
author
1834–1902
Best known for the deliciously unsettling ending of The Lady, or the Tiger?, this 19th-century American writer mixed humor, fantasy, and sharp storytelling in ways that still feel fresh. His work ranges from playful fairy tales to witty novels and short stories that love a clever twist.

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton, Edgar Fawcett, Franklin Fyles, Anna Katharine Green, Henry Harland, Ingersoll Lockwood, Joaquin Miller, Kirk Munroe, Brainard Gardner Smith, Maurice Thompson, A. C. (Andrew Carpenter) Wheeler

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton

by Frank R. Stockton
Born in Philadelphia on April 5, 1834, Frank R. Stockton was an American writer and humorist whose fiction became widely popular in the late 19th century. Reliable reference sources describe him as a novelist and short-story writer of mainly humorous fiction, and also note the lasting appeal of his imaginative children's tales.
He is most often remembered today for The Lady, or the Tiger? (1884), a story famous for its unresolved ending. He also wrote the novel Rudder Grange and a number of fairy tales and magazine pieces, building a reputation for light touch, inventive plots, and a fondness for the unexpected.
Stockton died in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 1902. More than a century later, his stories are still read for their charm, wit, and the way they invite readers to keep thinking after the final page.