The Dark StarRobert W. Chambers
What if you were involved in the theft of one of the legendary jewels of all time -- and you didn't even know it? That's exactly what happens to the innocent damsel at the center of Robert W. Chambers' The Dark Star. She prays for a strong, silent savior to extract her from the mess she's in -- but will she... read more »
The Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin
Charles Darwin's groundbreaking work of evolutionary biology, The Origin of Species introduces the scientific theory of evolution, which posits that species evolve over a period of many generations through a process of natural selection. Darwin's theories have been widely embraced by the scientific community as fact... read more »
The Tin Woodman of OzL. Frank Baum
In the twelfth Oz story, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow meet Woot, a Gillikin boy. The Woodman tells him how the Wicked Witch of the East (punishing him for falling in love with her ward, Nimmie Amee) enchanted his axe, which then compelled him to chop off every part of his body. The tinsmith Ku-Klip replaced... read more »
Drum-TapsWalt Whitman
Noted American poet Walt Whitman has created a masterpiece. Whitman loves writing about material things and the human mind and body. Whitman shows a true love of nature and man's role in it. One of the best known poems in the work is "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", which is a beautiful poem written about... read more »
The King in YellowRobert W. Chambers
With its strange, imaginative blend of horror, science fiction, romance and lyrical prose, Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow is a classic masterpiece of weird fiction. This series of vaguely connected stories is linked by the presence of a monstrous and suppressed book which brings fright, madness and spectral... read more »
Autobiography of a YogiParamahansa Yogananda
This acclaimed autobiography presents a fascinating portrait of one of the great spiritual figures of our time. With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda narrates the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his... read more »
Dream PsychologySigmund Freud
This classic work is essential reading for any serious student of psychology. Dr. Freud covers the hidden meanings within our dreams, especially repressed sexual desires, the purpose of our conscious and unconscious minds, and the importance of dreams to our wellbeing. Freud's attitude toward dream study was that of... read more »
ApologyPlato
The Apology is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he defended himself in 399 BCE against the charges of 'corrupting the young, & by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel' (24b). 'Apology' here has its earlier meaning (now usually expressed by the... read more »
A Doll's HouseHenrik Ibsen
Ibsen's classic play about the struggle between independence and security still resonates with readers and audience members today. Often hailed as an early feminist work, the story of Nora and Torvald rises above simple gender issues to ask the bigger question: 'To what extent have we sacrificed our selves for the... read more »
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and RomeE. M. Berens
A Greek and Roman mythology book that's suitable for young readers and is a comprehensive collection of all the major and minor gods of Rome and Greece, with descriptions of festivals and retellings of major mythological stories. Learn the mythology behind books like those in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians... read more »
The GeniusTheodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser heavily invested himself in The Genius, an autobiographical novel first published in 1915. Thoroughly immersed in the turn-of-the-century art scene, The Genius explores the multiple conflicts between art and business, art and marriage, and between traditional and modern views of sexual morality... read more »
The Age of ReasonThomas Paine
Written in the years from 1792 to 1795 while Thomas Paine was in prison, The Age of Reason shocked 18th-century readers with its attack on the conventions of Christianity. Based on years of study and reflection by the author, the work is written from the deist point of view and questions Christian beliefs and the... read more »
At The Mountains Of MadnessH. P. Lovecraft
Long acknowledged as a master of nightmarish visions, H. P. Lovecraft established the genuineness and dignity of his own pioneering fiction in 1931 with his quintessential work of supernatural horror, At the Mountains of Madness. The deliberately told and increasingly chilling recollection of an Antarctic... read more »
The Little Lady of the Big HouseJack London
A triangle romance provides the basis for a questioning of the meaning of masculinity, as well as an examination of agribusiness in California. Jack London said of this novel: 'It is all sex from start to finish -- in which no sexual adventure is actually achieved or comes within a million miles of being achieved... read more »
The Yellow WallpaperCharlotte Perkins Gilman
The Yellow Wall-Paper is written as the secret journal of a woman who, failing to relish the joys of marriage and motherhood, is sentenced to a country rest cure. Though she longs to write, her husband and doctor forbid it, prescribing instead complete passivity. In the involuntary confinement of her bedroom, the... read more »
