Robert Louis Stevenson 
New Arabian Nights 

Stevenson published this collection of his early fiction in 1882, after the pieces had appeared in various magazines. The first half features two popular detective-story cycles, The Suicide Club and The Rajah’s Diamonds, which deal with a macabre secret society and the intrigues and escapades involving exotic jewels. The second half brings together unrelated pieces, including the seminal ’The Pavilion on the Links’ – described by Conan Doyle as "the first short story in the world" – which is set in a cottage surrounded by quicksand and tells the story of two old friends who become rivals for the affection of a woman.