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  The Hour Glass

  Robert Barr

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  'The Hour-Glass' is a mysterious ghost story. An avid antique collector buys an ancient and defective hourglass from a curiosity shop. When he takes it home and starts to examine it, he is startled by a strange visitor who claims to be the real owner of the hourglass. His story is a very bizarre one.

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  The Cockney Novelists - A Short...

  Arthur Morrison, Edwin Pugh,...

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  The Cockney Novelists flourished towards the end of the nineteenth century and spilled over into the next. They included Arthur Morrison, Edwin Pugh, William Pett Ridge and Clarence Rook.  
  Authors being authors they, of course, dealt with their subject matter in different ways.  As a group they moved away from treating the London working classes as comedy cameos or social stereotypes.  Now they were depicted as layered three dimensional characters.  Some were brutal, some were criminal, some were devious but the many were decent hard-working people trying to make ends meet and like all of us – trying to make life more joy than burden.

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  Winifred Holtby - A Short Story...

  Winifred Holtby

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  Winifred Holtby was born on 23rd June 1898 to a prosperous farming family in the village of Rudston in Yorkshire.  
   
  A governess provided her early education before she went to Queen Margaret's School in Scarborough.  After passing the entrance exam for Somerville College, Oxford in 1917, she decided to join the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in early 1918.  However, soon after her arrival in France, the War ended. 
   
  She returned to study at Oxford and met fellow student Vera Brittain.  After graduating from Oxford, in 1921, Winifred and Vera moved to London, hoping to establish themselves as authors. 
   
  Her early novels met with only moderate success but as a journalist she was both prolific and increasingly well-known.  Her articles graced more than 20 newspapers and magazines, including the Manchester Guardian newspaper.   
   
  Winifred was a committed feminist, socialist and pacifist.  She gave many lectures for the League of Nations Union.  She was also active in the Independent Labour Party and was a campaigner for the unionisation of black workers in South Africa. 
   
  In 1931 the symptoms of high blood pressure, recurrent headaches and bouts of lassitude brought forth a diagnosis of Bright's disease.  She was given two years to live and now put all her efforts into what was to become her crowning achievement: South Riding.  Released posthumously it received lavish praise and enormous sales.  Her canon of works tackle difficult subjects head on, many in unusual ways, brimming with verve and usually strong female protagonists. 
   
  Winifred Holtby died on 29th September 1935 in London.  She was 37. 
   
  1 - Winifred Holtby - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  2 - The Voice of God by Winifred Holtby 
  3 - Truth is Not Sober by Winifred Holtby 
  4 - The Casualty List by Winifred Holtby 
  5 - The Man Who Hated God by Winifred Holtby 
  6 - Why Herbert Killed His Mother by Winifred Holtby

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  Extract from Captain...

  Mark Twain

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  The story follows Captain Elias Stormfield on his extremely long cosmic journey to heaven; his accidental misplacement; his short-lived interest in singing and playing the harp (generated by his preconceptions of heaven); and the obsession of souls with the "celebrities" of heaven, like Adam and Moses, who according to Twain become as distant to most people in heaven as living celebrities are on Earth. Twain uses this story to show his view that the common conception of heaven is ludicrous and points out the incongruities of such beliefs.Lots of his usual barbed humor here.

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  Honest Thief An

  Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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  "An Honest Thief" by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a captivating story that follows the life of the narrator, who reluctantly agrees to let a mysterious lodger into his small apartment. The lodger, named Emelyan Ilyitch, is a poor and pitiful man with a drinking problem. Despite his initial reservations, the narrator develops a soft spot for Emelyan and decides to provide him with food and shelter. However, he also feels the responsibility to guide Emelyan towards a better life. As the story unfolds, the narrator becomes emotionally invested in Emelyan's well-being. He contemplates the idea of finding him a job and helping him overcome his addiction. The narrator's compassion is tested when he must confront the reality that Emelyan may be taking advantage of his kindness. The story takes a surprising turn when the narrator discovers that Emelyan has stolen his wadded greatcoat. "An Honest Thief" is a thought-provoking tale that delves into the intricacies of human behavior and challenges conventional notions of honesty and integrity. Dostoevsky's masterful storytelling captures the reader's attention, leaving them pondering the complexities of human nature long after the story concludes. Read in English, unabridged.

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  The Swiss Family Robinson

  Johann David Wyss

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  Following a wild and raging storm, the Swiss family Robinson are stranded at sea. But the thundering waves have swept them off to a tropical island, where a new life awaits them. Shipwrecked passengers on a deserted island: how will they survive? Their ship is laden with supplies and the island is packed with treasures, so they soon adapt and discover new dangers and delights every day.An Author's Republic audio production.

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