The Circus of Dr. Lao and Other Improbable Stories

Charles G. Finney was an American journalist and author, known primarily for his first novel The Circus of Doctor Lao, which won the inaugural National Book Award in 1935 for Most Original Book. His stories combine modernism and fantasy in a unique way that was an influence on many authors, notably Ray Bradbury. He served with the US Army in the late 20s, which is the subject of his only autobiographical work, the Old China Hands. He lived most of his life in Pima, Arizona where he worked as...

Elwyn Brooks "E. B." White was an American writer. A long-time contributor to "The New Yorker" magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The Elements of Style, popularly known by its authors' names, as "Strunk & White."

Thomas Nigel Kneale was a British author and screenwriter who wrote professionally for more than 50 years. Predominantly a writer of thrillers that used science-fiction and horror elements, he was best known for the creation of the character Professor Bernard Quatermass.

Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works -- short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse -- exemplify the American imagination at its most creative. Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and most beloved books, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, are masterworks that readers carry wi...

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Born in north Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent. He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors. His short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, often very dark h...