The Fiend's Delight

Written under the pseudonym Dod Grile, "The Fiend's Delight" is a collection of essays, stories, poems and reflection, all of which had been previously printed in various California journals and is Bierce's earliest published work in book form. It includes the sections Some Fiction; Current Journaling; Musings, Philosophical and Theological; and Poesy. From the opening of "One More Unfortunate," first story in the fiction section: "It was midnight -- a black, wet, midnight-in a great city by the sea. The church clocks were booming the hour, in tones half-smothered by the marching rain, when an officer of the watch saw a female figure glide past him like a ghost in the gloom, and make directly toward a wharf. The officer felt that some dreadful tragedy was about to be enacted, and started in pursuit . . ."