Classics Books

Book SynopsisPhantasmion is the king of a fantastical realm who is forced into a series of trials that require him to seek help from unexpected allies. It’s a captivating adventure full of vibrant characters and internal and external conflicts. King Phantasmion is desperate to protect Palmland from agressive invaders. His people are being targeted by multiple groups including humans and evil spirits. When Phantasmion embarks on a journey, he is taunted and manipulated by mischievous figures. He goes through multiple trials that require help from outside forces. He develops friendships with different people along the way. These surprising connections lead to a rousing finale that separates the real heroes and villains. Inspired by her own children, Coleridge produced a novel that’s lively and entertaining. Phantasmion: A Fairy Tale is an unforgettable story about the resilience of an imaginary prince. It’s a positive narrative that promotes perseverance and the power of peace. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Phantasmion: A Fairy Tale is both modern and readable.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOff on a Comet is a high-stakes adventure novel and is included in Jules Verne’s celebrated Voyages Extraordinaire series. When the orbit of a comet named Gallia is headed towards the Earth, the planet is facing a very high risk. However, Gallia only touches a small part of the Earth, sparing most of the world, but taking a small region of the planet with it on its journey through space. Thirty-six people, spanning from French, English, Spanish and Russian origins, live on this territory that Gallia has stolen, though they have no idea what has happened. Assuming that the impact was just an earthquake, the people in this territory do not realize that they have left Earth. Slowly, they begin to notice odd happenstances such as weight loss, the ability to jump higher, the short alternation between day and night, flipped compasses, and a new boiling point for water. As each community discovers these changes, the French, English, Spanish, and the Russians all band together to conduct a research expedition, sailing around the seas of their world. When their expeditions prove their suspicions, the group understand their situation more fully, and find out that the comet Gallia is headed back to Earth. However, as old power disputes arise between the nations, they are divided when they must work together to prepare themselves to survive the collision. With complex characters and the fascinating setting of space, Off on a Comet is a thrilling adventure that allows its audience to explore the mysterious realm of space. Included in Jules Verne’s outstanding series, Voyage Extraordinaire, Off on a Comet promises a high stakes adventure, paired with the triumphs and downfalls of humankind as they struggle to work together. Though Off on a Comet was originally published nearly one-hundred and forty-five years ago, this Jules Verne novel continues to delight modern audiences with its unique premise and intriguing setting. This edition of Off on a Comet by Jules Verne is now available with a stunning new cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Melody of Death (1915) is a crime novel by Edgar Wallace. Written at the height of Wallace’s career as one of England’s leading popular fiction writers, The Melody of Death showcases his effective narrative style and innate sense of the strange in everyday life. Like many of Wallace’s stories and novels, The Melody of Death was adapted into a silent film in 1922 by Stoll Pictures. The year is 1911. Night has fallen in London, and two skilled safecrackers enter a diamond merchant’s office after receiving a tip about a recent delivery. As they work the safe in silence, the pair become aware of a presence behind them. Turning, they find a masked man pointing a gun in their direction. Strangely, however, he wants nothing more than to watch them, to learn their methods for his own unspecified purposes. Meanwhile, Gilbert Standerton discovers, on the day of his wedding, no less, that his new wife Edith has married him for his money alone, and that she has been encouraged by her meddling mother to do so. Disillusioned, disheartened, and filled with rage, Gilbert hears the opening strains of the melancholy “Melody in F,” a strange song that never fails to send him into an even stranger state of emotion. As the story unfolds, and as Gilbert becomes increasingly distant, a life in business becomes a life of crime, revealing the dual nature of one disturbed, desperate man. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edgar Wallace’s The Melody of Death is a classic work of crime fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMademoiselle Giraud, My Wife (1870) is a novel by Adolphe Belot. Written at the height of his career as a popular playwright, the novel proved immensely popular and caused a stir with its depiction of homosexuality. Recognized today as an important work of French literature and in the history of sexuality, Mademoiselle Giraud, My Wife is a highly original, frequently funny, and ultimately tragic work of fiction from an underappreciated writer of nineteenth century France. Having forged a life of success and financial security for himself as a businessman, Adrien returns to Paris to find a wife. Singularly obsessed with tying his fate to a respectable woman, he finds himself struggling to remain realistic in his standards. Just when he thinks he will remain a bachelor for the rest of his days, Adrien meets the beautiful Paule Giraud, a friend of the influential Countess Berthe de Blangy. After a brief courtship, he marries Giraud only to find himself rejected in the bedroom. As he succumbs to jealousy and suspicion, Adrien becomes abusive and petulant, eventually leaving his wife in Paris for the city of Nice. There, he meets the Count de Blangy, who reveals to the unsuspecting husband the secret of his wife’s sexual habits: for years, she has engaged in a lesbian affair with her friend Berthe. Enraged and dumbfounded, Adrien hatches a plan with the Count to separate their wives and punish them for their sexual deviancy. Tragic and scandalous, Mademoiselle Giraud, My Wife was a bestselling story of homosexuality told from the point of view of an author who clearly possessed his society’s reprehensibly oppressive views on sex and gender. Regardless, Belot’s novel remains an important landmark in the historical representation of homosexuality in literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Adolphe Belot’s Mademoiselle Giraud, My Wife is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAfter Fantine’s death, her daughter Cosette remains at the inn where she endures frequent abuse from the owners before the unexpected arrival of Jean Valjean. The duo unites and work to create a better life for themselves away from the city. Following the events of Les Misérables Volume One: Fantine, Jean Valjean is once again on the wrong side of the law. After being sentenced to hard labor and eventually the death penalty, he barely escapes with his life. He travels to an inn where he encounters Cosette, the orphaned daughter of Fantine. He notices her abusive living conditions and attempts to remove her from the innkeepers care. Together, Jean and Cosette break away from the clutches of the owners as well as the cruel Inspector Javert. Les Misérables Volume Two: Cosette is the continuation of the tumultuous story of Jean Valjean. This is one part of a captivating tale that’s been adapted multiple times for stage, television and film. The most notable being the 2012 Oscar-winning production from director, Tom Hooper. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Les Misérables Volume Two: Cosette is both modern and readable.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLes Misérables Volume One: Fantine is the introduction to Victor Hugo’s acclaimed historical novel centering a weary hero and heroine torn by poverty and politics. It’s a captivating story marked by love, betrayal and ultimately, loss. The story follows former convict, Jean Valjean, who spent nearly two decades in prison for stealing food for his family. After he’s released, Valjean is unable to find work or proper lodging. He’s forced to sleep on the streets before a kind soul offers him food and shelter. Valjean decides to change his name, creating a new life for himself as a successful factory owner and mayor. Valjean’s rise coincides with the decline of a young woman named Fantine. She is a single mother who is struggling to support her daughter Cosette. Due to the child’s illegitimacy, Fantine is unable to keep a job and is forced into prostitution. When the overzealous Inspector Javert arrests Fantine, the mayor intervenes on her behalf. This decision leads to an unexpected reveal and unfortunate tragedy. Les Misérables Volume One: Fantine features two of the most popular literary characters ever created. Both Fantine and Jean Valjean are beloved yet harrowing figures. They are part of a captivating tale that’s been adapted multiple times for stage, television and film. The most notable being the 2012 Oscar-winning production from director, Tom Hooper. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Les Misérables Volume One: Fantine is both modern and readable.

