The Collected Stories

Timothy Shay Arthur (June 6, 1809 – March 6, 1885) was a popular 19th-century American author, most famous for his temperance novel, Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There (1854). His novel, which demonized alcohol and the evils of over consumption, held great sway over the American public and moved the temperance movement further ahead. He wrote a large number of short stories, which were printed in Godey’s Lady’s Book the most popular antebellum era magazine in America. His prolific stories and novels promoted the sound values, beliefs and habits of the well mannered middle-class. One of our favorites, An Angel in Disguise, is featured in our collection of 20 Great American Short Stories.