Short Stories is a collection of vivid and memorable short stories, written between the nineteenth century and the present day. The stories are mostly very short, and have been selected both for their powerful impact and also because they suggest many possibilities for creative activities in upper-intermediate and advanced level classrooms. The stories can therefore be used to stimulate reading and fluency skills, as well as to explore literary aspects of English. Short Stories contains:
- stories by a wide variety of authors from very different backgrounds, including Leonora Carrington, Alisdair Gray and Peter Carey
- creative activities both before and after reading and between parts of the longer stories
- a Creative Development section at the end of each unit to extend the themes and the reader's involvement with the story
- notes on the authors and stories, and notes for the teacher on using the material.

The book is accompanied by a cassette containing recordings of all the stories as well as extra material for listening activities.