Read more less

Book SynopsisKazan, a hybrid of a wolf and a dog, has been passed around from owner to owner since he was a young puppy. Suffering a long line of abuse at the hands of his previous owners, Kazan felt unloved until he met the wife of his current owner, Thrope. Happy in his new home, Kazan travels to Northern Canada with his owners, where he runs into trouble again. After meeting an unsavory man named McCready, Kazan feels uneasy, and distrusts him immediately. When McCready attempts to harm Thorpe’s wife, Kazan’s suspicions are proven correct. After being forced to violence, Kazan runs away, fearing punishment for his actions. Heartbroken over leaving the first place he felt at home, Kazan wanders around the Canadian wilderness in search of a new family. Though he finds a pack of wild wolves and a kind mate named Grey Wolf, Kazan still feels loyal to humans, despite the risk of rejection from the wild wolves. When the pack encounter an elderly man, and a woman with a small child, Kazan must make a choice between them and his pack, torn between which he should defend. Full of heart-pounding action and wonderful adventure, Kazan By James Oliver Curwood is a touching action-adventure novel. Featuring complex and unique characters, Kazan explores nature and instinct through the rare perspective of an animal protagonists. Appealing to a variety of ages, Kazan is written in descriptive prose and depicts relatable themes of identity, family, and adversity. This edition of Kazan by James Oliver Curwood now features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition of Kazan crafts an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences while restoring the original beauty of James Oliver Curwood’s literature.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs one of the many installments in Jules Verne’s Voyage Extraordinaire series, Journey to the Center of the Earth promises high stakes and thrilling adventure. When Professor Otto Lidenbrock bought an ancient runic manuscript, which chronicles the lives of Norwegian Kings, he did not expect to learn of anything but the history of Icelandic leaders. However, upon further inspection, Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel, find that the manuscript includes a coded message written by a 16th century alchemist. After rigorous translating and decoding, Axel and Lidenbrock discover the content of the note, in which the author reveals that it is possible to travel to the center of the Earth through volcanic passages. When Lidenbrock heard the news, he immediately started preparations to start the journey, though Axel was skeptical. When Lidenbrock’s will proves to be more powerful than his nephew’s doubt, the two decide to make the journey, recruiting an Icelandic tour guide named Hans on the way. As the three men make their way to inactive volcanic tubes, they embark on a high-stake adventure, facing dangers of cave-ins, subpolar tornados, an underground ocean and prehistoric creatures. The three men stay strong in their adventure, knowing the risky journey promises superior knowledge and acclaim, granted that they make it out alive. With the combination of science fiction and the adventure genre, Jules Verne created a novel that captures the attention of his audience. Originally published in 1864, Journey to the Center of the Earth still provides modern readers with entertainment and insight with its detailed and imaginative prose. Journey to the Center of the Earth can be read independently or as a companion to the other titles of Jules Verne’s critically acclaimed series, Voyage Extraordinaire. This edition of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne now features an eye-catching cover design and is printed in a stylish and readable font, crafting an assessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe House Without a Key (1925) is a mystery novel by Earl Derr Biggers. The first in a series of novels featuring Chinese American detective Charlie Chan, The House Without a Key is notable for its nuanced depiction of race and class on the edges of American empire. Based in part on the life of Chinese Hawaiian detective Chang Apana, the character of Charlie Chan was intended by Biggers as an alternative to racist Yellow Peril stereotypes of the early twentieth century. Shaken by the murder of his uncle, a Bostonian aristocrat living in Hawai’i, John Quincy Winterslip travels to the islands to manage his estate and encourage his aunt Minerva to return home. Uncomfortable at first, he soon grows to appreciate both the natural beauty of life in the Pacific and the youthful attraction of a young woman he meets on his trip. Winterslip makes the decision to break off his engagement with Agatha and remains in Hawai’i to help with the investigation into his uncle’s death. As he grows familiar with the case, he comes to respect Chinese American detective Charlie Chan, an intelligent and honest man who dedicates himself to his work with passion and honor. The House Without a Key, the first in a series of six novels featuring Chan, rejuvenated Biggers’ career as a leading writer of popular fiction in the early twentieth century. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Earl Derr Biggers’ The House Without a Key is a classic of American detective fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe House by the Church-Yard (1863) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. An important source for James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, The House by the Church-Yard is a hybrid of the mystery and historical genres of fiction. With its complex use of side plots and extensive frame narrative, the novel is central to Le Fanu’s legacy as an innovator whose literary works inspired Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. During a routine interment at a churchyard in the historic village of Chapelizod, a grave is disturbed revealing a skull buried a century earlier. Upon examination, a gruesome discovery is made—not only does the skull show signs of severe head trauma, it contains a hole from an emergency trepanning procedure. Stirred by the discovery, an old man named Charles de Cresseron pieces together the story of a time the village had nearly forgotten. In the eighteenth century, a coffin was secretly buried in the churchyard, with no defining characteristics except for the initials “R.D.” As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this burial is somehow related to a series of mysterious events—a love triangle between a general’s daughter, a local official, and a man who has taken residence in a home rumored to be haunted; the suicide of a disgraced prisoner; and a rivalry between a deeply indebted doctor and the agent of a local lord whose home has been infiltrated by a dubious imposter. As these plots swirl and converge, The House by the Church-Yard emerges as a masterpiece of suspense, a thriller that delights its reader just as much as it demands their attention. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s The House by the Church-Yard is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Home and the World (1916) is a novel by Bengali author Rabindranath Tagore. Written after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, the novel dramatizes the Swadeshi movement for Indian independence from British rule. Through the lens of one family, Tagore illuminates the conflict between Western culture and Indian nationalism while exploring the complex relationships of men and women in modern India. Concerned for his wife, who spends most of her days inside, Nikhil, an educated aristocrat, brings Bimala to a political rally. There, they hear the magnanimous revolutionary Sandip speak out against British imperialism and call for Indian independence. Although Nikhil remains passive, if not indifferent, regarding British rule, Bimala, who comes from a poor family, reaches a political awakening of her own. When Nikhil and Bimala invite Sandip to stay as a guest at their home, Bimala moves further away from her traditional role as a wife and begins to develop romantic feelings for the radical figure. Aware of his growing influence, Sandip places himself between Nikhil and his wife while secretly attempting to convince Bimala to use her husband’s wealth to support the Swadeshi cause. The Home and the World is a masterful novel that explores the personal behind the political, inserting the lives of individuals into history’s great wheel without losing sight of humanity. