Stories by American Authors (Volume 4)

John William De Forest

1826–1906

A sharp-eyed chronicler of the Civil War and its aftermath, he helped push American fiction toward a more realistic, unsentimental style. His best-known novel, Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty, is often remembered for bringing the war onto the page with unusual immediacy.

Mary Hallock Foote

1847–1938

Known for bringing the American West to life, this 19th-century writer and illustrator turned mining camps, frontier households, and everyday struggles into vivid fiction. Her work blends careful observation with a warm, human sense of place.

Nathaniel Parker Willis

1806–1867

A star of the early American literary scene, he mixed poetry, travel writing, and polished magazine prose in a way that made him one of the best-known writers of his time. His work offers a lively window into 19th-century taste, celebrity, and publishing.

Constance Fenimore Woolson

1840–1894

A widely read 19th-century American writer, she brought the Great Lakes, the postwar South, and expatriate Europe vividly to life in fiction that is rich in atmosphere and character. Her work was admired in its own time and has drawn renewed attention for its sharp sense of place and quietly bold intelligence.