Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions - Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.In these Isles of Imperial Empire the English language is now the lingua franca of the globe. But between the Home nations tensions remain, they rise and fall, all is not well. Authors born abroad and returning have new views, unique, a little off-kilter and literature feeds well on this fuel. Together the men of these islands produce literature of quite sumptuous quality.1 - The Top 10 - The British & Irish Men - The 19th Century - An Introduction2 - The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson3 - The Signalman by Charles Dickens4 - The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy5 - The Canterville Ghost - Part 1 by Oscar Wilde6 - The Canterville Ghost - Part 2 by Oscar Wilde7 - The Phantom Rickshaw by Rudyard Kipling8 - The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins9 - The Story of B24 by Arthur Conan Doyle10 - The Inconsiderate Waiter by J M Barrie11 - Lost Hearts by M R James12 - Youth - Part 1 by Joseph Conrad13 - Youth - Part 2 by Joseph Conrad