This early work by William Wymark Jacobs was originally published in
1906 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory
biography. 'Short Cruises' is a collection of short stories that
contains tales such as 'The Changeling', 'His Lordship' and 'The
Dreamer'. Jacobs worked as a clerk in the civil service before turning
to writing in his late twenties, publishing his first short story in
1895. Most of Jacobs' work appeared before the onset of World War I, and
although the majority of his output was humorous in tone, he is
best-remembered now for his macabre tales, particularly those contained
in his 1902 collection The Lady of the Barge, such as 'The Monkey's Paw'
and 'The Toll House'.