HOLIDAY SALE!!!

Give Eclectica Best Fiction Volume One as a gift! Order between Thanksgiving and Christmas and pay just $12 per copy plus shipping and handling. We can ship directly to your giftee, and wrapping is available for an extra fifty cents. Just send us an email at editors@eclectica.org. Tell us your name, shipping address(es), and how many books you'd like. We'll send you an electronic invoice. Payment options include, check, money-order, or credit card through Paypal.

For a printable PDF copy of the Sales Sheet for this anthology, click HERE.

 

Reader Response (July 2004)

Well, I've read the collection and I can't remember the last time I've been so impressed by an anthology of short stories, by the range and sheer overall quality of the collection. I did exactly as predicted and glanced through the list of contributors to see if I knew anyone and found two people I've been published alongside, Carolyn Steele Agosta and Alex Keegan; perhaps equally predictably I loved Carolyn's and enjoyed Alex's (one of the most varied writers I know). I have other favourites, there are even a couple I didn't much like, but I won't name names because what counts with something like this is not only the individual story but the sense of a whole that comes from inspired and dedicated editing, both gift and graft. I've been away and not had a chance to look at the summer issue online but I'm looking forward to it. My congratulations and thanks. Keep up the good work. —Charles Lambert, Italy

 

Eclectica Recognized by IPPY (May 2004)

Eclectica Best Fiction Volume One has been named a finalist for the Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) in the Short Story Fiction category! Congratulations to the winner, McSweeny's 11 (McSweeny's Quarterly), and the other finalist, Grasslands, by Michael Hetherton (Coteau Books).

 

Eclectica Goes Academic (April 2004)

Eclectica Best Fiction will be making its first inroads into academia this coming Fall. Patrick McGuire at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has added the anthology to his creative writing course. We look forward to hearing what his students think.

 

Three Reasons to Buy Eclectica Best Fiction

All the arguments you hear during National Public Radio fundraising drives apply here.

These stories, individually and as a collection, really are exceptional.

The idea of being one of just a few hundred people in the world who own this book appeals to you. You are a maverick, a visionary, and a true patron of the arts.

 

What some folks have had to say about Eclectica Best Fiction

"It had to happen: the Web is re-birthing the Short Story. Web stories are leaner, snappier, sexier, and their afterglow lasts longer. They have to be captivating, mysterious, erotic, and ultra-hip. These stories from Eclectica are path-blazers. Now that they are in a book, old-fashioned readers can also delight in their startling freshness."

—ANDREI CODRESCU is the publisher of Exquisite Corpse, where the web-story also thrives.

"This work stands as proof that the Internet is now producing fiction the talent, originality, and polish of which rivals and often exceeds that in most 'print' magazines and journals. It is overall superb."

—JAMES PURDY is an artist and the author of over fifty volumes of fiction, drama, and poetry.

"What an extraordinary book of short fiction... a kind of roadmap showing where such work has been and where it may be going. Some is true narrative; some is pure mood and tone that sits in itself quiet as a bird's nest. But none of these voices are boring or mutilated by self-satisfaction. Rather, they tremble with life and a vision of tomorrow."

—HARRY CREWS is the author of 15 novels and was the namesake for the 1980's band featuring Kim Gordon.

"This is a rare collection of stories, a revelation of new talents."

—DEBRA MAGPIE EARLING is the author of Perma Red, a book Sherman Alexie called the "Rosetta Stone" of Native American literature.

 

The Back Story

In 1996 when Eclectica was founded, it was not clear if authors would send their good work for no other compensation than a commitment to high editorial standards, the potential to reach a global audience, and the promise that their work would never go out of "print." Seven years, thirty-seven issues, and hundreds of contributors later, the answer has turned out to be a resounding yes. The Eclectica Best Fiction anthology contains thirty stories that not only represent the fine fiction that can still be found in Eclectica's online archives, but that also and especially show an astonishing cross-section of life and literature from all corners of the planet.

Culling thirty favorites was no easy task. The number of great stories to choose from was humbling, and while we have no regrets about the stories we chose, it was hard to leave out the ones we didn't. We can only hope there'll be a Volume Two. In the meantime, this anthology is a thank you to all Eclectica contributors past, present, and future.

 

Links to Anthology Selections

These are the thirty stories that made it into Volume One (some stories have been edited/altered slightly for print publication):

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