Alphonso Smith (28 May 1864 - 13 June 1924) was an American Professor of English, college dean, philologist, and folklorist. Professor Smith's collected and edited short stories in this title is a must read for anyone interested in literature. His chosen stories in this volume are: 1. Esther - from Old Testament 2. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves 3. Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving 4. The Gold-bug - Edgar Allan Poe 5. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 6. The Great Stone Face - Nathaniel Hawthorne 7. Rab & His Friends - Dr. John Brown 8. The Outcasts of Poker Flat - Bret Harte