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore’s The Home and the World is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHagar’s Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice (1901-1902) is a novel by African American author Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins. Originally published in The Colored American Magazine, America’s first monthly periodical covering African American arts and culture, Hagar’s Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice is a groundbreaking novel. Addressing themes of race and slavery through the lens of romance, Hopkins’ novel is thought to be the first detective novel written by an African American author. Set just before the outbreak of the American Civil War, Hagar’s Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice takes place on the outskirts of Baltimore where, on neighboring estates, a man and woman fall in love. When Hagar Sargeant returns home after four years of study at a seminary in the North, she meets Ellis Enson, an older gentleman and self-made man who resides at the stately Enson Hall. After a brief courtship, the pair are engaged to be married. As the wedding approaches, Hagar’s mother—who has controlled the family estate since her husband’s death—dies unexpectedly, leaving Hagar the home and its accompanying grounds. Despite this tragic loss, Ellis and Hagar look forward to starting a family together—but when a man from the deep south arrives claiming the young woman was born a slave, their lives are changed forever. Hagar’s Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice is a thrilling work of romance and detective fiction from a true pioneer of American literature, a woman whose talent and principles afforded her the vision necessary for illuminating the injustices of life in a nation founded on slavery and genocide. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins’ Hagar’s Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Great Gatsby (1925) is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published at the height of Fitzgerald’s career as a leading writer of American fiction, The Great Gatsby was reviewed poorly by contemporary critics, but has since been recognized as a groundbreaking work for its vision of American decadence and decay. Adapted into several influential films and adored by generations of readers and writers, The Great Gatsby is not only Fitzgerald’s crowning achievement, but one of the finest novels ever written. Nick Carraway is a young veteran and Yale graduate who moves to New York in search of work. He rents a bungalow on Long Island next door to the extravagant mansion of Jay Gatsby, a magnanimous millionaire with a mysterious past. There, he reconnects with his distant cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan, a flagrant philanderer who brings Nick to the city in order to spend time with Myrtle, his impoverished mistress. Soon, he receives an invitation to a party at the Gatsby mansion, where he gets terribly drunk and meets his neighbor, who swears they served together in the Great War. As time goes by, the two begin a tenuous friendship bolstered by stories of the war and a mutual fondness for alcohol. When Nick discovers that Gatsby and Daisy have a complicated history with one another, he starts to question not only the nature of his neighbor’s kindness, but his own desire to make it big in New York. The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of ambition and romance set in the Roaring Twenties, a decade born from war and lost to economic disaster. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a classic work of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Female-Impersonators (1922) is an autobiography by Earl Lind. Accompanied by an introduction by Dr. Alfred W. Herzog, Lind’s autobiography―intended for a clinical audience―has been recognized as a pioneering work in the history of transgender literature. Throughout his life, Lind was forced to justify and defend his existence from puritanical authorities who refused to even recognize the reality of his identity as an androgyne. In this third installment of his autobiographical trilogy, he focuses on the community of androgynes or “female-impersonators” he joined when he moved from Connecticut to New York City.“I was predestined to an unusual role in the great drama we call ‘life.’ I was brought into the world as one of the rare humans who possess a strong claim, on anatomic grounds as well as psychic, to membership in both the recognized sexes. I was foreordained to live part of my life as man and part as woman.”Situating his own identity within the history of transgender oppression, Lind makes the case for recognizing the presence of androgynes in all human societies. Ever since he was a child, Lind identified as feminine and was keenly aware of his homosexual desires, gaining a reputation among the local boys and soon turning to girls for friendship and understanding. In a world that saw androgynes as both corrupt and willfully different, Lind sought to increase understanding and to explain through scientific, historical, and personal evidence why his identity was congenital, and therefore natural. In this final installment of his trilogy of autobiographical works, Lind focuses on the community of androgynes he joined at New York’s Columbia Hall, a well-known brothel and gay bar on the Bowery.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Earl Lind’s The Female-Impersonators is a classic work of transgender literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Eight Strokes of the Clock (1922) is a collection of short stories by Maurice Leblanc. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Arsène Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time—Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this debut installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. In this collection of short stories, Lupin reveals the adventures of a strangely familiar figure—himself. Using the alias Prince Rénine, he recalls some of his most thrilling escapades. With the help of his beautiful comrade Hortense, the Prince sets out to solve the mysterious disappearance and murder of several women. When Hortense goes missing, he fears for the worst, and must race against time in order to save her life. The Eight Strokes of the Clock is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s The Eight Strokes of the Clock is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Edgar Allan Poe Collection (2020) compiles several iconic works of short fiction and poetry by an icon of American literature. Recognized as a foundational figure of nineteenth century fiction, Poe has inspired generations of readers and writers with his craftsmanship and taste for tragedy and terror. His brief but meteoric career shaped the trajectory of American literature forever, forming a legacy without which science fiction, horror, and detective writing would surely be shells of themselves. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” a man receives a distressing letter from an old friend requesting his presence at his family estate. There, Roderick Usher and his twin sister Madeline are found suffering from an unknown illness, and the narrator struggles to comfort them as signs of paranormal activity lead him to believe that the house itself is a living entity. “The Masque of the Red Death” is a timely work of Gothic fiction set in the abbey of a powerful prince. As the world outside suffers from a deadly plague, the prince decides to hold a masquerade for his wealthy friends and fellow nobles, unwittingly bringing death to his own fortunate doorstep. In “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a French detective summons the powers of analytical reasoning to investigate the deaths of two young women. Included in this collection are some of Poe’s most iconic poems, including “A Dream Within a Dream,” “The Raven,” and “Ulalume,” all of which remain indelible classics of Romantic verse, masterpieces of mystery, beauty, and slow-burning fear. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Edgar Allan Poe Collection is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Confessions of Arsène Lupin (1913) is a collection of short stories by Maurice Leblanc. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time—Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. When Baron Repstein, a powerful businessman, has his fortune stolen by a faithless wife, Arsène Lupin casts doubt on his tale of betrayal. Securing a deathbed confession via code from the Baron’s closest associate, Lupin makes his way to Repstein’s home, where he introduces himself and proceeds to reveal the shocking truth. Other stories in the collection include “The wedding-ring,” “The red silk scarf,” and “A Tragedy in the Forest of Morgues.” The Confessions of Arsène Lupin contains tales of romance, mystery, and crime that continue to astound over a century after they were published. