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Catherine is well on her way to becoming a spinster. She‘s 21 and part of New York‘s upper-class society, but she has never had a flirt and is plain-looking without the sparkling personality to make up for it. Or so her father thinks. Because when the handsome Mr. Morris Townsend catches her eye, Catherine falls head over heels in love with him. But does Townsend really like her back, or does he just like all the money she is set to inherit? Based on a true story as told to him by a friend, `Washington Square‘ (1880) is probably Henry James‘ most accessible novel. Fans of Jane Austen will definitely like this.Henry James (1843-1916) was an American author who already by his mid-20s was regarded as one of the most skilful short story writers of his time. Later he would write several classic novels including `Daisy Miller‘ (1878) and `The Portrait of a Lady‘ (1881). He spent much of his life in Europe and became and British citizen shortly before his death.

A princess is locked away on a remote island guarded by a dragon. Many suitors try and fail to save her, but one day a clever boy arrives. So begins `The Island of Nine Whirlpools`, one of Edith Nesbitt‘s eight dragon stories in `The Book of Dragons‘ (1899). The tales may be over a hundred years old, but they contain a timeless quality that ignites the imagination and creates a sense of wonder. Child or adult, these stories are written with such warmth and wit, anyone will find themselves laughing out loud with regular intervals. They may revoke a certain Tolkien feeling, and C.S. Lewis, who read Nesbitt‘s books as a child, was clearly inspired by her works.Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) was an English author of children‘s literature and a one of the political founders of the socialist organization, the Fabian Society. She adopted several of her husband‘s Children whom he fathered with other women, and supported her large family by writing and collaborating on more than 60 books.

Youth' is an autobiographical short story by Joseph Conrad. It was written in 1898, first published in Blackwood's Magazine, and included as the first story in the 1902 volume Youth, a Narrative, and Two Other Stories. The volume also included Heart of Darkness and The End of the Tether, which are concerned with maturity and old age, respectively. 'Youth' depicts a young man's first journey to the East. It is narrated by Charles Marlow who is also the narrator of Lord Jim and Chance. Mr. Marlow seems to appear for the first time chronologically in Conrad's works (the Author remarks, that he thinks, Marlow spells his name this way)...

James Norman Hall (USA, 1887-1951) and Charles Nordhoff (USA, 1887-1947) Faery Lands of the South Seas (1920) Reader: Mike Vendetti Returning from the horrors of World War I James Hall and Charles Nordhoff follow a dream to tour the South Pacific. They later co-authored "Mutiny on the Bounty". This is a love story. A travelogue and an adventure rolled into one.

Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie, is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during the time of the Expulsion of the Acadians. The idea for the poem came from Longfellow's friend, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Longfellow used dactylic hexameter, imitated from Greek and Latin classics, though the choice was criticized. It was published in 1847 and became Longfellow's most famous work in his lifetime. It remains one of his most popular and enduring works. The poem had a powerful effect in defining both Acadian history and identity in the nineteenth and twentieth century. More recent scholarship has revealed the historical errors in the poem and the complexity of the Expulsion and those involved, which the poem ignores.

The Pioneers: The Sources of the Susquehanna; a Descriptive Tale is a historical novel, the first published of the Leatherstocking Tales, a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper. While The Pioneers was published in 1823, before any of the other Leatherstocking Tales, the period it covers makes it the fourth chronologically.

Herman Melville‘s picturesque account of the Galapagos Islands will make you want to abandon all responsibilities and travel there to see for yourself. Melville wrote this series of "sketches" – or short prose works – from his own experiences sailing around the islands, yet at the same time they are clearly a product of his extraordinary imagination. Originally appearing in Putnam‘s Magazine in 1854, the novella was later published alongside five other Melville short stories in the collection `The Piazza Tales‘, which was very well received.Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American writer, best known for his whaling novel, `Moby Dick‘, which was poorly received at the time but considered a classic today.

