February 27, 2026 -Also in 1991, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke recounted the anecdote, writing about how Hemingway was supposed to have won a $10 bet (no small sum in the '20s) from his fellow writers. They paid up without a word.
... Here it is. I still can't think of it without crying— FOR SALE.
BABY SHOES. NEVER WORN. January 28, 2013 -He quickly wrote six words down on a napkin and passed it around; Papa won the bet.The words were “FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER WORN.” A beginning, a middle and an end! Advertisements closely matching the abbreviated text above did appear in classified sections over the decades. The first “for sale” calls to mind a recognizable trope, followed by “baby shoes” a recognizable object, but it is the third element that turns this into a story.
“Never worn” can invoke many possible meanings, but perhaps most common is the tragedy of child loss. Those baby shoes were never worn, because the baby wasn’t there to wear them. These examples from reddit show the continued appeal of this genre, and the claim is this is a new genre.
April 7, 2025 -He quickly wrote six words down on a napkin and passed it around; Papa won the bet.The words were “FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER WORN.” A beginning, a middle and an end! Quote Investigator[1] found multiple examples of similar phrases being ... Never Worn.” · The “carriage” ... real-life character simply called Jerry:There was an ad in the Brooklyn “Home Talk” which read, “Baby carriage for sale, never used.”Would that make a wonderful plot for the ...
January 31, 2013 -There was an ad in the Brooklyn “Home Talk” which read, “Baby carriage for sale, never used.” Wouldn’t that make a wonderful plot for the movies? Legend has it that in a Paris restaurant in 1923, Ernest Hemingway’s friends challenged the writer to craft a story in just six words. The novelist responded with: ·“For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.” October 25, 2017 -Never Worn.” · The “carriage” ... real-life character simply called Jerry:There was an ad in the Brooklyn “Home Talk” which read, “Baby carriage for sale, never used.”Would that make a wonderful plot for the ...
February 19, 2017 -“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Six words, powerfully evocative, & believed to have been written by Ernest Hemingway to win a bet. They were the inspiration for this collection of fantastic flash fiction; compiled & edited by author Hache L. Jones.
Her challenge went out: write a story of no more than 500 words explaining why a pair of unworn baby shoes were up for sale. October 17, 2024 -For sale: baby shoes, never worn.