"Hilary Mantel and Helen Simpson feature in the nation's favourite annual guide to the short story, now in its fifth year ..."

Best British Short Stories invites you to judge a book by its cover - or more accurately, by its title. This new series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere. The editor's brief is wide ranging, covering anthologies, collections, magazines, newspapers and web sites, looking for the best of the bunch to reprint all in one volume.

Authors include Hilary Mantel, Alison Moore, Jenn Ashworth, Helen Simpson, Charles Wilkinson, Rebecca Swirsky, Matthew Sperling, Julianne Pachico, KJ Orr, Bee Lewis, Uschi Gatward, Emma Cleary and Neil Campbell.

Introduction

Hilary Mantel

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher August 6th 1983

Julianne Pachico

Lucky

Bee Lewis

The Iron Men

Jonathan Gibbs

Festschrift

Jenn Ashworth

Five Thousand Lads a Year

Neil Campbell

LS Lowry/ Man Lying on a Wall

Emma Cleary

Lightbox

Jim Hinks

Green Boots' Cave

Uschi Gatward

The Clinic

Tracey S Rosenberg

May the Bell Be Rung For Harriet

Helen Simpson

Strong Man

Matthew Sperling

Voice Over

K J Orr

The Lake Shore Limited

Tamar Hodes

The First Day

Alan Mccormick

Go Wild in the Country

Helen Marshall

Secondhand Magic

Charles Wilkinson

Fresh Water

Rebecca Swirsky

The Common People

Alison Moore

Eastmouth

Julianne Pachico

The Tourists

Joanna Walsh

Worlds From the Word's End

Contributors' Biographies

Acknowledgements