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The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen CraneThe Red Badge of Courage was published in 1895, when its author, an impoverished writer living a bohemian life in New York, was only twenty-three. It immediately became a bestseller, and Stephen Crane became famous. Crane set out to create "a psychological portrayal of fear." Henry Fleming, a Union Army volunteer in the Civil War, thinks "that perhaps in a battle he might run....As far as war was concerned he knew nothing of himself." And he does run in his first battle, full of fear and then remorse. He encounters a grotesquely rotting corpse propped against a tree, and a column of wounded men, one of whom is a friend who dies horribly in front of him. Fleming receives his own "red badge" when a fellow soldier hits him in the head with a gun. "The idea of falling like heroes on ceremonial battlefields," Ford Madox Ford remarked later, "was gone forever." Shelby Foote, author of The Civil The Modern Library has played a significant role in American cultural life for the better part of a century. The series was founded in 1917 by the publishers Boni and Liveright and eight years later acquired by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer. It provided the foundation for their next publishing venture, Random House. The Modern Library has been a staple of the American book trade, providing readers with afford-able hardbound editions of impor-tant works of literature and thought. For the Modern Library's seventy-fifth anniversary, Random House redesigned the series, restoringas its emblem the running torch-bearer created by Lucian Bernhard in 1925 and refurbishing jackets, bindings, and type, as well as inau-gurating a new program of selecting titles. The Modern Library continues to provide the world's best books, at the best prices.From the Hardcover edition.
Three Soldiers
by Dos Passos JohnThis grimly realistic depiction of army life follows a trio of idealists as they contend with the regimentation, violence, and boredom of military service. Fuselli, a San Francisco store clerk, embraces conformity in the hopes of a promotion. Chrisfield, an Indiana farm boy, and Andrews, a gifted musician, are repelled by the army's mind-numbing routines and battlefield horrors. Incited past the point of endurance, the soldiers respond with rancor and murderous rage. This powerful exploration of warfare's dehumanizing effects remains chillingly contemporary. Unabridged republication of the classic 1921 edition.
The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance (The Heinle Reading Library: Illustrated Classics Collection Level A)
by H. G. WellsA brilliant scientist&’s experiment leads him into a life of crime in this classic tale—the inspiration for the suspenseful film starring Elisabeth Moss. On a frigid night in a remote English village, a visitor inquires about a room. The innkeeper welcomes him, filling the hearth with a roaring fire, but no matter how warm the room becomes, the traveler will not remove his coat or the scarf that hides his face. If he did, he would disappear. The invisible man is Griffin, a brilliant scientist who tested a new invention on himself and found that it worked far too well. When his lab was destroyed in a fire, Griffin was forced out onto the streets of London, where he turned to theft to survive. He came to the English countryside in a last-ditch attempt to return himself to normal, but he will soon be driven back into the night—and to the very edge of madness—in this original science fiction novel that inspired the psychological horror film starring Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. This ebook edition has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Awakening: Spotlight Edition (Classic Bks.)
by Kate ChopinKate Chopin&’s groundbreaking novel of early feminism set against the evocative backdrop of turn-of-the-century New OrleansEdna Pontellier is trapped. By her marriage, by her responsibilities to two young sons, by the expectations of Creole society. When she falls in love with the charming and flirtatious Robert Lebrun during a summer on the Louisiana coast, Edna awakens to a new sense of herself, and to the possibility of true independence. Mademoiselle Reisz, a locally renowned musician, offers one example of the self-sufficient, artistic existence Edna might lead. An affair with the notorious womanizer Alcée Arobin warns of the passion and danger inherent in living outside the boundaries of convention. Torn between the life that was handed to her and the one she wants to live, Edna makes a shocking decision.Overwhelmingly criticized in its day for its frank depictions of female sexuality, marriage, and a woman&’s desire for independence, The Awakening is now celebrated as one of the earliest—and most revolutionary—feminist novels in American literature.
Tree of Freedom
by Rebecca CaudillA Newbery Honor Book: During the Revolutionary War, a courageous pioneer girl fights for freedom When thirteen-year-old Stephanie Venable moves with her family from North Carolina to a four-hundred-acre homestead in Kentucky, she knows they're in for a great adventure. The family sells whatever belongings they can't fit in their covered wagon, and begin the long journey west. But Stephanie has brought something special with her, an apple seed from their tree back home, just as her grandmother did when she moved from France to America. In Kentucky, the Venables must fell trees, build a cabin, and prepare the land for crops. Being a pioneer is a lot of work, but it's also very exciting: Stephanie and her family must grow, catch, or hunt everything they need to eat and survive. With the Revolutionary War also moving west, the family faces threats from British sympathizers and American rebels. Will freedom take root in America, like Stephanie's young apple tree, or will the Venable family succumb to the hardships of frontier life?
In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March TappanThis early work by Eva March Tappan was originally published in 1903 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'In the Days of Queen Victoria' is a biography of Queen Victoria and details aspects of her school days, her coronation, and her family life. Eva March Tappan was born on 26th December 1854, in Blackstone, Massachusetts, United States. Tappan began her literary career writing about famous characters from history in works such as 'In the Days of William the Conqueror' (1901), and 'In the Days of Queen Elizabeth' (1902). She then developed an interest in children's books, writing her own and publishing collections of classic tales.
