Publisher: Charles River Editors
The Octopus: A Story of California was inspired by the Mussel Slough Tragedy that took place in 1880 when a group of setters were disputing land titles with the Southern Pacific Railroad. The book centers around a conflict between wheat farmers and the Pacific and Southwestern railroad.
The beautiful Pauline has been wronged and sets about getting a little her own back. Collateral damage ensues in this tale of revenge and it's consequences. "Pauline's Passion and Punishment" is pretty mild stuff if you read it from the perspective of a 21st century reader. It helps to have some idea of what life was like and what was expected of men and women in the 1860s to truly appreciate this story.Show book
A man's fight for life in the dungeons of Toledo, during the time of the Spanish inquisition.Show book
From “one of the greatest writers of this century,” a fantasy masterpiece about the aftermath of a marriage between a mortal prince and an elfin princess. —Arthur C. Clarke Before the fellowships and wardrobes and dire wolves . . . . . . there was the village of Erl and the Kingdom of Elfland. Considered formative to the development of the fairy tale and high fantasy subgenres, The King of Elfland's Daughter follows Alveric, who leaves home on a quest with a few basic instructions: locate the Princess Lirazel in Elfland, convince her to return to Erl and marry him, and together produce the first magical Lord of Erl. But what happens when a village gets exactly what it asked for? How does an elf learn to live as a human? Is love lost once, lost forever? The people of Erl are about to find out. Take a walk through the fields we know and see if you can spot the pale-blue peaks of the Elfland Mountains. Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Neil Gaiman will adore Lord Dunsany’s influential 1924 classic as much as those authors themselves did. “No amount of mere description can convey more than a fraction of Lord Dunsany's pervasive charm.” —H. P. Lovecraft “We find that he has but tranfigured with beauty the common sights of the world.” —William Butler Yeats “No one can understand modern fantasy without understanding its roots, and Lord Dunsany's work is immediately significant as well as enjoyable even today.” —Katharine Kerr “A fantasy novel in a class with the Tolkien books.”—L. Sprague de CampShow book
From the author of Moby Dick: A con artist swindles his fellow passengers on a Mississippi River steamboat in this exploration of human nature. A mysterious stranger boards a steamboat bound for New Orleans on April Fools’ Day. But just who is this confidence-man? At first, he is a mute, clad in cream-colored clothes and a white fur hat, boarding the steamer Fidèle in St. Louis. The man transforms when he meets a group of passengers. He assumes the identities of a crippled beggar named “Black Guinea,” an agent from the Seminole Widow and Orphan Society, and the president of the Black Rapids Coal Company, among other disguises. As the ship makes its way to its final destination and the huckster’s deceptions lead to thefts, everyone on board will be left wondering whom they can trust. A cultural satire, allegory, and metaphysical treatise, The Confidence-Man is one of the most unconventional works by the legendary author of Moby Dick and Billy Budd, Sailor.Show book
Fanny Price, a young girl from a large and relatively poor family, is taken to be raised by her rich uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas, and Lady Bertram, of Mansfield Park. Fanny grows up with her four older cousins but is always treated as something of a poor relation. Only Edmund, the second son, shows her real kindness. Over time, Fanny's gratitude for Edmund's thoughtfulness secretly grows into romantic love.At the age of ten, Fanny Price leaves the poverty of her Portsmouth home to be brought up among the family of her wealthy uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, in the chilly grandeur of Mansfield Park. There she accepts her lowly status, and gradually falls in love with her cousin Edmund. When the dazzling and sophisticated Henry and Mary Crawford arrive, Fanny watches as her cousins become embroiled in rivalry and sexual jealousy. As the company starts to rehearse a play by way of entertainment, Fanny struggles to retain her independence in the face of the Crawfords' dangerous attractions; and when Henry turns his attentions to her, the drama really begins.An Author's Republic audio production.Show book
"Little Men" is a classic novel that continues the story of the March family from "Little Women." The focus shifts to Jo March, who is now married to Professor Bhaer and runs a school for boys called Plumfield. The novel explores the lives, adventures, and moral lessons of the boys at Plumfield, providing a heartwarming and insightful look into childhood and adolescence.Show book
