In "The Devil's Dictionary“ Ambrose Bierce defined ”war“ as ”a by-product of the arts of peace.“ A Civil War veteran, Bierce had absolutely no illusions about ”courage,“ ”honor,“ and ”glory“ on the battlefield. These stories form one of the great antiwar statements in American literature. Included here are the classic ”An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,“ ”Chickamauga,“ ”The Mocking Bird,“ ”The Coup de Grace,“ ”Parker Anderson,“ ”Philosopher," and other stories celebrated for their intensity, startling insight, and mastery of form.

Ambrose Bierce was one of 19th-century America's most renowned satirists. The author of short stories, essays, fables, poems, and sketches, he was a popular columnist and wrote for several San Francisco and London newspapers during his 40-year journalism career.