Collected Essays and Journalism, Volume 33: 1903-1904: Edited by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi

Ambrose Bierce’s newspaper writings for 1903–04 appeared nearly simultaneously in the New York American and the San Francisco Examiner, and sometimes only in one of these papers. He continued his humorous Little Johnny sketches, regaling his readers with Johnny’s fractured English but also emphasizing Johnny’s native shrewdness of perception. For part of this period Bierce resurrected his “Passing Show” column, covering a wide range of subjects from politics to religion to contemporary culture, always with a satirical edge. Numerous columns parodied the best-selling novels of the day, while a succession of “future histories” underscored Bierce’s shrewd observation of cultural trends. Poetry was not ignored, and Bierce unleashed his satirical pen by fabricating “unauthenticated dialogues” with leading political figures. Most significantly, Bierce resumed his “Cynic’s Dictionary” column, his pungent definitions serving as the nucleus of his imperishable Devil’s Dictionary. Read more