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s The Confessions of Arsène Lupin is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBaree is the curious and kind offspring of Kazan and Gray Wolf. Happy in their home, Baree spends his day going on small adventures, until one day he wanders off a little too far. Lost and unable to find his way back home, Baree is tragically separated from his family, and is forced to find his own refuge. Though he tries to find his own pack, Baree is quickly shunned. In search of a new community and home, Baree begins friendships with bears, beavers, and other animals until he meets his closest friend of all—a young girl named Nepeese. Welcomed into the home of she and her trapper father, Pierrot, Nepeese and Baree share an intense bond. However, when another accident occurs, Baree finds himself once again separated from his family, but this time, he will stop at nothing to reunite with Nepeese. Featuring themes of friendship and chosen family, James Oliver Curwood’s Baree, Son of Kazan is a touching adventure tale, full of emotion and action. Told through the lively narration of Baree, Baree, Son of Kazan depicts a thought-provoking perspective of human kind while also allowing readers to fully invest in the unique views of the young wolfdog. First published in 1917, this 20th century adventure novel has inspired two film adaptations, proving the strength of this timeless tale. This edition of Baree, Son of Kazan by James Oliver Curwood now features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition of Baree, Son of Kazan crafts an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences while restoring the original beauty of James Oliver Curwood’s literature.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEarl Lind’s 1918 autobiography has been recognized as a pioneering work in the history of transgender literature. Throughout his life, Lind was forced to justify and defend his existence from puritanical authorities. In the first of his trilogy of autobiographical works, he not only demands recognition, but exposes the denial of his existence as nothing but hatred and fear. “Androgynes have of course existed in all ages of history and among all races. In Greek and Latin authors there are many references to them, but these references are not always understood except by the few scholars who are themselves androgynes or at least passive sexual inverts. […] [T]hese men-women, because misunderstood, have been held in great abomination both in the middle ages and in modern times, but the prejudice against them was not so extreme in antiquity, and a cultured citizen having this nature did not then lose caste on this account.”Situating his own identity within this history of oppression, Lind makes the case for recognizing the presence of androgynes in all human societies. Ever since he was a child, Lind identified as feminine and was keenly aware of his homosexual desires, gaining a reputation among the local boys and soon turning to girls for friendship and understanding. In a world that saw androgynes as both corrupt and willfully different, Lind sought to increase understanding and to explain through scientific, historical, and personal evidence why his identity was congenital, and therefore natural.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Earl Lind’s Autobiography of an Androgyne is a classic work of transgender literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisArsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar (1907) is a collection of short stories by Maurice Leblanc. Originally published in Je sais tout, a popular French magazine, these stories launched Leblanc’s career as a leading international writer of crime fiction. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Arsène Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time—Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this debut installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. In this collection of early short stories, Lupin is sentenced to prison, makes a daring escape, cracks an impregnable safe, and makes the acquaintance of Sherlock Holmes, the legendary British detective. These nine tales are the perfect introduction to Leblanc’s legendary literary universe. Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisArsène Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes (1910) is a novel by Maurice Leblanc. Forced to change the name of his antagonist following a legal challenge by Holmes’ creator, Leblanc still manages to pull off one of the greatest fictional mashups of all time. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Arsène Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time—Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. In this novel, Lupin forces French authorities to bring in an investigator capable of put a stop to his escapades. Across the English Channel comes Herlock Sholmes, the legendary British detective, and his trusted assistant Wilson. Although they are of a different breed than their adversary, who remains focused and stoic throughout, Sholmes and Wilson, despite their humorous outlook, prove more than capable of catching the gentleman thief. Arsène Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisArsène Lupin (1909) is a novel by Maurice Leblanc. Originally a four-act play, the story was turned into a novel by Leblanc before being translated into English by Edgar Jepson. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Arsène Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time—Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this early installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. In this novel, he comes up with an elaborate plan to get his hands on the art and jewels of a notorious collector, a man whose taste for fine objects can only be satisfied through exploitation and greed. As though the risks involved were not high enough, Lupin leave clues for police every step of the way, heightening pressure on himself and embarrassing a nation’s incompetent leaders in the process. Arsène Lupin is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisContinuing the narrative from Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon, Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michael are ready to travel to the moon in All Around the Moon. The three men sit anxiously in their bullet-shaped projectile, ready for take-off. After the launch, their series of adventures and misadventures begin. Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michael must be quick and clever, as they brave an encounter with an asteroid, suffer accidental intoxication, deviate from their course, and face the consequences of miscalculation. Finally, they arrive at the moon. However, instead of landing on the moon like the group planned, their spaceship is stuck in the moon’s orbit. Still, Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michael are in awe. As they gaze upon the moon’s intricate features, memorizing its landscape and craters, the three men realize that they have the sole privilege of seeing the moon—an observation that no man or woman on Earth had yet achieved. But as they dream of the fame and luxurious treatment they are sure to gain back on Earth, another misstep threatens their trip again, and this time, the consequences could be fatal. Jules Verne’s All Around the Moon features well-explained and extraordinary details, creating an intimate and romantic fantasy. With the perfect ending to the narrative From the Earth to the Moon started, All Around the Moon is a thrilling tale filled with wonder, adventure, and a captivating plot. First published in 1865, All Around the Moon depicts an accomplishment that mankind wouldn’t achieve for another century. Verne portrays a mission that had yet to be dreamed off, fascinating his original readers with his originality, and continuing to delight contemporary audiences with his vivid imagination and quick wit. This edition of All Around the Moon by Jules Verne is printed in a modern, easy-to-read font and features a striking new cover design. With these accommodations, this edition of Verne’s All Around the Moon upgrades the presentation of Verne’s classic science fiction novel, and restores the prose to its original glory.

