Tales from the German, Comprising Specimens from the Most Celebrated Authors

German short fiction takes several forms in this 1844 collection translated by John Oxenford and C. A. Feiling. Friedrich Schiller contributes The Criminal from Lost Honour alongside tales by Hauff, Hoffmann, Kleist and other writers. The contents bring together fanciful stories, accounts of crime and fiction concerned with motives and judgment. An introductory discussion explains the translators' choices and their practice of reviewing each other's versions, giving the collection a second interest as a record of literary translation.

In the passage from Michael Kohlhaas, an elector sends a trusted page to obtain a slip of paper held by a horse dealer. The proposed bargain connects political anxiety with personal grievance and the prospect of freedom. Such scenes give readers a concrete way into the collection's concern with power and human decisions. Its range also makes it useful for comparing different approaches to German storytelling within one English volume.