Includes fifty legendary tales depicting certain romantic episodes in the lives of well known heroes and famous men, or in the history of a people. Children naturally take a deep interest in such stories. The reading of them will not only give pleasure but will lay the foundation for broader literary studies, as nearly all are the subjects of frequent allusions in poetry and prose. Ages 6 9.

Before its 1902 publication, Heart of Darkness appeared as a three part series (1899) in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the '100 best novels' and part of the Western canon. The story centres on Charles Marlow, who narrates most of the book. He is an Englishman who takes a foreign assignment from a Belgian trading company as a river boat captain in Africa. Heart of Darkness exposes the dark side of European colonization while exploring the three levels of darkness that the protagonist, Marlow, encounters: the darkness of the Congo wilderness, the darkness of the Europeans' cruel treatment of the African natives, and the unfathomable darkness within every human being for committing heinous acts of evil. Although Conrad does not give the name of the river, at the time of writing the Congo Free State, the location of the large and important Congo River, was a private colony of Belgium's King Leopold II. In the story, Marlow is employed to transport ivory downriver. However, his more pressing assignment is to return Kurtz, another ivory trader, to civilization, in a cover up. Kurtz has a reputation throughout the region.

Recovering from a miscarriage and a bad marriage, author Katherine Mansfield, barely 21, wrote these excellent short stories around the time she was staying in a spa town in Germany. With wry humour, she depicts a German upper middle class defined by their rude habits, but she also touches upon the hard life of servants and the oppression of women. The latter distinguishes her writing from that of Jane Austen, but the way in which Mansfield mocks the stiff-upper-lipped ladies and Barons of these stories and zeroes in on character quirks is particularly Jane Austen-like, and just as satisfying as in `Pride and Prejudice‘.Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was short story writer and poet from New Zealand, who settled in England at the age of 19. Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence were among her literary friends and admirers. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 34.

Three young girls wander into an enchanted forest at meet a fairy woman, who is bored with her perfect, immortal life. She convinces them to turn her into a human and decides to become a prince because boys have more fun. His/her new existence exploring the surrounding kingdoms is fast and adventurous from the get-go. What unfolds in an interesting story of problems solved by a woman‘s mind in the luxury of a man‘s body. `The Enchanted Island of Yew` (1903) was written by L. Frank Baum, the author of `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz‘, but is separate from the Oz series. This story clearly comes from the same imagination, however, with the added bonus of some interesting gender-bender elements. L. Frank Baum (1956-1919) was an American author, actor, and filmmaker best known for his children‘s books, particularly `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz‘ (1900) and its thirteen sequels. He started writing young and created a journal with his brother, which they handed out for free.

Told from the perspective of a horse, Black Beauty (1877) dives into the topic of animal rights like no other novel. Black Beauty is raised by a caring mother on an idyllic farm, not knowing that he will never be as free again. Tossed from owner to owner, he encounters mistreatment in many forms, but luckily, his journey is not without love either. Being herself an invalid, author Anna Sewell (1820-1878) seemed particularly aware of the importance of kindness toward all living creatures. She wrote Black Beauty – her only novel – in the final years of her life, and lived just long enough to see its positive reception. In the years after her death, Black Beauty would become the foundation for change in horse welfare in both England and the US.Anna Sewell (1820-1878) was the author of the classic novel, Black Beauty (1877), a heart-wrenching story told from the perspective of a horse. At the age of 14, Sewell fell and injured both ankles while walking home from school, an accident from which she never recovered.

"Bring oxygen – Challenger." The gang from `The Lost World‘ is back together, but the reunion is much more dramatic than they had hoped. As Professor Challenger has predicted, the Earth is moving into a belt of poisonous ether and their only chance of survival is joining him in his house and watch the whole shebang go down together. Though very different from the first in the series, `The Poison Belt` (1913) is equally interesting and can be enjoyed in its own right. Like in his Sherlock Holmes series Conan Doyle displays, in the Challenger books, a knack for writing memorable characters and situations; his description of people going crazy from the ether will have you in hysterics.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British writer, best known for his thrilling stories about the adventures of the detective Sherlock Holmes. He published four novels and more than 50 short stories starring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The stories are seen as important milestones in the history of crime fiction.

