A Floating CityJules Verne
A Floating City, enjoyed a popularity almost equal to that of Round the World in Eighty Days. It was the direct result of the trip which the author actually made to America in 1867, on the largest iron ship ever built. He gives us a faithful picture of the natural and usual incidents of an ocean voyage of those... read more »
Barry LyndonW. M. Thackeray
Set in late 18th century Europe the adventures and mis-adventures of a minor member of the Irish gentry trying to better himself. Redmond Barry of Bally Barry is a clever young man, who learns the manners of a gentleman. This serves him well, for the next few decades he meanders through Europe, as a soldier... read more »
After DarkWilkie Collins
A series of tales supposed to be told to a portrait-painter by his sitters; the framework tells us how he came to think of publishing the stories thus collected; the introductions describe the circumstances under which the tales were told. These portions have a delicate every-day interest. The tales are stories of... read more »
Under the LilacsLouisa May Alcott
Under the Lilacs is a children fiction novel about two girls (Bab and Betty Moss), Miss Celia, a circus runaway (Ben Brown) and his dog (Sancho). When two young girls decide to have a tea party with their dolls and a mysterious dog comes and eats their prized cake, they end up finding a circus run-away in their play... read more »
The Man UpstairsP. G. Wodehouse
Wodehouse's well-known gift for satisfying plots and comic surprises is evident on every page, but there are also signs of his debt to earlier writers in the realistic tradition. Set mainly in London or New York, many of the stories concern ordinary people - shopassistants, schoolmasters, secretaries, servants... read more »
Lost FaceJack London
Lost Face is a collection of seven short stories by Jack London. It takes its named from the first short story in the book, about a European adventurer in the Yukon who outwits his Indian captors' plans to torture him. This collection of rollicking and thought-provoking tales includes some of London's best-known... read more »
The Story of Sir Launcelot and His CompanionsHoward Pyle
Enchanting tale of chivalry and love recounts the adventures of the most famous knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Follows Sir Launcelot of the Round Table as he rescues Queen Guinevere, fights in the tournament at Astolat, and pursues other adventures. read more »
Father GoriotHonoré de Balzac
Pere Goriot is the tragic story of a father whose obsessive love for his two daughters leads to his financial and personal ruin. Interwoven with this theme is that of the impoverished young aristocrat, Rastignac, come to Paris from the provinces to make his fortune, who befriends Goriot and becomes involved with the... read more »
Echoes of the WarJ. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie wrote plays to promote support for the war to end all wars. Yet they are not plays about war, but rather about parents and the children they send off to war. Though intended to foster support for WWI, from today's vantage point they can just as easily be interpreted as anti-war. In this play, two old... read more »
The Lion's SkinRafael Sabatini
Since childhood and his mother's cruel death, young Caryll had been bred in France by his guardians for one purpose—to wreak their vengeance on the father who had never known him. But Caryll did not complete his mission. Instead, he sailed for England and plunged into a maelsrom of dissension and revolt that... read more »
The Fruit of the TreeEdith Wharton
Set in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts during the height of the progressive era, the book centers on heroine Justine Brent, a professionally trained nurse who is called upon to attend her childhood friend Bessy Westmore, a rich textile mill owner left paralyzed by a riding accident. When Bessy begs to be... read more »
The Scarecrow of OzL. Frank Baum
L Frank Baum considered The Scarecrow of Oz to be his best book. It opens with Trot and Cap'n Bill rowing along a shore of the Pacific Ocean, a mighty whirlpool engulfs them and sinks their boat. The old sailorman and the little girl are miraculously saved and regain consciousness to find themselves in a sea cavern... read more »
BonesEdgar Wallace
It is a time when the major world powers are vying for colonial honors, a time of ju-ju, witch doctors, and an uneasy peace with Bosambo, impressive chief of the Ochori. When Commissioner Sanders goes on leave, the trusty Lieutenant Hamilton takes over administration of the African territories. However, yet again... read more »
Palmetto-LeavesHarriet Beecher Stowe
In 1867, Stowe settled in a small cottage in Mandarin, Florida, overlooking the St. Johns River. She had promised her Boston publisher another novel but was so taken with northeast Florida that she produced instead a series of sketches of the land and the people which she submitted in 1872 under the title Palmetto... read more »
The Book of Dreams and GhostsAndrew Lang
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts is an entertaining horror fiction composed of short stories. The narrations play with reader's psychology and drag it to illusions and hallucinations. The author has used a simple plot which is narrated in the plain language. The stories have unnerving twists and turns and seem... read more »