Read more less

Book Synopsis813 (1910) is a novel by Maurice Leblanc. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time—Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. In this novel, Lupin targets Mr. Kesselbach, a man known as the King of Diamonds whose immense fortune surpasses twenty-million-pound sterling. Finding him at the extravagant Palace Hotel, Lupin executes his plan brilliantly—but when Kesselbach is found murdered, the thief is implicated in the crime. Sent to prison, he is forced to cooperate with the police in order to catch the killer and clear his own name. The ensuing mystery involves some of Europe’s most powerful leaders, both past and present. 813 is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s 813 is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSusan Proudleigh (1915) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Susan Proudleigh, one of the first West Indian novels to feature a Black protagonist, de Lisser captures the hope and struggle of a young woman leaving home for the first time. “She carried herself with an air of social superiority which was gall and wormwood to the envious; and often on walking through the lane she had noticed the contemptuous looks of those whom, with greater contempt, she called the common folks and treated with but half-concealed disdain. On the whole, she had rather enjoyed the hostility of these people, for it was in its way a tribute to her own importance.” Raised in a time of modernization in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, Susan Proudleigh is a young Black woman who dreams of improving her life. Perceived as a social climber, she becomes the target of disdain and cruelty from members of her community, especially other women. As she narrows her sights on a young man named Tom, whom she does not love but admires, and as Kingston suffers from a loss of economic vitality, Susan must choose whether to stay with her family or to move with Tom to Panama, where construction jobs abound. Susan Proudleigh is a realist portrait of twentieth century life in the Caribbean, a story of romance and ambition that examines the religious and social traditions of Jamaica in a period of massive cultural change. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Susan Proudleigh is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRevenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica (1919) is a novel by H. G. de Lisser. Born and raised in Jamaica, H. G. de Lisser was one of the leading Caribbean writers of the early twentieth century. Concerned with issues of race, urban life, and modernization, de Lisser dedicated his career to representing the lives and concerns of poor and middle-class Jamaicans. In Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica, de Lisser portrays the deadly Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, a protest by poor black laborers unsatisfied with the economic and political establishment and the widespread lack of opportunity for freedmen in Jamaica. In response to a period of scarcity brought on by drought and disease, as well as to acts of police brutality against peaceful protestors, a group of several hundred Jamaicans led by Paul Bogle took to the streets in an effort to fight for their rights. In de Lisser’s fictionalized version of events, he explores the experiences of white and black Jamaicans in the days leading up to the violence. As signs of unrest grow impossible to ignore, those in power prove more than willing to reject the pleas of the oppressed, writing their anger off as nothing more than a passing phase. Seated on their veranda overlooking the mountains of the Jamaican countryside, the Carlton family observes a series of fires growing in the nearby hills. While the women see them as a sign of violence to come, the men seem entirely unphased by the threat of an uprising. In response to his mother’s fears, Dick Carlton attempts to calm her: “‘Our people are just now passing through one of their periodical fits of depression, and you will probably hear them expressing fears of negro uprisings and all that sort of thing […] and you may be frightened. Don’t allow yourself to be. The danger is purely imaginary.’” As night falls with no end to the fires, however, and as the songs and cries of the oppressed grow closer, his sense of security will prove a foolish thing indeed. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. G. de Lisser’s Revenge: A Tale of Old Jamaica is a classic of Jamaican literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne Brown Girl and ¼ (1909) is a novel by Thomas MacDermot. Published under his pseudonym Tom Redcam by the All Jamaica Library, One Brown Girl and ¼ is a tragic story of race and class set in Jamaica. Understated and ironic, the novel critiques the social conditions of Jamaica under British colonialism. Through the character of Liberta Passley, a wealthy woman of mixed racial heritage, MacDermot sheds light on the disparities between the island’s black and white communities, crafting a story now recognized as essential to modern Caribbean literature. “‘I?’ said Liberta Passley, ‘am the most unhappy woman in Kingston.’ She was not speaking aloud, but was silently building up with unspoken words a tabernacle for her thoughts. She considered now the very positive assertion in which she had housed this thought, went again through its very brief and enigmatic terms, and then deliberately added the further words: ‘and in Jamaica.’” Despite her beauty, wealth, education, and social standing, Liberta Passley is unable to feel satisfied. Raised as the only surviving daughter of a wealthy Englishman and his formerly-enslaved wife, Liberta feels she must ignore her mother’s side of the family as a means of rejecting her African roots. Manipulating her father, she arranges for her Aunt Henrietta, her mother’s only surviving sister and their loyal housekeeper, to be fired and thrown out. Thinking she is making a decision for her own good, she unwittingly welcomes disaster into her life. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Thomas MacDermot’s One Brown Girl and ¼ is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose (2021) is a selection of the literary works of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Dunbar Nelson. With such collections Oak and Ivy (1892) and Majors and Minors (1896), Paul Laurence Dunbar earned a reputation as an artist with a powerful vision of faith and perseverance who sought to capture and examine the diversity of the African American experience. In her poems, plays, and stories, Alice Dunbar Nelson explores themes of class, prejudice, faith, and romance while paying particular attention to the phenomenon of racial passing. Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose includes dozen of their individual literary works in a compact, carefully curated volume. Throughout his oeuvre, Dunbar explores the role of the poet in society, grounding each poem within his identity as a Black man in America. In “Frederick Douglass,” an elegy written for the occasion of the great man’s passing, Dunbar makes clear the consequences of pride and defiance in a nation built by slaves: “He dared the lightning in the lightning’s track, / And answered thunder with his thunder back.” In “The Place Where the Rainbow Ends,” Dunbar, perhaps reflecting on his proximity to death, provides a simple song with a cautionary, utopian vision of hope and happiness: “Oh, many have sought it, / And all would have bought it, / With the blood we so recklessly spend; / But none has uncovered, / The gold, nor discovered / The spot at the rainbow’s end.” Meditative and bittersweet, Dunbar rejects wealth and power as a means of achieving fulfillment, looking instead to establish an inner peace for himself that he might “find without motion, / The place where the rainbow ends,” a place “[w]here care shall be quiet, / And love shall run riot, / And [he] shall find wealth in [his] friends.” Whether a vision of heaven or of the possibility of peace on earth, this poem finds echoes across Dunbar’s penultimate volume. Nearing death at such a young age, he prepares himself to lose the life he had fought so hard to achieve, a life devoted to reaching the hearts and minds of others. Mine Eyes Have Seen (1918) is a one-act play by Alice Dunbar Nelson. Published in The Crisis, the influential journal of the NAACP, Mine Eyes Have Seen is a brutal portrait of race and identity in twentieth century America. Exploring themes of violence, faith, patriotism, and economic struggle, Dunbar Nelson crafts a poignant and unforgettable work of fiction. In the short story “The Goodness of St. Rocque,” Manuela is a popular young woman of status in New