story anthologies in our collection.
For many years we placed these books on the shelf for members to find by simply browsing. As of now (count as of July 2024), we have 578 volumes of short story anthologies. We realized we have so many short stories tucked within these anthologies that we had to improve our catalog so members could discover individual short stories by their favorite authors that only appear in these anthologies. We are pleased to announce that we have completed this recataloging project.
To give you a sampling of what we have uncovered, Mechanics Institute staff have read stories by their favorite authors and share their thoughts below.
(Please ask a staff member for assistance if you would like to search for short stories in our catalog.)
Shirley Jackson. The Birthday party, in Best American Short Stories 1964 (SS B56 1964)
Charming? Lighthearted? Blithe? Not words I'd typically attach to a Shirley Jackson story, but an apt description of Birthday Party, originally published in Vogue. It's a delightful reminder that even one of the most lauded horror writers of the 20th century still dealt with domestic trivialities like the preteen slumber party. Jackson's own children, Laurence, Joanne, Sarah, and Barry, make appearances as fictionalized versions of themselves. -- Review by AndyTalajkowski
C.J. Box. Pirates of Yellowstone, in Best American Mystery stories 2006 (SS B563 2006)
The title of this short story intrigued me right away, as when I visited Yellowstone I do not remember seeing or hearing of any pirates. Within the first few paragraphs I was already very interested in this story as there were parts I related to when I spent time in Yellowstone and Wyoming. This story is very fast paced and keeps you on your toes, and the concept of these "Pirates" is really interesting and although I don't believe what they pirate has any validity, it got my mind wondering about the glaciers of Yellowstone and the mysteries they store. -- Review by Mitchell Sains.
William Golding. The Anglo-Saxon, in Winter's Tales #16 (SS W78 #16)
This work is a character sketch, without much action or a plot -- simply a day in the life of a sad, elderly and cantankerous man. George Smart often wears his cap and army greatcoat. He manages a herd of heifers, urging them to climb hills and over the English downs. One day, George sees an American lieutenant and a corporal make their way towards him, telling him that he can’t remain on that land with his heifers and collie.
Later, George spends his day's wages in a bar parlor. In the local guildhall people call him a local nuisance, that he often finishes up his day disgustingly drunk and turns street traffic into a mess. His boss says that every time he brings him to market, he makes a bloody fool of himself. On this occasion, he has to pay five pounds or go to prison for fourteen days. The American lieutenant paid, as George had no money on hand.
George then makes his way into another bar, but the proprietor throws him out. The story ends with George peering out of a warped window, and seeing the street lights, a parking lot and the signs of law and order on the Queen’s Highway. -- Review by Craig Jackson
(By the way, William Golding also wrote Lord of the Flies).
