SHORT STORIES

Short fiction went into eclipse when magazines, unable to compete with TV and paperback novels, stopped publishing it in quantity. Technology put short story writers out of business, and it looks as though it might bring them back on the next wave; short stories and novelettes seem to lend themselves particularly well to two expanding areas, audio and e-publishing. In audio, a short story can be read (and listened to) complete and unabridged; a novel, unless it’s surgically shortened, requires a time commitment rarely available unless you’re driving across the country. Similarly, you can read a short story on a computer screen without visiting the ophthalmologist in the morning.

It’ll be interesting to see if more writers find themselves writing short stuff in the near future. I never stopped. There’s a satisfaction in getting an idea, thinking about it for a while, and then sitting down and writing it in a day or two. It’s about as close as this business comes to instant gratification. In contrast, every novel has days that feel like trench warfare.

1

SOMETIMES THEY BITE.  Arbor House, 1983. The Avon mass-market paperback is out of print, but some stores still have copies.

2

LIKE A LAMB TO SLAUGHTER.  Arbor House, 1984. Again, the Avon paperback is out of print, but not hard to find.

3

SOME DAYS YOU GET THE BEAR.  William Morrow, 1993. Many stores can still supply the Avon paperback.

4

EHRENGRAF FOR THE DEFENSE.  ASAP Press, 1994. Eight stories starring Martin H. Ehrengraf, who takes criminal cases on a contingency basis, and never loses. A small-press limited edition, luxuriously produced, and long since sold out.

5

ONE-NIGHT STANDS. Crippen & Landru, 1999. My early pulp stories, probably not worth reading, but evidently worth collecting; this excellent small press produced a very attractive volume, and all the copies were quickly spoken for. I may let the book be republished in trade paperback one of these days, but probably not; I don't see any real reason for it. lawrence block

		6
	THE LOST CASES OF ED LONDON.  Crippen & Landru, 2001. Featuring my first P.I., Ed London, this collection consists of three novelettes (The Naked and the Deadly, Twin Call Girls, and Stag Party Girl) which appeared in Man's Magazine from 1962 and 1963. A companion volume to ONE NIGHT STANDS, this was also issued as a limited hardcover only. lawrence block

7

COLLECTED MYSTERY STORIES. Orion, 1999. This is a handsome volume, and a substantial one. It contains all three of the collections, BITE and LAMB and BEAR, all of the Ehrengraf stories, and three of the ten chapters of Hit Man. In addition, there are ten stories that haven't been previously collected, making 71 stories in all. UK first editions have notoriously small press runs --- the Orion first of Even the Wicked, being the true world first edition, became an instant collectible as a result, selling for $250-300. The hardcover first of this title had a similarly small edition, and sold out in a hurry. I stocked up, and can fill orders as long as they last. For the same text at a considerably lower price, you can buy the Orion trade paperback edition. Your bookseller can probably order it, or here's a link to a UK source

8

ENOUGH ROPE.  William Morrow, August 2002. This behemoth of a book contains everything in Collected Mystery Stories plus everything I've written since (12 new stories in all), making a total of 83 stories - 896 pages in hardcover, 883 pages in the trade paperback edition from Dark Alley (November 2003). If you're a completist, of course you'll want first editions of both books, and of everything else. If you're just interested in reading the stories, well, it's your call. Read Ed Gorman's rave review in Mystery Scene Magazine.