Orleans’ thriving Creole community. Like many women her age, she hopes to marry a handsome and successful man. Setting her sights on Theophile, she prepares to be courted in the traditional manner of her people. When rumor gets out that he has been spending time with Claralie, a beautiful blonde, Manuela is forced to seek supernatural assistance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer (1913) is a novel by Oscar Micheaux. Before he became the first Black movie mogul in American history, Micheaux was a homesteader-turned novelist whose passion for storytelling and business acumen were born from a youth of hard work and struggle. The son of a former slave, Micheaux dedicated his life to countering the dominant narratives of American history while inspiring and empowering Black people around the world. “The heavy rains washed the loam from the hills and deposited it on these bottoms. Years ago, when the rolling lands were cleared, and before the excessive rainfall had washed away the loose surface, the highlands were considered most valuable for agricultural purposes, equally as valuable as the bottoms now are.” A Black homesteader named Oscar Devereaux reflects on a life of perseverance. Raised alongside twelve siblings in rural Illinois, he leaves home and family behind to seek a life of fortune and independence. Never one to set limits, Devereaux discovers that no dream is beyond his reach. Dedicated to educator and orator Booker T. Washington, The Conquest was described by its author as the “true story of a negro who was discontented and [of] the circumstances that were the outcome of that discontent.” With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Oscar Micheaux’s The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPeter and Alexis (1904) is a novel by Dmitriy Merezhkovsky. Having turned from his work in poetry to a new, spiritually charged interest in fiction, Merezhkovsky sought to develop his theory of the Third Testament, an apocalyptic vision of Christianity’s fulfillment in twentieth century humanity. Peter and Alexis, the final work in the trilogy, is preceded by The Death of the Gods (1895) and Resurrection of the Gods (1900). Well received internationally, The Christ and Antichrist Trilogy was largely ignored by Russian critics at the time of its publication, but has since been recognized as his most original and vital literary work. “‘Antichrist is coming. He, the last of devils, has not yet come himself; but the world is teeming with his progeny. The children are preparing the way for their father. They twist everything to suit the designs of Antichrist. He will appear in his own due time, when everywhere all is prepared and the way smoothed. He is already at the door. Soon will he enter!’” In Peter and Alexis, Merezhkovsky moves his groundbreaking vision of spiritual progress and the historical development of humanity to the world of the Russian Empire. The novel portrays Peter the Great’s conflict with his son, the Tsarevich Alexei, as the inevitable confrontation between Antichrist and Christ for the soul of humanity. Rejecting the historical view of Peter as a powerful and honorable leader, Merezhkovsky suggests that he was a tyrant whose desire for progress and control came at the cost of countless lives. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Dmitriy Merezhkovsky’s Peter and Alexis is a classic of Russian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisInspired by the author’s experience living among Chinese Americans in the United States, The Collected Writings of Sui Sin Far highlights stories of prejudice, perseverance, and the soul of a proud and vibrant community.Characterized by her wisdom and cross-cultural knowledge, Mrs. Spring Fragrance is one of Sui Sin Far’s most beloved characters and can be found throughout the collection of stories.“In the Land of the Free” is a powerful story inside this collection on a Chinese immigrant who is separated from her young son due to insufficient paperwork. Exploring the struggles of this woman to reclaim her son, discrimination and hardships faced by Chinese Americans due to the Chinese Exclusion Act are exposed, illuminating the restrictive immigration policies which continue in modern America.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this Mint Editions version of The Collected Writings of Sui Sin Far is a classic of Chinese American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Guermantes Way (1920/21) is the third volume of Marcel Proust’s seven-part novel In Search of Lost Time. Written while Proust was virtually confined to his bedroom from a lifelong respiratory illness, The Guermantes Way is a story of memory, history, family, and romance from a master of Modernist literature. Praised by Virginia Woolf, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael Chabon, and Graham Greene, In Search of Lost Time explores the nature of memory and time while illuminating the history of homosexuality in nineteenth century Europe. The narrator moves to an apartment neighboring the home of the aristocratic Guermantes family. He soon grows obsessed with the beautiful Mme. de Guermantes, who refuses his invitation to meet. Disappointed, he rekindles his friendship with her nephew Saint-Loup, a soldier who introduces him to the salon of Mme. de Villeparisis. There, he observes Mme. de Guermantes up close, but soon loses interest as he attempts to pursue Mme. de Stermaria. Only then, as his attention wavers, does he receive an invite to the Guermantes home. As he grows and learns, he begins to recognize the reality concealed by convention: the secret liaisons between lovers; the petty competitions of artists; the fleeting nature of affection and lust alike. Written in flowing prose, The Guermantes Way is a masterpiece of twentieth century fiction that continues to entertain and astound over a century after it appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Marcel Proust’s The Guermantes Way is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Masque of Poets (1878) is a poetry collection edited by George Parsons Lathrop. Part of Boston-based publisher Roberts Brothers’ “No Name” series, A Masque of Poets presents the works of little-known writers—including Emily Dickinson—alongside such recognized masters as Christina Rossetti and James Russell Lowell, leaving each poem anonymous to allow the reader to experience the work without thought of reputation. “Sing! Sing of what? The world is full of song; / And all the singing seems but echoed notes / Of the great masters…” Beginning with this playful introductory poem, A Masque of Poets attempts to demystify poetry by removing poets from the equation altogether. Understanding the pressures inherent to making art, especially the kind of art with such a long and storied history as poetry, this collection foregoes reputation and tradition by allowing the poems to speak for themselves, to appear anonymously so that the reader might make a clear judgment regarding each poem’s meaning and quality. Far from mere publishing gimmick, A Masque of Poets is a highly original, challenging, and rewarding collection of poems that happens to include works from some of the nineteenth century’s finest poets. By forcing the reader to trust their interpretive abilities, A Masque of Poets reinvigorates a craft whose worth was never the names of its practitioners, but the words they could produce. “Success,” the final poem before the concluding “novelette in verse” Guy Vernon, just so happens to be one of the only poems published by Emily Dickinson in her lifetime. For its importance to Dickinson scholars, as well as for its genuine originality, A Masque of Poets remains an essential contribution to the history of American literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of A Masque of Poets is a classic work of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Dragon in Shallow Waters (1921) is a novel by Vita Sackville-West. While she is most widely recognized as the lover of English novelist Virginia Woolf, Sackville-West was a popular and gifted poet, playwright, and novelist in her own right. A prominent lesbian and bohemian figure, Sackville-West was also the daughter of an English Baron, granting her a unique and often divided perspective on life in the twentieth century. The Dragon in Shallow Waters, her second novel, is a tale of family, jealousy, and murder. “Outside the windows three chimneys reared their heads side by side, emitting three parallel streams of smoke, gigantic black plumes that floated horizontally away over the flooded country, and that at night were flecked with red sparks as they flowed out from the red glare at their base.” At the edge of the moors, a harsh and bleak environment, a flaming, smoking factory churns out perfumes and soaps for the people of England. Brothers Silas and Gregory Dene live together in a cottage not far from the hulking expanse of the factory, and like most of their neighbors depend on the site for their livelihoods. Consumed with jealousy, Silas—a blind man—has already murdered his wife, and as the story unfolds seems more than willing to kill again. