A Literary Playground - Short Stories, the third book in a Tribute Series to James Ball Naylor, is edited and annotated by Theresa Marie Flaherty, the author of Naylor's Biography, The Final Test. Naylor practiced the art of storytelling by exploring different topics and types of characters as a way to bring his own experiences to life. He used short stories as a literary playground where he learned to follow, and to bend, the rules of writing, and where he discovered his "voice." Written more than one hundred years ago, the twenty-three short stories in this volume reflect an era very different from today, yet reveal enduring heartfelt sentiments. Naylor drew on childhood memories of growing up in southeastern Ohio, his love for his family, and his profession in defining his characters and plots. Some of his most charming stories are written about children. A country doctor in rural Ohio, Naylor recognized the fascination of the uninitiated in matters of medicine long before CSI became a staple of prime time TV and peppered many of his stories with medical details. Born in 1860, Naylor also wrote several stories relating to the Civil War, where he lost his father.