Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

In this volume the Jazz Age blossoms with an exuberance of spirit and panache. Life is for now, the future seems so very far away. Our American authors bring the decade to life with stories that perhaps could only come to pass in this decade of the United States.

01 - The Top 10 - The 1920's - The Americans - An Introduction

02 - Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F Scott Fitzgerald

03 - Brothers by Sherwood Anderson

04 - The Color Out of Space by H P Lovecraft

05 - The Great Slave by Zane Grey

06 - The Golden Honeymoon by Ring Lardner

07 - The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

08 - The Difference by Ellen Glasgow

09 - Skulls in the Stars by Robert E Howard

10 - The City of Refuge by Rudolph Fisher

11 - Spurs by Tod Robbins