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  My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard

  Elizabeth Cooper

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  In “My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard,” Elizabeth Cooper offers the reader a translation of two series of letters by Kwei-li, the wife of a high-rank Chinese official.The first series is addressed to her husband whilst he is on a world tour with Prince Chung in the late 19th century. The second series of letters is from 25 years later and are addressed to her mother-in-law. Political intrigue is raging in China and the country is on the verge of a revolution. With these letters, Cooper hoped to “give a faint idea of the life of a Chinese lady,” “a woman who had by education and environment exceptional opportunities to learn of the modern world, but who, like every Eastern woman, clings with almost desperate tenacity to the traditions and customs."Elizabeth Cooper, born Eslick (1877-1945) was an America author. Originally born in Homer, Iowa, she spent most of her adult life in Asia, and dedicated much of her work to the depiction of life, especially women’s, in countries such as China, Egypt, Turkey and Japan. Some her work includes: “My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard,” “Drusilla With a Million,” and “Living up to Billy.”

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  Before the Law - From their pens...

  Franz Kafka

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  Franz Kafka was born on 3rd July 1883 in Prague, then in Bohemia, the eldest of 6, into a middle-class Jewish family. 
  Life for the young Kafka and his passion for literature was often made an ordeal by his over-bearing and domineering entrepreneur of a father.   
  In 1889 Kafka was sent to the Deutsche Knabenschule, an elementary school in Prague. His father would only allow him to be educated in German-speaking schools and even went so far as to limit visits to the synagogue to four a year. 
  In 1901 he graduated from the classics-oriented Altstädter Gymnasium. Kafka did well there and across a large range of subjects.  He now enrolled at the Charles Ferdinand University, to study chemistry, but quickly switched to law for which he obtained his degree in June 1906 and then performed the mandatory year of unpaid service as clerk at the civil and criminal courts. 
  A job at an Italian insurance company left him little time to write and after a year he took another job with the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia where he stayed until ill health led to his resignation in 1922. 
  Although he saw work as a means to pay the bills and to allow him time to write, he received several promotions and was noted as a good employee. 
  By 1917 Kafka was suffering from tuberculosis, which required frequent periods of convalescence. Interspersed with this, were several intense affairs before he settled in Berlin with Dora Diamant, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher who herself having left the ghetto now influenced Kafka's interest in the book of Jewish law, the Talmud. 
   
   
  Kafka’s on-going health was littered with problems. Apart from TB there were several other ailments, including migraines, insomnia, boils, depression, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains. He attempted to counteract all of this by naturopathic treatments, a vegetarian diet and consuming large quantities of unpasteurized milk. 
  His tuberculosis still worsened. He returned to Prague, where he died on 3rd June 1924. He was 40.

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  The Gold-Bug

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  A chance discovery on a South Carolina island sets in motion one of the most famous treasure hunts in American literature. When William Legrand becomes obsessed with a curious golden scarab, his friend is drawn into a night expedition, a coded cipher, and the search for Captain Kidd's buried fortune. Edgar Allan Poe's 1843 tale is a landmark of detective fiction, prized for its brooding atmosphere and for the cold logic of its solution. 
   
  This unabridged recording follows the story from Legrand's isolated hut to the myrtle coppice, and from baffling symbols to a deciphered message, read in measured, atmospheric English by Thomas Whitmore. Presented here complete in four parts, it is an ideal introduction to Poe's invention of the rational detective and to one of the most ingenious puzzles ever written in English.

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  Middlemarch

  George Eliot

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  Every life tells a story—but some stories reveal the heart of an entire society.
  
  In Middlemarch, George Eliot creates a richly woven portrait of life in a provincial English town, where personal dreams, relationships, and social expectations intertwine in unexpected ways. Through a remarkable cast of unforgettable characters, this literary masterpiece explores the choices that shape lives and the quiet moments that leave a lasting impact.
  
  Blending historical fiction with profound psychological insight, Eliot examines timeless themes of love, ambition, marriage, friendship, duty, and self-discovery. Her elegant prose, nuanced characterization, and keen understanding of human nature transform everyday experiences into a compelling exploration of personal growth and social change.
  
  Celebrated for its emotional depth and extraordinary realism, Middlemarch is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels in the English language. Its richly layered narrative and enduring themes continue to resonate with readers who appreciate thoughtful, character-driven fiction and timeless literary classics.
  
  Acclaimed by critics, scholars, and readers for more than a century, Middlemarch stands as George Eliot's greatest achievement and a cornerstone of Victorian literature. Its lasting influence on world literature has secured its place among the finest novels ever written.
  
  Discover one of literature's greatest masterpieces. Download Middlemarch today and experience a timeless story of humanity, hope, and the choices that define our lives.

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  The Secret Agent

  Joseph Conrad

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  The Secret Agent is Joseph Conrad's darkly ironic and unsettling novel of espionage, terrorism, and political hypocrisy, set in the heart of late Victorian London. Blending psychological insight with grim satire, the novel exposes the emptiness of extremist ideologies and the devastating human cost of political manipulation.
  
  The story centers on Adolf Verloc, a seemingly idle shopkeeper who secretly works as an informant and agent provocateur. Pressured by foreign officials to commit an act of political violence, Verloc becomes entangled in a plot that spirals beyond his control. At the center of the tragedy is his wife, Winnie Verloc, whose quiet endurance and unspoken strength mask a life shaped by sacrifice and moral compromise.
  
  Told through a fragmented, non-linear narrative, Conrad reveals events from multiple perspectives, deepening the novel's atmosphere of inevitability and dread. London itself becomes a character—fog-bound, indifferent, and oppressive—mirroring the moral darkness of the plot unfolding within it.
  
  Rather than glorifying revolution or espionage, The Secret Agent dismantles the romantic myths surrounding political violence. Conrad portrays anarchists, officials, and ordinary citizens alike as trapped in systems of fear, deception, and self-interest. The novel's chilling climax underscores the destructive consequences of apathy, fanaticism, and moral blindness.
  
  Sharp, provocative, and disturbingly relevant, The Secret Agent stands as one of the earliest and most penetrating novels about modern terrorism. It is a masterwork of political fiction and psychological realism that continues to resonate in a world still shaped by ideological conflict and hidden power.

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  The Menorah - Jewish parents...

  Benjamin Rosenblatt

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  The bookshelves of American literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Clark Ashton Smith.

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