Ambrose Bierce’s Followers (1,247)

Ambrose Bierce

Born

in Meigs County, Ohio, The United States

June 24, 1842

Genre

Short Stories, Nonfiction, Poetry

Influences

Robert Ingersoll, H.L. Mencken, Voltaire, Joseph McCabe, Jack London, ...more

edit data

died perhaps 1914

Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.

People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.

The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."

People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.

Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt begin ...more

Combine Editions
Ambrose Bierce’s books

Average rating: 3.88 · 93,888 ratings · 8,408 reviews · 2,014 distinct works • Similar authors

	An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 4.02 avg rating — 25,951 ratings — published 1890 — 464 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary 4.05 avg rating — 10,885 ratings — published 1911 — 1281 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce 4.12 avg rating — 3,161 ratings — published 1964 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Short Stories by Ambrose Bierce, Cathy N. Davidson (Foreword), Ernest Jerome Hopkins (Editor) 4.20 avg rating — 1,518 ratings — published 2000 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Damned Thing 3.53 avg rating — 1,334 ratings — published 1893 — 100 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Civil War Stories 3.91 avg rating — 1,182 ratings — published 1956 — 39 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Can Such Things Be? 3.69 avg rating — 1,112 ratings — published 1893 — 309 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter 3.72 avg rating — 1,052 ratings — published 1892 — 164 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Inhabitant of Carcosa 3.69 avg rating — 930 ratings — published 1886 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories 3.53 avg rating — 676 ratings — published 1913 — 124 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Ambrose Bierce…

Series by Ambrose Bierce

Collected Fiction (2 books)
by

Ambrose Bierce,

S.T. Joshi (Editor)

4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings

Quotes by Ambrose Bierce (?)

“Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

tags: insanity, love, marriage

1728 likes

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: anger, anger-management, remaining-silent

1655 likes

“The covers of this book are too far apart.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: attributed-no-source, books, criticism, humor, wit

1592 likes

See all Ambrose Bierce's quotes »

Polls

September 2015 Short Story Poll

1754, Candide by Voltaire, 94 pages

35 votes, 26.7%

1936, At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, 130 pages

17 votes, 13.0%

1924, A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka, 84 pages

14 votes, 10.7%

1905, The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 64 pages

13 votes, 9.9%

1952, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, 109 pages

11 votes, 8.4%

1905, The Game by Jack London, 103 pages

9 votes, 6.9%

1936, Double Indemnity by James M. Cain, 115 pages

8 votes, 6.1%

1921, The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield, 12 pages

8 votes, 6.1%

1943, Chess Story by Stefan Zweig, 84 pages

5 votes, 3.8%

1965,Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor, 25 pages (Title Story Only)

4 votes, 3.1%

1955, Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo, 128 pages

3 votes, 2.3%

1890, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, 36 pages

2 votes, 1.5%

1971, Reunion by Fred Uhlman, 96 pages

2 votes, 1.5%

131 total votes

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