The Call of the Wild: Classic Novel Posters (The\call Of The Wild, White Fang Ser. #Vol. 1)
by Jack LondonJack London's finest achievement: the tale of a dog's heroic adventures in the frozen YukonAn instant classic when it was first published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is at once a thrilling frontier adventure and a uniquely American ode to the power of nature. The story begins at the dawn of the Klondike Gold Rush, when capable sled dogs are in high demand. Half St. Bernard and half sheep dog, Buck is stolen from an estate in California's idyllic Santa Clara Valley and shipped north. Beset by the harsh conditions of the Yukon, the recklessness of his owners, and the ruthlessness of the other dogs, Buck must learn to recover his primitive instincts in order to survive. But when he forms a special bond with a prospector named John Thornton, Buck is torn between two worlds: that of his human companion and that of the relentless, beckoning wilderness. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (Classics With Ruskin Ser. #Vol. 4)
by Lafcadio HearnA classic book of ghost stories from one of the world&’s leading nineteenth-century writers, the author of In Ghostly Japan and Japanese Fairy Tales. Published just months before Lafcadio Hearn&’s death in 1904, Kwaidan features several stories and a brief nonfiction study on insects: butterflies, mosquitoes, and ants. The tales included are reworkings of both written and oral Japanese traditions, including folk tales, legends, and superstitions. &“At age thirty-nine, Hearn travelled on a magazine assignment to Japan, and never came back. At a moment when that country, under Emperor Meiji, was weathering the shock and upheaval of forced economic modernization, Hearn fell deeply in love with the nation&’s past. He wrote fourteen books on all manner of Japanese subjects but was especially infatuated with the customs and culture preserved in Japanese folktales—particularly the ghost-story genre known as kaidan. . . . He died in 1904, and, by the time his &‘Japanese tales&’ were translated into Japanese, in the nineteen-twenties, the country&’s transformation was so complete that Hearn was hailed as a kind of guardian of tradition; his kaidan collections are still part of the curriculum in many Japanese schools.&” —The New Yorker
Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. MontgomeryAnne Shirley is, Mark Twain observed, "the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice," and like the elderly Cuthberts who had hoped to adopt a boy instead of the spunky red-headed orphan, generations of readers have grown to love the impetuous Anne.Canada's best known and most beloved novel is available in the definitive text of Montgomery's 1908 classic, an enchanting and timeless story of real lives and real loves.
The Circular Staircase (The Miss Cornelia Van Gorder Mysteries #2)
by Mary Roberts RinehartThe first novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart, America&’s queen of crimeThis is the story of how a middle-aged spinster lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep our newspapers and detective agencies happy and prosperous. So says Rachel Innes, the spinster in question and one of the most remarkable heroines in American crime fiction. With the irresistible encouragement of her niece Gertrude and nephew Halsey, whom she raised after her brother&’s death, Rachel ignores her better judgment and rents Sunnyside, a sprawling Elizabethan mansion owned by a bank president, for the summer. The first night passes peacefully. In the morning, the entire staff quits. Late the third night, a sinister figure lurks outside the patio window and Rachel hears a heavy crash on the circular staircase at the east end of the house. The fourth night brings a dead body. From there, things only get worse. The dead man turns out to be Arnold Armstrong, ne&’er-do-well son of the owner of Sunnyside. Aunt Rachel has never seen him before, but Gertrude and Halsey knew him all too well. When the investigating detective directs his attention to her niece and nephew, Aunt Rachel decides to solve the murder herself—and walks straight into a web of deceit and treachery so intricate she might never find her way out. This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Anne of Avonlea
by L. M. MontgomeryOne can't get over the habit of being a little girl all at once. The charming sequel to Anne of Green Gables. You might think I'd have grown out of getting myself into scrapes now that I'm half past sixteen. But between being vexed by my freckles, taunted by a brazen Jersey cow and kept on my toes by the new twins, Dora and Davy, life at Green Gables is just as eventful as ever. I do try to be a little more grown-up now that I'm a school teacher. The other day I asked the class, 'If you had three candies in one hand and two in the other, how many would you have altogether?' One of my pupil's piped up, 'A mouthful.' Could you have kept a straight face?!
Death in Venice: And Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions Ser.)
by Thomas MannThe Nobel Prize–winning author&’s masterful novella of eros and obsession, presented alongside other short works of lyrical beauty and psychological depth.In Thomas Mann&’s immortal novella A Death in Venice, renowned author Gustave Aschenbach faces both middle age and a severe case of writer&’s block. He resolves to go on holiday in search of inspiration, only to find himself awestruck by the classical beauty of a fourteen-year-old boy. Submitting to his obsession with the youth, Gustave slowly loses himself, his dignity, and finally his life. This volume includes six short works by Mann, including &“Little Herr Friedmann,&” &“Gladius Dei,&” Tristan,&” and &“Tonio Kroger,&” among others.
