Ambrose Bierce’s Followers (1,212)

Ambrose Bierce

Born

in Meigs County, Ohio, The United States

June 24, 1842

Genre

Short Stories, Nonfiction, Poetry

Influences

Robert Ingersoll, H.L. Mencken, Voltaire, Joseph McCabe, Jack London, ...more

edit data

died perhaps 1914

Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.

People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.

The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."

People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.

Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt begin ...more

Combine Editions
Ambrose Bierce’s books

Average rating: 3.89 · 90,985 ratings · 8,030 reviews · 2,150 distinct works • Similar authors

	An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 4.02 avg rating — 25,242 ratings — published 1890 — 443 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary 4.05 avg rating — 10,772 ratings — published 1911 — 620 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce 4.12 avg rating — 3,132 ratings — published 1964 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Short Stories by Ambrose Bierce, Cathy N. Davidson (Foreword), Ernest Jerome Hopkins (Editor) 4.20 avg rating — 1,490 ratings — published 2000 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Civil War Stories 3.91 avg rating — 1,162 ratings — published 1956 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Damned Thing 3.52 avg rating — 1,166 ratings — published 1893 — 94 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Can Such Things Be? 3.69 avg rating — 1,078 ratings — published 1893 — 290 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter 3.71 avg rating — 1,018 ratings — published 1892 — 147 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Inhabitant of Carcosa 3.69 avg rating — 843 ratings — published 1886 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories 3.52 avg rating — 672 ratings — published 1913 — 124 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Ambrose Bierce…

Series by Ambrose Bierce

Collected Fiction (2 books)
by

Ambrose Bierce,

S.T. Joshi (Editor)

4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings

Quotes by Ambrose Bierce (?)

“Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

tags: insanity, love, marriage

1730 likes

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: anger, anger-management, remaining-silent

1647 likes

“The covers of this book are too far apart.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: attributed-no-source, books, criticism, humor, wit

1588 likes

See all Ambrose Bierce's quotes »

Polls

April 2024 Short Story/Novella Poll

To Build a Fire by Jack London

40 votes, 22.1%

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

32 votes, 17.7%

Big Blonde and Other Stories title story by Dorothy Parker

29 votes, 16.0%

The Poor Clare by Elizabeth Gaskell

25 votes, 13.8%

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

23 votes, 12.7%

Le Colonel Chabert by Honoré de Balzac

15 votes, 8.3%

A Horseman in the Sky by Ambrose Bierce

11 votes, 6.1%

alphabet by Inger Christensen

6 votes, 3.3%

181 total votes

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