The Well | W. W. Jacobs | A Bitesized Audio Production

Even on a warm summer evening a cold, damp air comes up from the disused well. It should have been filled in years ago. Jem Benson was to come to regret that it hadn't been...

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) is best remembered today for his many short stories, in particular the horror classic 'The Monkey's Paw'. He turned to writing while working as a civil servant in the 1880s. His stories were regularly published by the popular periodicals of the day including 'The Idler' and 'The Strand Magazine' and by 1899 he was confident enough to resign his job to become a full time author.

'The Well' was published in the USA in 'The Pocket Magazine', 2 June 1901 issue; it is likely to have appeared in a British periodical at around the same time, although the details of this are now lost. It was subsequently published in book form, along with 'The Monkey's Paw' and several other stories, in a collection entitled 'The Lady of the Barge' in 1902.

Recording © Bitesized Audio 2019.