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Vita Sackville-West’s The Dragon in Shallow Waters is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisResurrection of the Gods (1900) is a novel by Dmitriy Merezhkovsky. Having turned from his work in poetry to a new, spiritually charged interest in fiction, Merezhkovsky sought to develop his theory of the Third Testament, an apocalyptic vision of Christianity’s fulfillment in twentieth century humanity. Resurrection of the Gods, the second work in the trilogy, is preceded by The Death of the Gods (1895) and followed by Peter and Alexis (1904). Well received internationally, The Christ and Antichrist Trilogy was largely ignored by Russian critics at the time of its publication, but has since been recognized as his most original and vital literary work. “This personage was already inspecting the Venus, with a cold, imperturbable composure, so different from Giovanni's personal agitation, that the lad could not but be struck with astonishment. He continued to gaze at the statue, but his consciousness now was entirely for the man by his side.” In Resurrection of the Gods, Merezhkovsky moves his groundbreaking vision of spiritual progress and the historical development of humanity to the world of the Italian Renaissance. The novel captures a pivotal moment in the life of Leonardo da Vinci: invited as an expert to appraise a recently rediscovered statue of Venus, the artist embarks down a path of self-discovery whereby the humanist ideals of the ancient world will reinvigorate his faith in art. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Dmitriy Merezhkovsky’s Resurrection of the Gods is a classic of Russian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSaragossa: A Story of Spanish Valor (1899) is a novel by Benito Pérez Galdós. Published at the height of Pérez Galdós’ career, Saragossa: A Story of Spanish Valor is the sixth in of 46 historical novels in the author’s monumental, career spanning series of National Episodes. Set during the bloody naval battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Pérez Galdós’ novel is a story of heroism, growth, and adventure that manages to find humanity in history. “It was, I believe, the evening of the eighteenth when we saw Saragossa in the distance. As we entered by the Puerta de Sancho we heard the clock in the Torre Nueva strike ten. We were in an extremely pitiful condition as to food and clothing. The long journey we had made […], climbing mountains, fording rivers, making short cuts until we arrived at the high road of Gallur and Alagon, had left us quite used up, worn out, and ill with fatigue.” Having survived the disastrous defeat of the Spanish Armada at Trafalgar by the British Royal Navy, Gabriel de Araceli makes his way to Saragossa. There, he must fight for his life and the future of his nation as the army of Napoleon Bonaparte lays siege to the city. Painstakingly researched by its author, Saragossa: A Story of Spanish Valor is a detailed fictional retelling of one history’s most iconic conflicts. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Benito Pérez Galdós’s Saragossa: A Story of Spanish Valor is a classic of Spanish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrafalgar (1873) is a novel by Benito Pérez Galdós. Published toward the beginning of Pérez Galdós’ career, Trafalgar is the first in of 46 historical novels in the author’s monumental, career spanning series of National Episodes. Set during the bloody naval battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Pérez Galdós’ novel is a story of heroism, growth, and adventure that manages to find humanity in history. “Always eager to mimic the greater world around us, we boys too had our squadrons of little ships, roughly hewn in wood, with sails of paper or of rag, which we navigated with the greatest deliberation and gravity in the pools of Puntales or La Caleta.” At fourteen, the young orphan Gabriel de Araceli gets the chance to leave boyhood games behind when his master, a retired naval officer, receives a letter requesting his return to service. Together, Gabriel and Don Alonso set out to join a Spanish Armada preparing to enter into battle with the British Royal Navy. Painstakingly researched by its author, Trafalgar is a detailed fictional retelling of one history’s most iconic conflicts. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Benito Pérez Galdós’s Trafalgar is a classic of Spanish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrilby (1894) is a novel by George du Maurier. Originally serialized in Harper’s Monthly the novel went on to become an international bestseller, attracting controversy and interest for its depiction of bohemian life in 19th century Paris. Although Trilby has been criticized by such readers as George Orwell for its anti-Semitic depiction of Svengali, the novel has been adapted countless times for theater and film, including a 1931 motion picture starring John Barrymore and a 1983 television movie starring Jodie Foster and Peter O’Toole. Three English art students enjoy a bohemian lifestyle in Paris. Drawn into the coterie of musicians Svengali and Gecko, they observe with humor the efforts of Trilby, a young Irishwoman, to become a professional singer. Despite her beauty and captivating stage presence, she proves completely tone-deaf, all-but ensuring a life of drudgery as a laundress and artist’s model. Following the tragic loss of her younger brother, Trilby turns to Svengali for guidance. Using hypnosis, the musician turns Trilby into a gifted singer, sending her into a trance every time she steps on stage. Some years later, one of the Englishman recognizes Trilby at a concert and begins to grow concerned at her gaunt appearance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of George du Maurier’s Trilby is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Italian (1797) is a novel by Ann Radcliffe. Radcliffe’s final novel is a tragic story of romance and mystery set in Naples during the brutal years of the Holy Inquisition. Published in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the novel investigates the issues of religion and class that had inspired the Republican cause, changing Europe and the world forever. Considered an essential work of Gothic fiction, The Italian is an early example of her prowess as a leading novelist of suspense and the supernatural. A young Englishman meets a friar while touring Naples. At the church of Santa Maria del Pianto, he notices a shadowy stranger sitting near the confessional. When the friar informs him that the man is an assassin, his friend, an Italian, offers to send him the narrative containing the man’s shocking confession. Back at his hotel room, he reads a story beginning in 1758 at the church of San Lorenzo, where a young nobleman falls in love with a beautiful orphan named Ellena. When Vicentio informs his mother, the Marchesa, of his desire to marry the girl, she conspires with the wicked Father Schedoni to change her son’s mind. Soon, Ellena disappears, sending Vicentio di Vivaldi on a quest to save her life. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789) is a novel by Ann Radcliffe. Published anonymously, Radcliffe’s debut novel is a tragic story of love and murder set in the sublime landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Considered an essential work of Gothic fiction, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is an early example of her prowess as a leading novelist of suspense and the supernatural. “This pile was venerable from its antiquity, and from its Gothic structure; but more venerable from the virtues which it enclosed. It was the residence of the still beautiful widow, and the children of the noble Earl of Athlin, who was slain by the hand of Malcolm, a neighbouring chief, proud, oppressive, revengeful; and still residing in all the pomp of feudal greatness, within a few miles of the castle of Athlin.” Raised in isolation in the high Castle of Athlin, Osbert and Mary have never known the rituals inherent to public life. As heirs to a once-mighty clan, they are haunted by the weight of their dead father’s legacy, shattered by his murderer Malcolm of Dunbayne. As sadness turns to rage, Osbert swears an oath to avenge his father, wandering off into the deep wilderness of the Highlands in search of men to aid him in his quest. Together with his clansmen and the peasant Alleyn, he launches an assault on Malcolm’s castle, risking everything to reclaim his honor. