Welcome to 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales!

Episodes

Jan. 25, 2026

THE WRECK OF THE GOLDEN MARY (PT 1) CHARLES DICKENS

"The Wreck of the Golden Mary" is a collaborative novella published by Charles Dickens in the 1856 Christmas issue of his periodical, Household Words. The story is a dramatic, suspenseful narrative focusing on the sinking of a passenger ship and the subsequent survival efforts of those in lifeboats. Summary of "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" The Voyage and Disaster: The Golden Mary, captained by William George Ravender, is en route from Liverpool to California, navigating around Cape Horn during ...
Jan. 23, 2026

'THE SHADOW' VINTAGE RADIO MYSTERY NOW PLAYIING M-W-F AT 1001 GHOST, CHILLER & LOVECRAFT

Join host Gizelle Erickson every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4pm ET at 1001 Ghost, Chiller & Lovecraft Podcast as she introduces the nuances of every episode of America's favorite vigilante radio serial 'The Shadow' as Lamont Cranston and his sexy sidekick Margot Lane bring all the lowlifes and sleazeballs who never thought they would be punished to justice. Take the Shadow challenge and listen to the first five episodes like I did to really get an understanding of the show and you'll be a f...
Jan. 16, 2026

A COSMOPOLITE IN A CAFE by O.HENRY

From THE FOUR MILLION by O. Henry O. Henry's "A Cosmopolite in a Café" tells of the narrator meeting E. Rushmore Coglan, a man who claims to be a true "citizen of the world," free from hometown ties. Coglan boasts of world travels, dismissing regional pride and judging people individually. However, when a stranger insults Coglan's hometown of Mattawamkeag, Maine, Coglan fiercely defends it, revealing his profound local loyalty and leading to a fight, thereby exposing his hypocrisy and proving t...
Jan. 14, 2026

A BROTHERS GRIMM TRIPLE PLAY: TOM THUMB, THE FROG PRINCE, AND BRIAR ROSE

3 Original fairy tales from The Brothers Grimm whose job it was to spend their lives collecting old tales-m the same ones that Disney and others cleaned up for public consumption. Keep an eye out for 'Found in the Footnotes' (at 1001 Heroes for THE AMAZING STORY OF THE REAL-LIFE TOM THUMB For some amazing browsing try us at www.bestof1001stories.com!
Jan. 11, 2026

A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM by EDGAR ALLAN POE

In Scandinavia, there is a phenomenon known as the Moskstraumen or Moskenstraumen, a system of tidal whirlpools found in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county (in Norway) between the Norwegian Sea and the Vestfjorden. This Moskstraumen was the inspiration for Poe’s tale. Poe learnt about the maelstrom from several sources, which included an 1834 story in Fraser’s Magazine titled ‘The Maelstrom: A Fragment’. ‘A Descent into the Maelstrom’ is a classic example of Poe’s incorporation of real-...
Jan. 3, 2026

THE BUSH FIRE by HENRY LAWSON (A.K.A.THE FIRE AT ROSS'S FARM)

This story was originally written as a 'Bush Ballad" or poem-story by Henry Lawson, and it describes how two competing farm families finally unite while trying to prevent a wildfire from destroying their farms. Check out our new 'Found In The Footnotes' every Wed at 4pm ET at 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast- short, AMAZING stories designed to entertain and enlighten in under ten minutes. Here's the Spotify link for your convenience! https://open.spotify.com/show/6rO7HELtRcGf...
Dec. 28, 2025

THE HUSBAND WHO WAS TO MIND THE HOUSE and THE CHOICE OF HERCULES (JAMES BALDWIN)

The Husband Who Was To Mind The House- is a folk talestory in which a husband complains tohis wife for not having dinner ready when he comes in from work- so she convinces him to switch jobs the next day.. The Choice of Hercules- a young Hercules is journeying toward the mountains when he sees the road split and pauses to decide which to take.He is soon approached by two beautiful women, one who offers an easy path full of fun and the other who says there will be hard going and you'll have up...
Dec. 21, 2025

