Other books that might interest you

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  The Secret of the Smoked Spectacles

  William Le Queux

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  William Le Queux (1864 - 1927) was an Anglo-French journalist and writer, diplomat, traveller, flying buff and wireless pioneer who broadcast music from his own station long before radio was generally available.He was phenomenally successful as a novelist and short story writer, and many of his tales are based on his own exploits, albeit vastly exaggerated. He is widely recongnized as one of the first creators of the spy story genre, in which his diplomatic background, familiarity with European high society and his interest in technology combined to create a rich tapestry for his intrigues.The Secret of the Smoked Spectaclesis a strange tale of intrigue in which a mysterious man in spectacles appears at oddly fortuitous moments to help our secret agent out of peril, and yet appears weighed down by a great and inexplicable sorrow of his own. The solution of the mystery is one of the strangest stories ever told.

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  Oscar Wilde's Stories for...

  Oscar Wilde

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  Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on the 16th October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland.  The son of Dublin intellectuals Oscar proved himself an outstanding classicist at Trinity College and then at Oxford.  
   
  Wilde then moved to London and its fashionable cultural and social circles.  With his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde became one of the most well-known personalities of his day. 
   
  His only novel, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ was published in 1890 and he then moved on to writing for the stage with ‘Salome’ in 1891.  His society comedies were enormous hits and turned him into one of the most successful writers of late Victorian London. 
   
  Whilst his masterpiece, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, was on stage in London, Wilde had the Marquess of Queensberry, the father of his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, prosecuted for libel.  The trial unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and trial for gross indecency. He was convicted and imprisoned for two years hard labour. It was to break him. 
   
  On release he left for France. There he wrote his last work, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ in 1898.  He died destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six sipping champagne a friend had brought with the line ‘Alas I am dying beyond my means’. 
   
  One of his most beloved legacies has been his five children’s stories which are gathered here in this volume.   
   
  Much of the writing is very modern, even for today.  He explores a range of themes in his own inimitable way, from friendship, generosity and sacrifice through bravado and bragging to the religious overtones of death.   
   
  Whilst they are firm children’s favourites they also enchant parents and adults.

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  Saints and Sinners

  Edna O'Brien

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  With her inimitable gift for describing the workings of the heart and mind, Edna O'Brien introduces us to a vivid new cast of restless, searching people who - whether in the Irish countryside or London or New York - remind us of our own humanity. A librarian waits in the lobby of a posh Dublin hotel - expecting to meet a celebrated poet while reflecting on the great love who disappointed her. Irish workers dream of becoming millionaires in London, but long for their quickly changing homeland - exiles in both places. A searing anatomy of class is seen through a little girl's eyes. In language that is always bold and vital, Edna O'Brien pays tribute to the universal forces that rule our lives.

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  Mary Elizabeth Braddon - A Short...

  Mary Elizabeth Braddon

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  Mary Elizabeth Braddon – A Short Story Collection – An Introduction 
   
  Mary Elizabeth Braddon was born in London on the 4th October 1835. 
   
  At age 5 her parents separated but her ambition to succeed was not daunted.  After being privately educated she took to acting, and the minor roles she obtained where enough to support both her and her mother.  This potential career waned as soon as she began writing and secured an income from it. 
   
  In 1860, she met John Maxwell, a publisher of periodicals, and moved in with him the following year.  At the time Maxwell was already married with five children but his wife was confined to an Irish mental asylum.  On her death they married and she had six children by him. 
   
  Braddon was prolific and wrote over 80 novels, perhaps the most famous is ‘Lady Audley's Secret’ (1862), which won her both sales and a fortune as a bestseller.  She also wrote a number of historical fiction novels which again increased her reputation. 
   
  She was equally prolific as a short story writer, primarily supernatural and ghost stories, all of which continue to be anthologized to this day, such is the high regard they are kept in. 
   
  Braddon founded Belgravia magazine in 1866, its fare being serialised sensation novels, poems, travel narratives and biographies, along with essays on fashion, history and science, all lavishly illustrated.  She also edited Temple Bar magazine. 
   
  Mary Elizabeth Braddon died on 4th February 1915 and is buried in Richmond Cemetery. 
   
  1 - Mary Elizabeth Braddon - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  2 - Colonel Benyon's Entanglement by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 
  3 - The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 
  4 - The Face in the Glass by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 
  5 - Eveline's Visitant by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 
  6 - The Higher Life by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

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  Fires - Essays Poems Stories

  Raymond Carver

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  More than sixty stories, poems, and essays are included in this wide-ranging collection by the extravagantly versatile Raymond Carver. Two of the stories—later revised for What We Talk About When We Talk About Love—are particularly notable in that between the first and the final versions, we see clearly the astounding process of Carver's literary development.

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  Transitions - Stories of Mystery...

  Shea E. Butler

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  Submerse yourself in five tales of mystery, murder, revenge, dark fantasy and the supernatural. Five women find themselves at a crossroad in their lives as the investigate murders, seek revenge and rebel against the status quo as they hunt killers through back alleys, at Universities, through small town American, the City of Angels and on a world millennium in the future. Meet Belle Lopez, former street worker and now a neophyte private investigator obsessed with solving the murder of her mentor with the help of his ghost. Detective Georgia Gomez races against time and the encroaching tide to gather clues to solve a woman’s murder. The stakes get personal and supernatural when she discovers who the victim is. An urban fantasy tale finds Calandra having to navigate murder, revenge, and shapeshifting in the City of Angels as her thirst for vengeance takes her down a dark path. Sammi, a burnt out, big city detective now working in a small southern town, is on the trail of a serial killer when the FBI shows up. And millennium in the future, a spark of rebellion flares in Ra-ina, a young native creature of a verdant natural world, as she fights for her life and freedom after being captured by invaders. Five women, five amazing tales of perseverance, dedication, and resolve as they investigate mysteries, murder, and the supernatural.

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