The Lost World (Xist Classics Ser.)
by Arthur Conan Doyle Bryan Hitch'Suddenly out of the darkness, out of the night, there swooped something with a swish like an aeroplane. The whole group of us were covered for an instant by a canopy of leathery wings, and I had a momentary vision of a long, snake-like neck, a fierce, red, greedy eye, and a great snapping beak, filled, to my amazement, with little, gleaming teeth.'Desperate for adventure, journalist Ed Malone joins a scientific expedition to the South American jungle led by the larger than life figure of Professor Challenger. But you should be careful what you wish for. After climbing to the summit of a mysterious plateau in the Amazon rainforest the explorers find themselves trapped in a world lost in time, inhabited by carnivorous dinosaurs, giant fish-lizards and murderous ape-men.Arthur Conan Doyle's thrilling tale of adventure and crypto-zoology became a template for an industry of creature features that came in its wake.
Tarzan of the Apes (TARZAN)
by Edgar Rice BurroughsDeep in the savage African jungle, the baby Tarzan was raised by a fierce she-ape of the tribe of Kerchak. There he had to learn the secrets of the wild to survive - how to talk with animals, swing through the trees, and fight against the great predators. He grew to the strength and courage of his fellow apes. And in time, his human intelligence promised him the kingship of the tribe. He became truly Lord of the Jungle. Then men entered his jungle, bringing with them the wanton savagery of civilised greed and lust - and bringing also the first white woman Tarzan had ever seen. Now suddenly, Tarzan had to choose between two worlds. (First published 1912)
Tarzan of the Apes: Tarzan Of The Apes, The Return Of Tarzan, The Beasts Of Tarzan, The Son Of Tarzan, Tarzan And The Jewels Of Opar, Jungle Tales Of Tarzan, Tarzan The Untamed, Tarzan The Terrible, Tarzan And The Golden Lion, Tarzan And The Ant-men (Tarzan Ser. #Vol. 1)
by Edgar Rice BurroughsDeep in the savage African jungle, the baby Tarzan was raised by a fierce she-ape of the tribe of Kerchak. There he had to learn the secrets of the wild to survive - how to talk with animals, swing through the trees, and fight against the great predators. He grew to the strength and courage of his fellow apes. And in time, his human intelligence promised him the kingship of the tribe. He became truly Lord of the Jungle. Then men entered his jungle, bringing with them the wanton savagery of civilised greed and lust - and bringing also the first white woman Tarzan had ever seen. Now suddenly, Tarzan had to choose between two worlds. (First published 1912)
The Wisdom of the Talmud
by Madison C. Peters"The house that does not open to the poor shall open to the physician." "To have no faithful friends is worse than death." "Too many captains sink the ship." "Good deeds are better than creeds." "The sensible man drinks only when he is thirsty." "The noblest of all charities is in enabling the poor to earn a livelihood." "He who wishes to be forgiven must forgive." These and over 500 other proverbs and adages come together in this delightful collection, arranged under 22 headings such as adversity, ambition, ancestry, anger, business, charity, death, friendship, home life, honesty, immortality, labor, love, money, and truth.
The Return of Tarzan (TARZAN #2)
by Edgar Rice BurroughsTarzan had renounced his right to the woman he loved, and civilisation held no pleasure for him. After a brief and harrowing period among men, he turned back to the African jungle where he had grown to manhood. It was there he first heard of Opar, the city of gold, left over from fabled Atlantis. It was a city of hideous men - and of beautiful, savage women, over whom reigned La, high priestess of the Flaming God. Its altars were stained with the blood of many sacrifices. Unheeding of the dangers, Tarzan led a band of savage warriors toward the ancient crypts and the more ancient evil of Opar.
The Beasts of Tarzan (TARZAN #3)
by Edgar Rice BurroughsNow that he was the rich Lord Greystoke, Tarzan became the target of greedy and evil men. His son was kidnapped, his wife had been abducted, and Tarzan was stranded on a desert island where he seemed helpless. But with the help of Sheeta, the vicious panther, and the great ape Akut, Tarzan began his escape. Together with the giant Mugambi, they reached the mainland and took up the trail of the kidnappers. Tarzan sought his wife and his child - and he sought such vengeance as only a human beast of the jungle could devise. But the men Tarzan sought had fled deep into the interior - and the trail was old and well-hidden.
The Healing Blade: John Regan Trilogy Book Three
by Alexander CordellAn epic of the days when personal honour and patriotism were more important than any one man's life. John Regan has a secret mission crucial to the success of the infamous United Irishmen's Rebellion of 1798. A thrilling historical adventure for younger readers from the bestselling author of Rape of the Fair Country, first published in 1971 and now available as an eBook for the first time.
The Miracle Worker: A Play
by William GibsonNO ONE COULD REACH HER Twelve-year-old Helen Keller lived in a prison of silence and darkness. Born deaf, blind, and mute, with no way to express herself or comprehend those around her, she flew into primal rages against anyone who tried to help her, fighting tooth and nail with a strength born of furious, unknowing desperation. Then Annie Sullivan came. Half-blind herself, but possessing an almost fanatical determination, she would begin a frightening and incredibly moving struggle to tame the wild girl no one could reach, and bring Helen into the world at last....