This book was written in 1898 and comprises 245 fantastic fables from Ambrose Bierce.
These tales lampoon greedy politicians, judges, holy men, poets and many others.
I would suggest the meaning in some of the stories is connected to the era in which the book was written and so might not mean too much in our present day.
The tales are satirical, acerbic, and sometimes sarcastic, but in most cases I think I saw the point Bierce was making.
The tales won’t provide belly laughs but might make you smile and will make you think.
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 