Short Jokes

Millions of young listeners have loved the World's Worst Children tales. Now they will revel in this delightfully dreadful collection of the most gruesome grown-ups ever: The World's Worst Teachers. Think your teachers are bad? Wait till you meet this lot. These 10 tales of the world's most splendidly sinister teachers will have you running for the school gates. Dr Dread teaches science and is half man, half monster. Watch out for the ghastly Miss Seethe. She is always furious and she's on a detention rampage.

Arkady Averchenko - brilliant writer of humorous stories and novels, which have stood the test of time. His works have enjoyed enormous popularity in pre-revolutionary Russia, and after the exile - among the Russian diaspora. His stories are really funny, subtle and clever - a rare combination for a comedian. And they are written in excellent literary style.

This tale, one of Twain's most anthologized, tells the story of a practical joke and its very unexpected consequences.

This is a story from the Normandy Stories collection. Maupassant is hailed as one of the greatest masters of the short story. This collection focuses upon the land he knew and loved so well - Normandy. Its people and its countryside are portrayed here in vivid color and with great warmth. Amusing, saucy, and sometimes even farcical they may be, but they are also capable of great pathos, often branching off to end tragically.