Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The Devil Light - Former soldier...

  Edgar Wallace

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  Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was born on the 1st April 1875 in Greenwich, London.  Leaving school at 12 because of truancy, by the age of fifteen he had experience; selling newspapers, as a worker in a rubber factory, as a shoe shop assistant, as a milk delivery boy and as a ship’s cook.  
   
  By 1894 he was engaged but broke it off to join the Infantry being posted to South Africa. He also changed his name to Edgar Wallace which he took from Lew Wallace, the author of Ben-Hur.  
   
  In Cape Town in 1898 he met Rudyard Kipling and was inspired to begin writing. His first collection of ballads, The Mission that Failed! was enough of a success that in 1899 he paid his way out of the armed forces in order to turn to writing full time.  
   
  By 1904 he had completed his first thriller, The Four Just Men. Since nobody would publish it he resorted to setting up his own publishing company which he called Tallis Press. 
    
  In 1911 his Congolese stories were published in a collection called Sanders of the River, which became a bestseller. He also started his own racing papers, Bibury’s and R. E. Walton’s Weekly, eventually buying his own racehorses and losing thousands gambling.  A life of exceptionally high income was also mirrored with exceptionally large spending and debts.  
   
  Wallace now began to take his career as a fiction writer more seriously, signing with Hodder and Stoughton in 1921. He was marketed as the ‘King of Thrillers’ and they gave him the trademark image of a trilby, a cigarette holder and a yellow Rolls Royce. He was truly prolific, capable not only of producing a 70,000 word novel in three days but of doing three novels in a row in such a manner. It was estimated that by 1928 one in four books being read was written by Wallace, for alongside his famous thrillers he wrote variously in other genres, including science fiction, non-fiction accounts of WWI which amounted to ten volumes and screen plays. Eventually he would reach the remarkable total of 170 novels, 18 stage plays and 957 short stories. 
   
  Wallace became chairman of the Press Club which to this day holds an annual Edgar Wallace Award, rewarding ‘excellence in writing’.  
   
  Diagnosed with diabetes his health deteriorated and he soon entered a coma and died of his condition and double pneumonia on the 7th of February 1932 in North Maple Drive, Beverly Hills. He was buried near his home in England at Chalklands, Bourne End, in Buckinghamshire.

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  Tracks - A Novel

  Louise Erdrich

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  “[Erdrich] captures the passions, fears, myths, and doom of a living people, and she does so with an ease that leaves the reader breathless.”—The New Yorker 
  From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich comes an arresting, lyrical novel set in North Dakota at a time when Indian tribes were struggling to keep what little remained of their lands. 
  Tracks is a tale of passion and deep unrest. Over the course of ten crucial years, as tribal land and trust between people erode ceaselessly, men and women are pushed to the brink of their endurance—yet their pride and humor prohibit surrender. The reader will experience shock and pleasure in encountering characters that are compelling and rich in their vigor, clarity, and indomitable vitality.

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  Taras Bulba

  Nikolai Gogol

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  "Taras Bulba" by Nikolai Gogol is a historical novella set in 16th-century Ukraine. It follows the exploits of the Cossack warrior Taras Bulba and his two sons, Andriy and Ostap. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a fierce conflict between the Cossacks and Poland. Taras Bulba's loyalty to his homeland and his desire for vengeance drive the story, leading to tragic consequences for his family. Gogol's work explores themes of patriotism, loyalty, and the clash of cultures, offering a vivid portrayal of the Cossack way of life and the struggles of the Ukrainian people.

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  Mimi - Story from a master of...

  Arnold Bennett

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  Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley one of the six towns that formed the Potteries that later joined together to become Stoke on Trent; the area in which most of his works are located. For a short time he worked for his solicitor father before realising that to advance his life he would need to become his own man. Moving to London at twenty-one he obtained work as a solicitor’s clerk and gradually moved into a career of journalism. At the turn of the century he turned full time to writing and shortly thereafter in 1903 he moved to Paris and in 1908 published to great acclaim The Old Wives Tale. With this his reputation was set. Clayhanger and The Old Wives Tale are perhaps his greatest and most lauded novels.

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  The Scarlet Pimpernel

  Baroness Emmuska Orczy

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  "The Scarlet Pimpernel" is a historical adventure novel first published in 1905. Written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, the story is set during the early phase of the French Revolution and introduces the character of Sir Percy Blakeney, a daring English nobleman who disguises himself as the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel. Under this alter ego, he daringly rescues French aristocrats from the guillotine. The novel also explores the tension and romance between Sir Percy and his French wife, Marguerite, who is initially unaware of her husband's secret identity. The book has been adapted into numerous stage and film productions and has spawned sequels and a whole series of Pimpernel books.

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  We'll Meet Again - We'll Meet...

  Rhonda Forrest

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  The 1950s are a carefree time for a young woman like Grace. The war is over and when her family moves to Brisbane, plans are made for her to complete her studies at the University of Queensland. 
   
  Ewan is also studying the same course and when he meets the beautiful, head-strong Grace, the differences in their backgrounds are pushed aside as they plan their future together. 
   
  However, not everyone is happy with the romance and when the young couple are forced to separate, decisions are made that will determine their path in life. Will the path taken lead Grace to the story behind a star she knows as Elizabeth’s Star and will a fortune teller’s prophecy 40 years prior, be proven? 
   
  We’ll Meet Again is a story of love and family, a connection between those who suffered loss and separation and a sweeping tale of hope, chance and love.

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