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  Pride and Prejudice (Golden Deer...

  Jane Austen

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  Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's classic comic romance, in which the five Bennett sisters try to find that most elusive creature: a single man in possession of a large fortune. Sparks fly when sweet, pretty Jane meets their new neighbor, Mr. Bingley, but her sister Elizabeth is most offended by his haughty friend, Mr. Darcy. This is Austen at the height of her powers: the ironic narration, hilariously drawn supporting characters, and romantic suspense make this her most enduringly popular novel.

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  A Deal in Ostriches

  H. G. Wells

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  Herbert George Wells (1866 – 1946) was a prolific English writer of science fiction stories and novels, and is credited with being the father of science fiction.""A Deal in Ostriches"" is an amusing tale about a situation on a ship returning from the Indies with several passengers and five ostriches on board. One of the ostriches swallows a valuable diamond - but nobody knows which bird it was. This leads to an auction of the ostriches, at which the bidding is frantic as the passengers calculate their chances for recovering the precious stone."

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  The Vicar of Wakefield

  Oliver Goldsmith

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  The story revolves around the vicar's family, their trials, and tribulations, including financial difficulties, social challenges, and unexpected twists of fate. Despite the hardships, the vicar remains steadfast in his commitment to his principles and his love for his family. The novel explores themes of resilience, morality, and the importance of virtue in the face of adversity.

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  Cannibalism in the Cars

  Mark Twain

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  Cannibalism In The Cars is a short story by Mark Twain which satires the political system of the US. The story is about a group of men trapped in a train during a snow storm. After a week, the men know that they must resort to cannibalism for survival. They hold ineffective elections, and are so formal that they even follow parliamentary procedure. The ridiculousness of these election can be shown through the following quote: "...Mr. Harris was elected, all voting for him but himself... his election should be ratified by acclamation, which was lost, in consequence of his again voting against himself." At the end of the story it is revealed that the man telling it was just an insane congressman.

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  How Much Land Does A Man Need

  Leo Tolstoy

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  Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 in the Russian province of Tula to a wealthy noble family. As a child, he had private tutors but he showed little interest in any formal education. When he went to the University of Kazan in 1843 to study oriental languages and law, he left without completing his courses.  Life now was relaxed and idle but with some writing also taking place.  Gambling debts forced an abrupt change of path and he joined the army to fight in the Crimean War.  He was commended for his bravery and promoted but was appalled at the brutality and loss of life.  He recorded these and other earlier experiences in his diaries which formed the basis of several of his works. 
   
  In 1852 ‘Childhood’ was published to immediate success and was followed by ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Youth’. 
   
  His experience in the army and the horrors he witnessed resulted in ‘The Cossacks’ in 1862 and the trilogy ‘Sevastopol Tales’. After the war he travelled around Europe, visiting London and Paris and meeting such luminaries as Victor Hugo and Charles Darwin.  
   
  It was now that Tolstoy began his masterpiece, ‘War and Peace’. Published in 1869 it was an epic work that changed literature. He quickly followed this with ‘Anna Karenina’.  
   
  These successes made Tolstoy rich and helped him accomplish many of his dreams but also brought problems as he grappled with his faith and the lot of the oppressed poor. These revolutionary views became so popular that the authorities now kept him under surveillance.  
   
  He led a life of asceticism and vegetarianism and put his socialist ideals into practice by establishing numerous schools for the poor and food programmes. He also believed in giving away his wealth, which caused much discord with his wife.  
   
  His writing continued to bring forth classics such as ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ and many brilliant and incisive short stories such as ‘How Much Land Does A Man Need’.  
   
  In 1901 Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Church and controversially deselected for the Nobel Prize for Literature. 
   
  Whilst undertaking a pilgrimage by train in October 1910 with his daughter Aleksandra he caught pneumonia in the nearby town of Astapovo.  Leo Tolstoy died on November 9th, 1910, he was 82.

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  Father Brown: The Eye of Apollo...

  G.K. Chesterton

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  The tenth story in The Innocence of Father Brown is entitled "The Eye of Apollo." At the beginning of this short story, Flambeau has just opened his detective agency in a new building located near Westminster Abbey. The other tenants in the building are a religious charlatan named Kalon, who claims to be "the New Priest of Apollo," and two sisters, who are typists. Flambeau and Father Brown instinctively distrust Kalon, who has installed a huge eye of Apollo outside his office.

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