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SHORT STORY INDEX

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The Evening News was a daily newspaper in London that ran from 1881 to 1980. At the height of its popularity it regularly sold over one million copies every day. For years it was the most popular evening newspaper in London, far outselling its long-time rivals The Star and the Evening Standard. Short fiction was a regular feature of the newspaper and for much of its life span there was a short story in every issue. The history of short stories in the Evening News dates back to the late 1880s, with an incredible variety of stories appearing in the newspaper over the next ninety years. Famous authors whose stories were published in the Evening News include Arthur C. Clarke, Ken Follett, A. A. Milne, Ursula Bloom, John Creasey, Ray Bradbury, Leslie Thomas, H. E. Bates, Barbara Cartland and Dudley Pope.

As stated above, the Evening News short story was a daily feature of the newspaper for many years. The stories themselves, read by thousands of London commuters, were nearly always very short, usually no more than 1,500 words long. They were designed to be read on one's lunch-hour, or on the train home from work. Despite their brevity, short stories in the Evening News were noted for their colour, diversity and for covering a wide range of themes and genres. The short story feature also provided an important market for aspiring young writers as well as established novelists who enjoyed experimenting with the short story form and creative people from all walks of life who were looking to supplement their regular income. Among this latter group was Paul Feakes, a foreign banker who wrote in his spare time. Feakes contributed more stories to the Evening News than any other writer, notching up 397 stories over a 38-year period.

A small number of stories from the Evening News have been reprinted elsewhere, but the vast majority of stories originally published in the Evening News remain uncollected. It is also the case that until now nobody has attempted to index the short fiction published in the Evening News. This website represents the results of a research project which has culminated in the indexing of nearly all the short stories that were printed in the Evening News throughout its 99-year history. I have endeavoured to display the information gathered here in as simple a manner as possible. Please follow the links above to explore the contents of this website.

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Illustration from the Evening News, August 31, 1896.

Email: marks3789@gmail.com

 

 

Copyright © 2006 Richard Simms