When White Fang – part wolf, part dog – gets separated from his family, he must find a way to survive on his own. In a harsh Canadian environment that means kill or be killed. Tough surroundings and cruel masters make White Fang increasingly more aggressive and wild, but Weedon Scott, a kind gold hunter, sees the dog in him and attempts to tame him. Released in 1906, White Fang – companion novel to The Call of the Wild – was immediately successful, especially among younger readers. Ethan Hawke starred in the 1991 film adaptation as the wolfdog‘s friend, and in 2018, Netflix released a beautiful animated movie, introducing children to work of Jack London.Jack London (1876-1916) was an American writer and social activist. A worldwide celebrity, he was one of the highest paid authors of his time.

Whatever happened in the lands of Oz after Dorothy left? In this sequel to the `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz‘, we meet a young boy named Tip, who, unlike Dorothy, has grown up in this magical place. He is under the care (though that is a relative term) of the witch Mombi, but escapes her evil clutches just in time before she turns him in to a statue. Traveling through Oz, Tip meets a bunch of whimsical creatures (some of whom we know already) who join him on an adventurous journey that will conclude in satisfying ways no one will see coming. Loved even more, by many, than its predecessor, `The Marvelous Land of Oz‘ (1904) has been adapted into a stage play and in comic book form by Marvel several times.L. Frank Baum (1956-1919) was an American author, actor, and filmmaker best known for his children‘s books, particularly `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz‘ (1900) and its thirteen sequels. He started writing young and created a journal with his brother, which they handed out for free.

The Black Tulip is a historical novel written by Alexandre Dumas. The story begins with a historical event - the 1672 lynching of the Dutch Grand Pensionary (roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister) Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis, by a wild mob of their own countrymen - considered by many as one of the most painful episodes in Dutch history, described by Dumas with a dramatic intensity. It then unfold around The city of Haarlem, Netherlands, that has set a prize of 100,000 guilders to the person who can grow something very rare; a black tulip, sparking competition between the country's best gardeners to win the money, honor and fame. The novel follows the young Cornelius van Baerle, who almost succeeded in cultivating a black tulip when thrown into the Loevestein prison. Here Cornelius meets the jailer's daughter, Rosa, and a romance has begun.Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) is one of the most read French writers. His adventurous historical novels, including the very famous The Three Musketeers, were originally published as a serial.

`What Maise Knew‘ (1897) should perhaps have been titled `Divorce for Dummies` instead. In this tense and clever novel, Henry James lays out with perfect clarity what not to do when your child becomes one of divorce, as in do the absolute opposite of everything Maise‘s parents do. Shuttled back and forth between her selfish mother and her vain father, Maise becomes a weapon in her parents‘ battle, a way for them to intensify their hatred of each other. Like Charles Dickens before him, Henry James seems to have been more invested in child welfare issues than most, and much of this story still rings true today. In 2012 it became a movie, set in the same year, with Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgård in leading roles.Henry James (1843-1916) was an American author who already by his mid-20s was regarded as one of the most skilful short story writers of his time. Later he would write several classic novels including `Daisy Miller‘ (1878) and `The Portrait of a Lady‘ (1881). He spent much of his life in Europe and became and British citizen shortly before his death.

The dead body of a strange woman is found in an empty house next door to Amelia Butterworth, a single old lady with a formidable curiosity and lots of free time. When Detective Gryce gets on the case, he has a hard time persuading her to mind her own business, but soon Miss Butterworth‘s female intuition and knack for interrogating witnesses through small talk proves invaluable to the investigation. In fact, she outsmarts all the professional men. `That Affair Next Door‘ (1897) is Anna Katharine Green‘s eighth in the Detective Gryce series, but the first of several in which the unlikely pair, Miss Butterworth and EbenezerGryce, team up to solve crimes despite the (quite entertaining) tension between them. It is worth noting that Agatha Christie found the inspiration for her famous Miss Marple character in none other than Miss Butterworth.Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was an American poet and novelist. She is best known for her novel `The Leavenworth Case‘ (1878) with which she became one of the first American writers of detective fiction. Agatha Christie cited Green as an influence on her own writing.

