From Powells.com
Staff Pick
One of the finest short story collections I've ever read. These tales range from almost jovial to horrifying, and the titular story is one of the best of the last century. Recommended By Tim M., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
One of the most terrifying stories of the twentieth century, Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery" created a sensation when it was first published in 1948. Today it is considered a classic work of short fiction, a story remarkable for its combination of subtle suspense and pitch-perfect descriptions of both the chilling and the mundane. The Lottery and Other Stories also includes twenty-four other stories encompassing the hilarious and the horrible, the unsettling and the ominous.
Review
"In her art, as in her life, Shirley Jackson was an absolute original. She listened to her own voice, kept her own counsel, isolated herself from all intellectual and literary currents....She was unique." Newsweek
Review
"The stories remind one of the elemental terrors of childhood." James Hilton, Herald Tribune
Synopsis
One of the most terrifying stories of the twentieth century, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" created a sensation when it was first published in The New Yorker in 1948. "Power and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses. Today it is considered a classic work of short fiction, a story remarkable for its combination of subtle suspense and pitch-perfect descriptions of both the chilling and the mundane.
The Lottery and Other Stories, the only one to appear during Shirley Jackson's lifetime, unites "The Lottery" with twenty-four equally unusual short stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range -- from the hilarious to the horrible, the unsettling to the ominous -- and her power as a storyteller.
About the Author
Shirley Jackson (1919-1965), the author of The Haunting of Hill House, Hangsaman, Life Among the Savages, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, is considered one of the masters of modern gothic fiction. She is perhaps best known for her short story "The Lottery."