Set in English society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centres on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries, a new step-sister enters Molly's quiet life – loveable, but worldly and troubling, Cynthia. The narrative traces the development of the tw…Read More »
A sequel to Lawrence's earlier novel The Rainbow, it continues the story of the Brangwen sisters in the coal-mining town of Beldover. Based in part on Lawrence's own stormy marriage to German aristocrat Frieda von Richthofen, the tale is charged with intense feelings an…Read More »
For Andersen, 1845 is heralded as a breakthrough year in which four different translations of his fairy tales were published. The Little Mermaid appeared in the periodical Bentley's Miscellany, and was shortly followed by this, a second volume entitled Wonderful Stories for Children (source: Wikipedia). Contents i…Read More »
The Wood Beyond the World is a splendid tale, told in a romantic style and written in a pseudo-archaic English. The plot is full of tension, and the descriptions of the Wood, the characters, and the rustic scenery are all exquisitely painted. Morris was a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, and perh…Read More »
Sapper is not so good inking short stories as in a full-length novel; but he still shows many of his virtues. His style is conversational and easy, his plots are uninvolved, and everything goes with a swing. Of course, if the 'reader pulls himself up and begins to think whether the stories are life-like, he will fee…Read More »
The story of a young, recently widowed ex-Army major and architect, Hayden Chart. He strives mightily to find personal meaning in Florence. Beautiful fellow American Dr Olivia Lomond is a budding scholar who tempts him to make his mind grow in appreciation of art and history. But earthy, honest Roxanna Eldritch,home…Read More »
Several hundred of Bierce's pet peeves. Bierce's list includes some distinctions still familiar today–the which-that rule, less vs. fewer, lie and lay – but it also abounds in now-forgotten shibboleths: Ovation, the critics of his time agreed, meant a Roman triumph, not a round of applause. Reliable was an ill-for…Read More »
From the creator of exciting, historically accurate fiction for young readers comes this tale of loyalty and courage in 11th-century Britain. Wulf and his best friend, Beorn, fight bravely for their Saxon king capturing castles, rescuing shipwrecked survivors, repelling Viking invaders, and fighting the Battle of Ha…Read More »
Perhaps the most haunting and tragic love story ever written, Wuthering Heights is the tale of Heathcliff, a brooding, troubled orphan, and his doomed love for Catherine Earnshaw. His desire for her leads him to madness, however, when Catherine is made to marry a wealthy lord, sending Heathcliff on a life-long quest…Read More »
Showcasing the talent of one of the greatest novelists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this collection gathers five of Edith Wharton’s short stories. Jealous husbands, spinsters who have wasted away their lives, and bored ladies infatuated with money and aspirations populate these stories that range from …Read More »
Slim is a boy whose astronomer father is visiting the country estate of an important industrialist. The industrialists son, Red, has found two strange animals, and he enlists Slim in a plan to turn the animals into a circus act. The astronomer, meanwhile, tells the industrialist that he has been in contact with spac…Read More »
Memorable short stories by a great American writer. "Coming, Aphrodite!" is an unforgettable novella of a young artist in New York and his relationship with a girl who hopes to become an opera star. "Paul's Case" reveals the frustration and pain of a lonely youth from the provinces who escapes to NYC for a brief, tr…Read More »
This novel tells the story of Zadig, a philosopher in ancient Babylonia. The author does not attempt any historical accuracy, and some of the problems Zadig faces are thinly disguised references to social and political problems of Voltaire's own day. The book is philosophical in nature, and presents human life as in…Read More »
Before Orlando, before The Highlander, before the Elves in Lord of the Rings, before any and all fictional immortals, there was Zanoni. Through magical alchemical elixirs and the mysterious rites of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, Zanoni has been gifted with immortal life; he chooses to sacrifice this gift for th…Read More »
Armand Gervase has it all. He is a famous artist, his paintings are hung in national galleries, and he is celebrated worldwide. His best-known painting, depicting an alluring Egyptian woman about to murder her lover, is known for its minute, historic detail, yet Armand has no experience with Egypt's ancient past…o…Read More »
Max Beerbohm's sparklingly wicked satire concerns the unlikely events that occur when a femme fatale briefly enters the supremely privileged, all-male domain of Judas College, Oxford. A conjurer by profession, Zuleika Dobson can only love a man who is impervious to her considerable charms: a circumstance that proves…Read More »