Leaves of GrassWalt Whitman
'I celebrate myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease....observing a spear of summer grass.' So begins Leaves of Grass, the first great American poem and indeed, to this day, the greatest and most... read more »
The Art of Public SpeakingDale Carnegie
The best way to become a confident, effective public speaker, according to the authors of this landmark book, is simply to do it. Practice, practice, practice. And while you're at it, assume the positive. Have something to say. Forget the self. Cast out fear. Be absorbed by your subject. And most importantly, expect... read more »
Kama Sutra of VatsyayanaVātsyāyana
Sir Richard F. Burton’s translation of The Kama Sutra remains one of the best English interpretations of this early Indian treatise on politics, social customs, love, and intimacy. Its crisp style set a new standard for Sanskrit translation. The Kama Sutra stands uniquely as a work of psychology, sociology, Hindu... read more »
AdventureJack London
This novel, a devastating portrayal of colonialism and slavery set in the Solomon Islands, has generated considerable controversy since its publication over the question of whether London shared the racist beliefs of his characters or, on the contrary, was merely presenting them accurately. read more »
Think and Grow Rich!Napoleon Hill
The greatest motivational book of all time! Napoleon Hill's thirteen step programme will set you on the path to wealth and success. Think and Grow Rich reveals the money-making secrets of hundreds of America's most affluent people. By thinking like them, you can become like them. Inspired by Andrew Carnegie's magic... read more »
Sister CarrieTheodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser's first and perhaps most accessible novel, Sister Carrie is an epic of urban life - the story of an innocent heroine adrift in an indifferent city. When small-town girl Carrie Meeber sets out for Chicago, she is equipped with nothing but a few dollars, a certain unspoiled beauty and charm, and a... read more »
KimRudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling has been attacked for championing British imperialism and celebrated for satirizing it. In fact, he did both. Nowhere does he express his own ambivalence more strongly than in Kim, his rousing adventure novel of a young man of many allegiances. Kimball O’Hara grows up an orphan in the walled city... read more »
The Call of CthulhuH. P. Lovecraft
The Call of Cthulu, the tale of a horrifying underwater monster coming to life and threatening mankind, is H.P. Lovecraft's most famous and most widely popular tale, spawning an entire mythology, with the power to strike terror into the hearts of even the Great Old Ones.
Between these pages you will find things... read more »
Le Morte d'ArthurThomas Malory
An immortal story of love, adventure, chivalry, treachery and death. Le Morte D'Arthur is Sir Thomas Malory's unique and splendid version of the Arthurian legend. Mordred's treason, the knightly exploits of Tristan, Lancelot's fatally divided loyalties and his love for Guenever, the quest for the Holy Grail; all the... read more »
Queen of the Black CoastRobert E. Howard
Queen of the Black Coast is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan becoming a notorious pirate and plundering the coastal villages of Kush... read more »
Fire in the SteppeHenryk Sienkiewicz
Close on the heels of the magnificent With Fire and Sword and The Deluge, comes this impassioned tale of love, war, heroism, treason and betrayal, with which the great classic Trilogy of Poland's most popular 19th century writer is brought to an end. Fire in the Steppe is the final book of Sienkiewicz's literary... read more »
The RoadJack London
In this entertaining collection of tales and autobiographical essays, London relates the days he spent on the road. Each story details an aspect of the hobo's life -- from catching a train to cadging a meal. The wealth of experiences and the necessity of having to lie for a living brought depth London's subsequent... read more »
The Bride of LammermoorWalter Scott
Dark prophecies and ominously symbolic events beset the romance of Edgar, Master of Ravenswood, and Lucy Ashton, daughter of the man who has displaced the ancient Ravenswood family from its ancestral home. Sir William Ashton, the wily and self-seeking Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, has used his power to... read more »
Sanders of the RiverEdgar Wallace
Charged with the task of engaging with the indigenous peoples of Nigeria during the colonial period, Sanders takes a no-nonsense approach that, though it may offend the sensibilities of current-day readers, is unquestionably effective. Offering readers an action-packed glimpse into a period of history that is often... read more »
The Golden BowlHenry James
The Golden Bowl is an intense, involved study of marriage, adultery and family ties. The central characters are a man and his daughter and James delves into their consciousness to explore the complexity of their relationship to each other and their respective spouses. The novel is often considered the completion of... read more »