MAMMON AND THE ARCHER by O. HENRY

A young man of means expreeses frustration to his wealthy father over not being able to find alone time with the girl of his interests due to her busy social schedule. His mother believes that chance will bring them together while his father sees different options. A great o.Henry classic!
Dec. 14, 2025

COOL AIR by H.P.LOVECRAFT

In New York City in the early twenties a writer finds a baely livable apartment in a rroming house.soon finding that directly above himlives an eccentric old doctor who requires an extremely cold living situation to stay alive.One day, the writer suffers a seizure and knowing his nearest neighbor is a doctor.he goes upstairs to ask for help. The story gets stranger as the doctor comes to depend on the man for his survival, and the writer, feeling that he owes the doctorfor saving him, does all h...
Dec. 10, 2025

THE STRANGE CRIME OF JOHN BOULNOIS from THE WISDOM OF FATHER BROWN

Reporter Calhoun Kidd of the Western Sun is off to interview John Boulnois, a philisopher, at his home, Grey Cottage at the edge of Pendragon Park. But he comes across a murder, but who is the guilty party. Father Brown investigates. A great Father Brown mystery from the pen of G.K.Chesterton. How would you like one-click access to all my narrated Father Brown stories? Here it is: https://www.bestof1001stories.com/show/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/categories/father-brown-mysteries/
Dec. 3, 2025

CHRISTMAS JENNY by MARY E. WILKINS FREEMAN

A single woman living alone on a mountain within sight of a little town raises the curiousity of the town's inhabitants who share rumors about the strange menagerie she keeps in her shabby hut on the mountain. When the church deacon and pastor decide to make an unnounced visit to 'Christmas Jenny's' home and enter without an invite, a close friend from the town gives them a piece of her mind. A good Christmas story from Mry E.Wilkins Freeman. Enjoy all our stories at www.bestof1001stories.com
Nov. 30, 2025

WHISTLING DICK'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING by O.HENRY

This was the first short story penned under the name O.Henry- and its a great classic, offering a tale of a wanderer named Whistling Dick who, finding New Orleans no longer friendly to hoboes, hits the road for better chances, and finds himself the new owner of a young ladie's stocking which was accidentally dropped from a passing carriage. Its a story that will immerse you in life along the river at the dawn of the 20th century and keep you in suspense as trouble approaches a sugar cane plantat...
Nov. 26, 2025

ANN MARY; HER TWO THANKSGIVINGS by MARY E .WILKINS FREEMAN

A little girl is temporarily abandoned on Thanksgiving when her family has to rush away to the next town to care for an ailing relative
Nov. 23, 2025

HOW WE KEPT THANKSGIVING AT OLDTOWN by HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

How was Thanksgiving celebrated in the 1860's? After the Civil War, affairs of home and hearth became much more important to families who suffered so much loss during the Civil War. Harriet Beecher Stowe was of the important leaders of this renaissance with her stories.
Nov. 19, 2025

JEEVES IN THE SPRINGTIME by P.G. WODEHOUSE

Bertie Wooster is approached by his old pal Bingo for help in the romamce departmentm and needs Jeeve's advice. It seems that Bertie has fallen head over heels for a girl who serves food at a local coffee shop and also works as a chef for a wealthy old man. Bingo wants to marry her but needs to have his wealthy Uncle up his monthly allowance so he can support her. A plan proposed by Jeeves looks like it might do the trick. Catch all our 1001 stories at www.bestof1001stories.com, and send us a k...
Nov. 16, 2025

A DEPARTMENTAL CASE by O.HENRY

An ex-Texas Ranger, Indian fighter working as a commisioner of a small office in the state govenrment is approached by a down and out woman who is seeking financial support which her nw dead father, a Texas hero, had denied,hoping that whatever had been promised to him could be passed down to her. Conversation led to her sharing her name and the commisioner related that yes, her father and he had fought together and been close friends for years. She also shared the fact that her bum of a husgand...
Nov. 9, 2025

