Collected Essays and Journalism, Volume 34: 1905: Edited by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi

Ambrose Bierce’s journalistic contributions for 1905 appeared in two newspapers controlled by William Randolph Hearst, the New York American and the San Francisco Examiner. Bierce wrote for these papers at a brisk clip, sometimes contributing new articles or columns on consecutive days. Most numerous are the columns titled “The Views of One,” which allowed him to expound on some of his favorite topics. Significantly, at the very outset of the year he wrote a few columns of “The Cynic’s Dictionary,” which would lead to the initial publication in 1906 of The Cynic’s Word Book (later expanded as The Devil’s Dictionary). “Ashes of the Beacon,” an expansive “future history” of the United States, took up an entire page of the newspaper; it would later be augmented by several pieces that Bierce wrote for the Hearst-owned magazine, the Cosmopolitan. In all, this volume exhibits the vitality of Bierce’s satirical writing even after nearly forty years as a journalist. Read more