Best Stories Ever Told

Over the years, thousands of tales both true and fantastic have been told about the dastardly thievery of pirates, and their rum-drunk exploits and high-seas violence never fail to delight. Now in a brand-new series collection, The Best Pirate Stories Ever Told includes many of the very best pirate yarns ever created on history's most debaucherous scalawags. Anyone who loves a good story full of excitement, adventure, thrills, and laughs will find this collection irresistible. The stories, songs, and verses include writing by Daniel Defoe, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, James Fenimore Cooper, Robert Lou- is Stevenson, and many more. Moving through the pages of time, this collection will take you from the dastardly deeds of ancient pi- rates to the extravagant exploits of classical times. Each story offers swashbuckling adventure that will send you all over the world, from the dangerous currents of the Mediterranean to the sandy beaches of the Middle East. Whether it's a historical overview of ferocious pirate activity that defined the seas of the past, an in-depth look at a smarmy captain of the high seas, or a boyhood frolic in a world of danger and doubloons, this collection will please any lover of the bandits of the ocean who wants to experience the deadly world of pirates without the risk of walking the plank. This fantastic collection is full of illustrations that bring to life the adventures of those daring dogs of the seven seas.

A hearty collection of stories, each of which captures a different aspect of what it means to be a cowboy. Some invoke the danger and drama, some the pride, and others the sheer fun of it all. Get to know what the cowboy life was really like and be caught up in thrilling adventures in a lawless land. The Best Cowboy Stories Ever Told fits right in to a long and solid tradition of American fascination with the Wild West. By bringing a variety of heralded names in cowboy literature together in one place, Brennan guarantees there will be a story for everyone in this collection. Authors include Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Eugene Manlove Rhodes, Frederic Remington, and Charles M. Russell. Part of the well-established The Best Stories series, each of which is selectively edited and hand-crafted to include only the best stories from the best writers of the genre.

When "gut feelings" have been replaced by a thirst for proof and hard evidence, it's good to know that you can still be spooked by a collection like this one. Best Ghost Stories is a creepy group of over forty tales by some of the most impressive names in the writing world. Terrifying, bone-chillingly eerie, and good fun, these haunting narratives give vivid descriptions of creepy characters and happenings that will make you hesitate before turning out the light! More than just a niche product, ghost stories hold a bewitching appeal for all kinds of writers and readers-some of the truly great authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have lent their horror stories to this collection, including Arthur Conan Doyle, Louisa May Alcott, Joseph Conrad, Robert Louis Stevenson, H. G. Wells, and many more. Count on our Best Stories series for entertaining tales that you won't soon forget.

The Best Fishing Stories Ever Told celebrates the art of hunting fish at many angles. This ancient tradition is practiced all over the world. Tales of baiting, angling, and the watery outdoors are recounted by great writers such as Rudyard Kipling, Guy de Maupassant, and Lord Byron. In scenic rivers, lakes, and seas, praise the trout, snap up that salmon, angle, aim, and sing the fisherman's song! This superbly presented collection of fishing stories will set the reader sailing on the Loch or along the Thames and tracking down sharks or carp in many exciting waterways. You will find memories, essays, true stories, and fishing accounts more or less exaggerated or imagined. Their authors and their editor, Nick Lyons, all share a communicable passion for a great day out fishing-a passion only surpassed by the love of telling the tale with or without the catch to show! With work by more than one hundred of the world's most eminent authors and fishermen, including: John McPhee Howell Raines, Ted Leeson, Jimmy Carter, Lefty Kreh, Dave Barry, Norman Maclean, Rudyard Kipling. And many more!

This book is a comprehensive collection of stories, each of which captures a different facet of the game of golf. Some of the best golfers in the history of the sport as well as those who have established themselves as aficionados through their writing or commentary all offer their stories from both on and off the course. Together they articulate the passion as well as the frustrations behind one of the world's most popular sports. The Best Golf Stories Ever Told is a book for golf fans and players alike who share a love for the game. This is part of the well-established The Best Stories series of books, each of which is selectively edited and handcrafted to include only the best stories from the best writers of the genre. "What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive." -Arnold Palmer.

An exciting collection of dangerous adventures and groundbreaking exploration, The Best Adventure and Exploration Stories Ever Told compiles the works of authors from all over the world and from the very distant past to recent eras. Popular and well-known authors such as Herman Melville, Jack London, Joseph Conrad, and Jules Verne are featured, as well as Homer's mythic tales and Iceland's mesmerizing sagas from the tenth and eleventh centuries. Nonfiction stories add a riveting, realistic aspect of adventure to the collection. These include accounts from Shackleton's polar expeditions; early American stories from the famed Lewis and Clark; spellbinding accounts of Magellan's perilous expeditions to uncharted areas; and many more no less exciting. The stories compiled in this priceless collection represent a thousand years of adventure, expedition, danger, and discovery. They inspire as well as awe, and readers will find themselves with an urge to follow in these great adventurers' footsteps. Ancient and modern escapades placed side by side make this book perfect for all who crave the adrenaline of adventure and discovery.

For thousands of years, we have set out sailing for all kinds of reasons-for battle, for infinite wealth, for the excitement of exploring the unknown, and for escape from the mundane. We have always had a primal relationship with the sea-even those who have never been to sea remain fascinated by the seafaring life and tales of salty adventure. Now in a brand-new series collection, The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told brings together such diverse authors as Charles Dickens, Jack London, John Masefield, Stephen Crane, Herman Melville, and dozens more. Many of the writers featured here are instantly recognizable and have achieved deserved fame; others who are lesser known and rarely featured in print take their rightful place on the shelves of sailing literature. Lovers of the seascape will certainly get their fill with this shimmering sample of sea tales that range from the ancient epic and biblical stories to contemporary captains of literature. Whether you're itching for a sailor's peaceful life at sea, his epic conquest of the azure blue, or his own private descent into madness, this collection touches on the many aspects of life at sea. Each story is illustrated with black-and-white line art that makes this book a true classic. Even if you are enjoying The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told from the warm, dry comfort of your own living room, you are sure to be inspired by the colorful and stirring stories in this timeless collection.

Follow the trails of hunters-the original storytellers-as they interpret signs, examine tracks, and chase and catch their prey (or fail to). Readers can curl up with the best authentic hunting fiction and non-fiction, bringing the great Mount Kenya and the prairies of the American Bison into your living room. From Theodore Roosevelt and Gene Hill to Rick Bass and Charles Dickens, remember classic hunting tales and discover new stories of hunters' luck, camaraderie, and use of smarts on the trail. The thrill of the chase and the passion for outdoor living are elegantly brought together in this exquisite volume, certain to delight both hunters and short-story aficionados. With work by more than one hundred of the world's most eminent authors and hunters, including: Theodore Roosevelt Zane Grey Ted Nugent Aldo Leopold Rick Bass Philip Caputo Geoffrey Norman Gene Hill And many more!