Inspiring Older Readers

posted on 11 Jun 2026

Short Stories from the ‘Strand’ selected by Geraldine Beare

It wasn’t until I picked up this rather elegantly produced collection of short stories culled from the pages of the periodical magazine, The Strand, that I had any idea of what an iconic mainstay of middle-class British culture it became in the fifty-nine years between 1891 and 1950. I know this now because of a really excellent introduction this Folio Society copy has that was supplied by the Irish novelist, journalist and broadcaster, Frank Delaney, who sadly died in 2017. Delaney has an ability to capture concepts and big ideas in an easily accessible way and he gets to the heart of the appeal of The Strand at the very outset:

“The Strand serviced a nation requiring a smart, jaunty but informed observation of the world. It reached a constituency which, out of the Industrial Revolution and Victorian chutzpah, had acquired social ambition, and virtually built itself a whole new class.”

This new middle-class (what George Orwell might have called the middle-middle-class or even lower middle-class) wanted an entertainment that didn’t challenge their intellect too strenuously but gave them quality writing:

“The Strand therefore set out to be more breezy than controversial, more animated than thoughtful – the journalism of information rather than of power…..Improvement of the mind went hand-in-hand with socially upward yearnings. The Strand commissioned highly-paid fiction from excellent writers.”

It’s not surprising therefore that Geraldine Beare’s selection of short stories from the 59 years of its life contain some of the very biggest names in English prose fiction from those years. It’s also no surprise given what Delaney tells us that pretty much all of them come as snappy, light and if not exactly full-on humorous they certainly don’t darken your mood. 

Just to give you a flavour of the names you’ll find here, the incomplete list includes Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Joseph Conrad, Arnold Bennett, Graham Greene, A.E. Coppard and P.G. Wodehouse: a veritable gallery of literary superstars. Conan Doyle may not come as a surprise to you if, like me, your only other brush with The Strand is knowing that this was the magazine where the great Sherlock Holmes first appeared in serialised form but it’s clear from Wodehouse’s contribution ‘Honeysuckle Cottage’ and Graham Greene’s ‘All But Empty’ that there were plenty of authors happy to give ideas a try-out or to see whether ideas work that might appear in more sophisticated form later in their career.

I was pleased to see the inclusion of The Gentle Amanda by A.E. Coppard, a writer who in my opinion, has become unduly neglected and to see D.H. Lawrence in perversely whimsical mood with ‘Tickets Please’ is also something of a highlight.

I also have to say that part of the pleasure of this edition for me is the excellent design aesthetic of the book itself. I know Folio Society editions split opinion (a good friend of mine who also contributes reviews to this website can’t abide them at any price) but I take a very different view. When they work well they work wonderfully and the specially commissioned illustration always adds an extra dimension. In this case the illustrative work comes from David Eccles and heads up each new story.

Copies are always hardback and usually in a slipcase but don’t come at punishing prices on the second-hand market. Expect to pay less than £10.

 

Terry Potter

June 2026