W. W. Jacobs
Although The Monkey's Paw was included in the collection of Twenty Great American Stories, the fact is and stubbornly remains that W.W. Jacobs was born an English rather than American writer. William Wymark Jacobs was born in Wapping, London, England in 1863 and remained with us until 1943.
His father worked as a dockhand and wharf manager on the South Devon Wharf. While he is best known for his horror story The Monkey's Paw, his body of larger work is known for its humor. Drawing upon his experiences growing up with his father working at the docks, his stories often feature the adventures of seamen and mariners.
W.W. Jacobs is one of my favorite short story writers. If you are an avid reader of short stories you will find that his large body of work is of consistently high quality, and often of optimal length with most stories taking about fifteen minutes to read.
On this page you will find an exhaustive listing of his short stories, and he is also a featured writer in our gallery of favorite Short Story Collections.
A Golden Venture
A Mixed Proposal
An Adulteration Act
Back to Back
Captain Rogers
Cupboard Love
His Other Self
In the Library
Sam's Ghost
The Lady of the Barge
The Monkey's Paw
The Understudy
The Unknown
The Vigil
The Weaker Vessel
The Four Pigeons