The Damned Thing

Author Ambrose Bierce (June 24, 1842 – c. 1914) was a prolific and versatile writer regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. His horror writing is ranked alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. He may well be the greatest satirist America has ever produced. His book The Devil's Dictionary was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. His story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" has been described as "one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature" and his war stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, and others. In 1913, Bierce told reporters that he was travelling to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He disappeared and was never seen again.

Narrator Edward E. French is a Special Effects Makeup Artist with an Academy Award Nomination for Best Makeup seen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Emmy wins for his work in the Fox TV series "House" and the "Westworld" reboot. Email: edwardfrench06hotmail.com.