The Grey Parrot and Other Stories

W.W. Jacobs delighted in finding unlikely humour in everydaysituations and observations, and these tales succeed in raising alaugh from the most mundane of scenarios. In 'The Grey Parrot', asailor buys a parrot for his wife, whom he suspects isn't faithfulin his absence, hoping that the bird will inadvertently repeatanything untoward it hears. Unfortunately for him, the parrotexceeds his expectations, and it's not only his wife who is leftblushing.This volume contains a careful selection of the very beststories from Jacobs's 150-strong repertory, and includes well-knownstandalone pieces such as 'The Monkey's Paw', as well as accountsof raucous dockside dalliances and tightly woven tales of poacherBob Petty's crimes against the unlikely cast of an Essex village.Showcasing a unique assortment of stories spanning his writingcareer, this edition hopes to shine a light on a hugely talentedwriter who inspired many of the literary giants we now considermasters of the genre.