On the night before his wedding, Sinclair finds that his precious amethyst box containing a tiny flask of deadly poison is missing. And he knows it can only have been taken by either of two people: his soon-to-be wife or her cousin. Together with his friend Mr. Worthington, he must find who stole the poison and stop them before they use it. `The Amethyst Box‘ (1905) is a short story by American crime writer Anna Katharine Green; a suspenseful "whodunit" with a dash of romance, which concludes thoroughly unexpectedly.Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was an American poet and novelist. She is best known for her novel `The Leavenworth Case‘ (1878) with which she became one of the first American writers of detective fiction. Agatha Christie cited Green as an influence on her own writing.

"There was not an inch of room for Lottie and Kezia in the buggy. When Pat swung them on top of the luggage they wobbled; the grandmother‘s lap was full and Linda Burnell could not possibly have held a lump of a child on hers for any distance." The seemingly perfect Burnell family is moving from one house to another, and on the surface, everything appears idyllic. But as the story develops, the tension grows, threating to explode and expose their true nature. `Prelude‘ (1922) is evidence of Katherine Mansfield‘s short fiction genius, and it was the first short story that Virginia Wolf commissioned for her publishing house. Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was short story writer and poet from New Zealand, who settled in England at the age of 19. Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence were among her literary friends and admirers. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 34.

Dream Days is a collection of children's fiction and reminiscences of childhood written by Kenneth Grahame. A sequel to Grahame's 1895 collection The Golden Age (some of its selections feature the same family of five children), Dream Days was first published in 1898 under the imprint John Lane: The Bodley Head. (The first six selections in the book had been previously published in periodicals of the day - in the Yellow Book, the New Review, and in Scribner's Magazine in the United States.) The book is best known for its inclusion of Grahame's classic story The Reluctant Dragon.

Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886.

Originally published in 1875 as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly, Roderick Hudson is a One has the money but not the talent. One has the talent but not the money. It would seem that Rowland Mallet and Roderick Hudson were meant to meet. A rich and sensible man, Rowland is ecstatic when Roderick, a beautiful but somewhat selfish sculptor, accepts his offer of joining him in Rome for two years to develop his artistic talents. To complicate matters, however, Rowland has fallen in love for the first time right before their departure and did not get a chance to express his feelings. But, as it turns out, he may never get to, because Roderick has just asked the same woman to marry him. Influenced, as he was, by Nathaniel Hawthorne in this early period, Henry James‘ wrote `Roderick Hudson‘ (1879) in a much more accessible way than his later novels. In fact, this is perfect for the contemporary literature fan with an interest in good love stories and clever character development.that traces the development of the title character, a sculptor. Roderick Hudson is James's first important novel. The theme of Americans in Europe, so important in much of James's work, is already central to the story. Hudson is a young law student in Northampton, Massachusetts, who shows such surprising ability as a sculptor that the rich Rowland Mallett, visiting a cousin in Northampton, decides to stake him to several years of study in Rome, then a center of expatriate American society. The story has to do not only with Roderick's growth as an artist and the problems it brings, but also as a man susceptible to his new environment, and indeed his occasional rivalries with his American friend and patron.Henry James (1843-1916) was an American author who already by his mid-20s was regarded as one of the most skilful short story writers of his time. Later he would write several classic novels including `Daisy Miller‘ (1878) and `The Portrait of a Lady‘ (1881). He spent much of his life in Europe and became and British citizen shortly before his death.

This romance set in Mexico tells of the journey of a native and a white man in search of the fabled Golden City of the Indians.