The PrairieJames Fenimore Cooper
The final novel in Cooper’s epic Leatherstocking Tales, filled with excitement and thrill, which follows the adventures of Natty Bumppo and Dr. Bat, the latter of whom spends his time in discovering new animals and plants in the prairie. The book subtly highlights various issues of that era like the annihilation... read more »
Jill the RecklessP. G. Wodehouse
Jill had money and was engaged to be married to Sir Derek Underhill. But when she suddenly becomes penniless, she finds herself no longer engaged. Refusing to be beaten, she heads for New York, with a smile that betrays a tinge of recklessness, to join the chorus of 'The Rose of America'. read more »
The Gifts of AstiAndre Norton
Varta, the last priestess of Asti, lives alone with Lur, a telepath of the lizardfolk, in Asti's isolated mountain retreat. Decadent Memphir has long since drifted away from the austere paths of Asti, and now the barbarians of Klem are sacking the city, and the smoke of its burning drifts up to the temple. read more »
The Pirate CityR. M. Ballantyne
Telling of international diplomacy, slavery, piracy, and rebellion, The Pirate City moves from the sordid slave markets of Algiers to smoke-cloaked warship Queen Charlotte, in this tale of pirates vying against the might of the British Navy. The Pirate City is the story of the Algerian pirates who were the scourge... read more »
The Heart of MidlothianWalter Scott
This novel, regarded as one of Scott's finest, opens with the Edinburgh riots of 1736. The people have been infuriated by the actions of John Porteous, Captain of the Guard; when his life is saved by the distant monarch they ignore the Queen and resolve to take their own revenge. Closely connected with these events... read more »
The Scarlet PlagueJack London
The year is 2073. It's been sixty years since The Red Death wiped out most of humanity. James Howard Smith is one of the last survivors of the pre-plague era, but he knows he's dying. He must instill values and wisdom to his grandsons, or humanity might not make it. A post apocalypse story as only Jack London could... read more »
The WardenAnthony Trollope
The Warden centers on Mr. Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity who is nevertheless in possession of an income from a charity far in excess of the sum devoted to the purposes of the foundation. On discovering this, young John Bold turns his reforming zeal to exposing what he regards as an abuse of... read more »
War is KindStephen Crane
War is Kind, was unconventional for the time in that it was written in free verse without rhyme, meter, or even titles for individual works. They are typically short in length and although several poems, such as 'Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind', use stanzas and refrains, most do not. Crane also differed from... read more »
Tom Swift in the Caves of IceVictor Appleton
Tom Swift & friends journey to the Arctic in his custom airship to seek for the legendary Valley of Gold. When his map is stolen by his longtime nemesis, Andy Foger, who has himself built a competing airship, the race is on across frigid Alaska to see who will be the first to find the limitless fortune. (source... read more »
The Woman of MysteryMaurice Leblanc
Paul and Elisabeth Delroze, while newlyweds, arrive at Ornequin Castle, which is located above the small town of Lorraine Corvigny, a few kilometers from the German border. The castle is owned by the Earl of Andeville, father of Elizabeth, and has been closed since the death of his wife the Comtesse Hermine. By... read more »
The Pearl of Orr's IslandHarriet Beecher Stowe
The rural tranquillity of the lonely, pine-girthed shores of the Maine coast is the setting for this beautiful novel of conflicting aspirations written by one of the most prolific and influential writers in American history. Here is the heartwarming story of a young girl's struggle to belong and fit in, in the face... read more »
The Dead SecretWilkie Collins
The Dead Secret begins with the death bed confession of Mrs Treverton that will take her family by storm. The maid, Sarah Leeson, against the dying wish of Mrs Treverton, hides the letter, and thus the disaster is delayed but not averted. Rosamond, her daughter, who is married to a blind man, gives birth prematurely... read more »
What Every Woman KnowsJ. M. Barrie
Married by special agreement to John Shand, Maggie Wylie proves to be a highly effective voice for her politician husband. One of the author's most realistic and important theatrical works — graced with flashes of sly humor and dramatic irony — entertainingly develops the theme that behind every successful man... read more »
The Green RustEdgar Wallace
A brilliant but maniacal scientist is determined to unleash a virulent plague that threatens to drive humankind to the brink of extinction. The evil doctor matches wits with two top-notch detectives, one of whom happens to be a young woman. Fans of classic thrillers will relish every minute of The Green Rust. read more »
The Odd WomenGeorge Gissing
Virginia and Alice Madden are odd women', growing old alone in Victorian England with no prospect of finding love. Forced into poverty by the sudden death of their father, they lead lives of quiet desperation in a genteel boarding house in London. The Odd Women is a novel of social realism that reflects the major... read more »