THE COUNTRY COTTAGE and THE SCHOOL MISTREESS by ANTON CHEKHOV

So much for that quiet holiday weekend so longed for by these two newlyweds! It's FAMILY TIME!!!! Anton Chekhov’s "A Country Cottage" centers on two young newlyweds, Sasha and Varya, who are enjoying profound, almost dream-like happiness while strolling on the platform of a little country station under the moonlight. The air is still and heavy with the fragrance of lilac and wild cherry, and they look forward to a perfect, quiet supper of chicken "just big enough for two," along with salmon and ...
Oct. 26, 2025

HOLIDAYS ARE HERE AS 1001 HEROES AND 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES GO 100% FAMILY AND HONOR THEMES NOW THRU DEC 31ST ( SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE- MORE COMING MID NOV)

The Holidays are approaching and at 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast our shows themes every Sunday will be turning to FAMILY and HONOR -SINCE MANY OF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT BRINGING FAMILY TOGETHER, RECONNECTING , SEEKING CLOSURE ON ACCOUNT OF LOST ONES, seeking justice, KEEPING THE PEACE. HONORING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND BUILDING NEW RELATIONSHIPS. A FEW EXAMPLES: AT 1001 HEROES WE BRING NEW EPISODS EVERY Sunday at noon eastern and a ‘best of “listener fa...
Oct. 22, 2025

PERJURED by EDITH MIRILEES

A teen-aged boy witnesses an horrific death by the railroad tracks of his small town and to build his status with the older boys he hangs with he adds a lie to his story, saying that a known local townsman was near the boy at the time the train pulled in. This psychological thriller ends in a crowded courtroom as the boy comes to term with the results of his actions. Join us at www.bestof1001stories.com for a chance to browse many more stories at our 12 1001 shors, and leave us a kind review!...
Oct. 19, 2025

A GRAY SLEEVE by STEPHEN CRANE

After a skirmish a Civil War cavalry Captain enters a house thinking it might be housing enemy and finds a scared young lady holding a gun behind her back. The Captain, after investigating the house to find two other family occupants, finds himself drawn to the girl but struglles to find a way to tell her.
Oct. 15, 2025

MARJORIE DAW (PT 2 OF 2) T.B. ALDRICH

Our two best friends continue to write back and forth until John (Jack) Fleming's leg heals enough to travel, which he does, taking the train to new Hampshire to meet the girl of his dreams, depite Edward's best efforts to prevent him from coming.
Oct. 12, 2025

MARJORIE DAW (PT 1) by THOMAS B. ELDRICH

Two close pals exchange letters, one having had to cancel his trip to a summer spot in New Hampshire with his friend due to a broken leg. In the letters the pal in New Hampshire begins to write of the presence of a beautiful young lady named Marjorie Daw, who is living there at "Tyhe Pines" in a house with her father. Our brone-legged friend, withering away in New York City, takes an instant interest in the young lady and begs for more letters and more story on her. Pt 2 coming soon-Dont miss i...
Oct. 8, 2025

THE BOULEVARD OF ROGUES by MEREDITH NICHOLSON

From the author who gave us "House of 1,000 Candles" (currently at 1001 Stories For The Road) comes this short story about a city councilman who m as a lesson in honesty, began to install statues on the town's main boulevard that featured some of the town's past crooked leaders, and some poor decisions of the past- calling it "the boulevard of rogues". Join us for all 12 podcasts and episodes at www.bestof1001stories.com.
Oct. 5, 2025

THE PRELIMINARIES by A.C.COMER

A young man wants to marry a local girl whose father was recently sent to prison for embezzling another person's money. He talks to the girl's mother, who has three daughters, and she doesn't want any of them to marry, because she doesn't them to grow old and bitter like her as a result of not living the grand life she had hoped for. (She was constantly pushing her husband to provide more and living beyond their lifestyle, which he why he "borrowed" short term loan from another man, and though h...