The humour in `Cranford‘ (1853) is so sly it is can be difficult to believe it was written over 150 years ago. Originally published in instalments and edited by Charles Dickens, the novel follows a delightful group of women in a small town who are united by all being single, poor, and proud. Written with acute observation,`Cranford‘is in equal parts affectionate, moving and darkly satirical. `Cranford‘ has been adapted for television by BBC three times, and the latest version from 2007 featured Dame Judy Dench and Dame Eileen Atkins.Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English novelist, short story writer, and biographer, best known for her novels `North and South‘ and `Wives and Daughters‘ as well as her biography of Charlotte Brontë. Gaskell was viewed as a minor author until the 1950s where it became evident that her depiction of industrial environments and social problems was brilliant and poignant.

An engaging introduction to four of the greatest Americans George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster, and Abraham Lincoln. Their lives are set forth in a simple manner, yet with many interesting details, and a glimpse is given of the trials and successes which combined to mold their character and afford such stirring examples for the youth of today. The stories are patriotic in every line, readable in every paragraph, and inspire the reader to the best thoughts and deeds. Ages 9 12.

"Roads," observed the shaggy man, "don't go anywhere. They stay in one place, so folks can walk on them."A shaggy-looking man, imaginatively called Shaggy Man, asks Dorothy for directions to Butterfield, but the two of them end up getting lost on their way and decide to proceed to Oz instead. For once not chased by danger, they arrive just in time for Princess Ozma‘s birthday party where a great assortment of colourful characters awaits. The 1939 movie, `The Wizard of Oz‘ starring Judy Garland, perfectly told the story of a little girl‘s first adventure, but the story did not end then. `The Road to Oz‘ (1909), L. Frank Baum‘s fifth book in the series, celebrates the lands of Oz in the best way possible. L. Frank Baum (1956-1919) was an American author, actor, and filmmaker best known for his children‘s books, particularly `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz‘ (1900) and its thirteen sequels. He started writing young and created a journal with his brother, which they handed out for free.

For pilots in the First World War even getting through training was a matter of survival. Ashamed that the US was not yet in the war, American author James Norman Hall volunteered to fly for an American unit that fought for France, and his account was published while he was held captive in a German POW camp. An intersting character, Hall takes us through the terrifying early days of training through the even more terrifying days of being a pilot, making `High Adventure‘ (1918) one of the best books on the subject. James Norman Hall is best known for writing the Bounty Trilogy with former pilot Charles Nordhoff, the 1935 film adaptation of which starred Clark Gable.James Norman Hall (1887-1951) was an American author and a World War I pilot. He settled down in Tahiti after the war, and wrote the Bounty Trilogy and other successful adventure novels with fellow pilot Charles Nordhoff.

Christopher Newman, a somewhat awkward but well-meaning American businessman traveling in Europe for the first time, meets and falls in love with the aristocratic young widow Claire de Bellegarde. But her French family does not like his American ways and oppose his offer of marriage. When he discovers a dirty family secret, however, the tables are suddenly turned. But what should he do with upper hand? Despite being one of Henry James earliest works, `The American‘ (1877) flows more like a contemporary novel than his later work, mixing social comedy and melodrama to perfection.Henry James (1843-1916) was an American author who already by his mid-20s was regarded as one of the most skilful short story writers of his time. Later he would write several classic novels including `Daisy Miller‘ (1878) and `The Portrait of a Lady‘ (1881). He spent much of his life in Europe and became and British citizen shortly before his death.

In a time when poor Irish families struggled to feed their children, Jonathan Swift wrote an essay, which he published anonymously, making a few suggestions. He called it `A Modest Proposal‘ (1729) or `A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick.‘The solution was simple: Fatten up the undernourished children and sell them as food for the rich. Everybody wins! Though written in a serious tone, the humour in this essay is undeniable, and so is its mocking of the heartless attitudes towards poor people.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet, and political pamphleteer, best known for his satirical work like `A Modest Proposal‘ (1729) and‘ Gulliver‘s Travels‘ (1726).