The Project Gutenberg EBook of Shapes of Clay, by Ambrose Bierce

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Title: Shapes of Clay

Author: Ambrose Bierce

Release Date: June 19, 2004 [EBook #12658]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: Ambrose Bierce.]

SHAPES OF CLAY

BY

AMBROSE BIERCE

AUTHOR OF "IN THE MIDST OF LIFE," "CAN SUCH THINGS BE?" "BLACK BEETLES
IN AMBER," AND "FANTASTIC FABLES"

1903

DEDICATION.

WITH PRIDE IN THEIR WORK, FAITH IN THEIR FUTURE AND AFFECTION FOR
THEMSELVES, AN OLD WRITER DEDICATES THIS BOOK TO HIS YOUNG FRIENDS AND
PUPILS, GEORGE STERLING AND HERMAN SCHEFFAUER. A.B.

PREFACE.

Some small part of this book being personally censorious, and in that
part the names of real persons being used without their assent, it seems
fit that a few words be said of the matter in sober prose. What it seems
well to say I have already said with sufficient clarity in the preface
of another book, somewhat allied to this by that feature of its
character. I quote from "Black Beetles in Amber:"

"Many of the verses in this book are republished, with considerable
alterations, from various newspapers. Of my motives in writing and in
now republishing I do not care to make either defence or explanation,
except with reference to those who since my first censure of them have
passed away. To one having only a reader's interest in the matter it may
easily seem that the verses relating to those might properly have been
omitted from this collection. But if these pieces, or indeed, if any
considerable part of my work in literature, have the intrinsic worth
which by this attempt to preserve some of it I have assumed, their
permanent suppression is impossible, and it is only a question of when
and by whom they will be republished. Some one will surely search them
out and put them in circulation.

"I conceive it the right of an author to have his fugitive work
collected in his lifetime; and this seems to me especially true of one
whose work, necessarily engendering animosities, is peculiarly expo