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Ann Radcliffe’s The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Sicilian Romance (1790) is a novel by Ann Radcliffe. Published anonymously, Radcliffe’s second novel is a tragic story of love and murder set in the sublime landscape of the Sicilian coast. Considered an essential work of Gothic fiction, A Sicilian Romance is an early example of her prowess as a leading novelist of suspense and the supernatural. “As I walked over the loose fragments of stone, […] I recurred, by a natural association of ideas, to the times when these walls stood proudly in their original splendour, when the halls were the scenes of hospitality and festive magnificence, and when they resounded with the voices of those whom death had long since swept from the earth.” A young tourist wanders through the ruins of an ancient castle. A local friar approaches and, noticing the foreigner’s curiosity, reveals to him the story of the Mazzini family, whose misfortune it was to possess wealth and power at the expense of morality. Possessive and cruel, the Marquis Mazzini seeks to control his daughters’ lives by forcing them to marry the men of his choosing. When Julia falls in love with an Italian count, he commands her to take the hand of the Duke de Luovo. Although she assents, Julia secretly plans to flee the castle with her lover, setting in motion a tale of terror and betrayal. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Ann Radcliffe’s A Sicilian Romance is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGhetto Comedies (1907) is a collection of stories by Israel Zangwill. Raised in London by parents from Latvia and Poland, Zangwill understood the plight of the city’s Jewish community firsthand. Having risen through poverty to become an educator and author, he dedicated his career to the voiceless, the oppressed, and the needy, advocating for their rights and bearing witness to their suffering in some of the most powerful novels and stories of the Victorian era. “People who have been living in a Ghetto for a couple of centuries, are not able to step outside merely because the gates are thrown down, nor to efface the brands on their souls by putting off the yellow badges. The isolation imposed from without will have come to seem the law of their being.” As a Jewish immigrant who grew up in poverty in London, Israel Zangwill knows that the condition of life in the ghetto changes not just lives, but mentalities. In the fifth and final installment of his Ghetto series, Zangwill imagines the lives of everyday Jewish people. A German painter searches for a Jewish model for his painting of Jesus Christ; Solomon Cohen, or S. Cohn, rises to prominence as a Town Councillor in Sudminster while suppressing his Jewish heritage; Bloomah Beckenstein, a young Jewish girl, is blamed for spreading smallpox at her school in London. These are the lives that take shape in the author’s skillful hands, people whose experiences with love, loss, doubt, and faith are not so different from our own. The tales of Jewish life in Ghetto Comedies earned Zangwill comparisons to Dickens upon publication and helped to establish him as an author with a gift for intensive character study and a passion for political themes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Israel Zangwill’s Ghetto Comedies is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGhetto Tragedies (1899) is a collection of stories by Israel Zangwill. Raised in London by parents from Latvia and Poland, Zangwill understood the plight of the city’s Jewish community firsthand. Having risen through poverty to become an educator and author, he dedicated his career to the voiceless, the oppressed, and the needy, advocating for their rights and bearing witness to their suffering in some of the most powerful novels and stories of the Victorian era. “People who have been living in a Ghetto for a couple of centuries, are not able to step outside merely because the gates are thrown down, nor to efface the brands on their souls by putting off the yellow badges. The isolation imposed from without will have come to seem the law of their being.” As a Jewish immigrant who grew up in poverty in London, Israel Zangwill knows that the condition of life in the ghetto changes not just lives, but mentalities. In the fourth installment of his Ghetto series, Zangwill imagines the lives of everyday Jewish people. Zillah and Jossel, successful boot makers; Daniel Peyser, a father of seven daughters; Isaac Levinsky, the son of a pious Rabbi. These are the lives so lovingly shaped in the author’s skillful hands, people whose experiences with love, loss, doubt, and faith are not so different from our own. The tales of Jewish life in Ghetto Tragedies earned Zangwill comparisons to Dickens upon publication and helped to establish him as an author with a gift for intensive character study and a passion for political themes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Israel Zangwill’s Ghetto Tragedies is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDreamers of the Ghetto (1892) is a collection of stories by Israel Zangwill. Raised in London by parents from Latvia and Poland, Zangwill understood the plight of the city’s Jewish community firsthand. Having risen through poverty to become an educator and author, he dedicated his career to the voiceless, the oppressed, and the needy, advocating for their rights and bearing witness to their suffering in some of the most powerful novels and stories of the Victorian era. “This is a Chronicle of Dreamers, who have arisen in the Ghetto from its establishment in the sixteenth century to its slow breaking-up in our own day. Some have become historic in Jewry, others have penetrated to the ken of the greater world and afforded models to illustrious artists in letters…” As a Jewish immigrant who grew up in poverty in London, Israel Zangwill knows that the condition of life in the ghetto changes not just lives, but mentalities. In the third installment of his Ghetto series, Zangwill imagines the lives of such historical Jewish figures as Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza, German poet Heinrich Heine, and Prussian lawyer and political activist Ferdinand Lasalle. The tales of Jewish life in Dreamers of the Ghetto earned Zangwill comparisons to Dickens upon publication, and helped to establish him as an author with a gift for intensive character study and a passion for political themes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Israel Zangwill’s Dreamers of the Ghetto is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGrandchildren of the Ghetto (1892) is a novel by Israel Zangwill. Raised in London by parents from Latvia and Poland, Zangwill understood the plight of the city’s Jewish community firsthand. Having risen through poverty to become an educator and author, he dedicated his career to the voiceless, the oppressed, and the needy, advocating for their rights and bearing witness to their suffering in some of the most powerful novels and stories of the Victorian era. “People who have been living in a Ghetto for a couple of centuries, are not able to step outside merely because the gates are thrown down, nor to efface the brands on their souls by putting off the yellow badges. The isolation imposed from without will have come to seem the law of their being.” As a Jewish immigrant who grew up in poverty in London, Israel Zangwill knows that the condition of life in the ghetto changes not just lives, but mentalities. Even if the Jews living in squalor on the East End of London were given the same rights as native Britons, they would still live with fear and doubt every day of their lives. In the second novel of his Ghetto series, Zangwill explores the day-to-day existence of these very people, illuminating their hopes and their dreams, illustrating their struggle to uphold traditions threatened by assimilation and the increasing secularism of modern life. A new generation experiences wealth and comfort beyond the wildest dreams of those who came before them. But what will they do with their newfound privilege? The tales of Jewish life in Grandchildren of the Ghetto earned Zangwill comparisons to Dickens upon publication and helped to establish him as an author with a gift for intensive character study and a passion for political themes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Israel Zangwill’s Grandchildren of the Ghetto is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Read more less