This collection of short stories by British, American, French and Russian writers begins with a simple tale about Christmas presents, and goes on to entertain us with strange, mysterious, frightening and exciting stories. A guide falls down the side of a mountain, and comes to a place where all the people are blind. He thinks it will be very easy to become the leader of these people, but he could not be more wrong.
Two old friends decide to spend a sunny afternoon fishing, just as they used to before the war. They catch more fish than they have ever caught before, but neither lives long enough to enjoy them. A young woman hears a strange noise in the middle of the night, thinks of her dead sister, and calls on Sherlock Holmes. A young man on a South Sea island sees his father in law turn seashells into dollars. He dreams of a rich and lazy life, but he soon discovers that the old man can be a terrible enemy...
1. The Gifts
2. The Country of the Blind
3. The Two Friends
4. The Bear-hunt
5. The Paradise of Thieves
6. 'When the Ship Blows Up!'
7. The Speckled Band
8. The Island of Voices