American Short Stories offers a discriminating collection of both canonical and recent stories in a brief anthology made all the more flexible by its streamlined apparatus. American short stories capture America's past and present in a unique way. Now students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the more than two hundred year history of the American short story by reading the new eighth edition of American Short Stories. While retaining its historical thrust, chronological organization, and attention to "classic" works, the new eighth edition of American Short Stories features more contemporary stories, a greater representation of writers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and more contextual information.