Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories — Ambrose Bierce

“Present at a Hanging, and other Ghost Stories” collects some of Ambrose Bierce's finest tales of the supernatural and eerie side of life. Regarded by his 19th century peers as a master of the English language, his economical yet florid style shines in these compact stories concerning time, war, and impossible events. Mentioned in the same breath as Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, Bierce is thought to be a master of short horror fiction.