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  Negro Explorer at the North Pole

  Matthew A. Henson

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  In this fascinating memoir, Matthew Henson describes the incredibly dangerous, exhausting, and bone-chilling trip to what was until then the never-before reached point on earth, the North Pole."Robert Peary is remembered as the intrepid explorer who successfully reached the North Pole in 1909. Far less celebrated is his companion, Matthew Henson, a black man from Maryland. Henson's gripping memoir, first published in 1912, tells this unsung hero's story in his own words. Henson...was indispensable to the famous explorer's journey; he learned the language of the Eskimos, was an expert dog-sled driver and even built the sleds...." (Publishers Weekly) "An original document.... One of the giants of polar exploration, Henson had the graceful modesty of genuinely big men.... The world would know even more about him now if his commander, Peary, had been less an egotist and more generous in sharing credit for his discovery of the North Pole." (Washington Post Book World)"A really valuable addition to the literature of [polar exploration].... Filled with incident, occupation, description, emotion, [and] comment." (The New York Times)

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  The River - A Novel

  Rumer Godden

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  Facing harsh adult realities, a young English girl in India must leave childhood behind, in this masterful tale from a New York Times–bestselling author. The Ganges River runs through young Harriet’s world. The eleven-year-old daughter of the British owner of a successful jute concern, she loves her life in Bengal, India, on the river’s edge, so far removed from the English boarding school she attended before the outbreak of hostilities in Europe.   Often left alone by an overworked father and preoccupied mother, Harriet is enchanted by the local festivals, colors, and vibrant life surrounding her. Now, as she stands on the brink of adulthood—too old to play childish games with her reckless little brother, Bogey, yet too young to be touched by such grown-up concerns as the faraway Second World War—a stranger’s unexpected arrival will rock her world.   When Captain John, a handsome soldier returning wounded from the battlefield, becomes her family’s new neighbor, Harriet is instantly entranced, beset by a rush of unfamiliar emotions: longing, jealousy, infatuation. But the inevitable change inherent in growing older may be too heavy a burden for a young girl to bear when it carries with it disappointment and heartbreaking loss.   Inspired by the author’s personal experiences as a child raised in India—and the basis for the acclaimed classic motion picture of the same name from French film director Jean Renoir—Rumer Godden’s The River is a lovely, moving portrayal of childhood’s end. Evocative, heartfelt, and bittersweet, it is a coming-of-age story without equal from a major twentieth-century novelist.  This ebook features an illustrated biography of the author including rare images from the Rumer Godden Literary Estate.    

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  The Shadow Over Innsmouth

  H. P. Lovecraft

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  The Shadow over Innsmouth is one of the most beloved and eternally chilling stories from H. P. Lovecraft. The narrator travels through the nearby decrepit seaport of Innsmouth which is suggested as a cheaper and potentially interesting next leg of his journey. There he interacts with strange people and observes disturbing events that ultimately lead to horrifying and personal revelations. 
    
   It forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos, using its motif of a malign undersea civilization. It references several shared elements of the Mythos, including place-names, mythical creatures and invocations.

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  American Notes - Full Cast Drama

  Charles Dickens

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  In "American Notes," Charles Dickens embarks on a captivating journey across the Atlantic in the 19th century to offer his keen observations and critiques of the young United States. Published in 1842, this travelogue chronicles Dickens' experiences during his tour of the United States and Canada, showcasing his unique ability to blend sharp social commentary with vivid narrative storytelling. 
   
  The narrative begins with Dickens setting sail from Liverpool to Boston, and from the moment he arrives on American soil, he is met with great enthusiasm and anticipation. Yet, his initial enthusiasm gradually gives way to a critical exploration of American society, culture, and institutions. Dickens paints a picture of a nation marked by stark contrasts – the raw, untamed beauty of the American landscape juxtaposed with the bustling cities, and the democratic ideals of freedom and equality set against the glaring issues of slavery and inequality. 
   
  Throughout the journey, Dickens encounters a wide array of characters and situations that highlight the complexities of American life. He offers poignant insights into the horrors of slavery, the shortcomings of the prison system, and the social divisions that permeate American society. His narrative serves as a powerful indictment of these injustices and an impassioned call for reform. 
   
  However, "American Notes" is not solely a critique of the United States. Dickens also portrays the genuine hospitality and kindness of many Americans he meets along the way, and he highlights their eagerness to embrace and engage with the ideas and literature of the Old World. The travelogue ultimately reflects Dickens' conviction that positive change is possible through the exchange of ideas and the continuous dialogue between nations.

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  The Idiot

  Eva Martin, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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  A novel of innocence and iniquity, love and murder, by the nineteenth-century Russian author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.   After several years in a Swiss sanatorium, twenty-six-year-old Prince Myshkin returns to Russian society to collect his rightful inheritance. But he soon crosses paths with the dark Rogozhin, a rich merchant’s son whose desire for Nastasya Filippovna will set the three of them on a tragic course. As author Fyodor Dostoevsky traces the effect of Myshkin’s innocence on the people around him in St. Petersburg, scandal escalates to murder . . .   “I think The Idiot to be a masterpiece—flawed, occasionally tedious or overwrought, like many masterpieces—but a fact of world literature just as important as the densely dramatic Brothers Karamazov or the brilliantly subtle and terrifying Devils. In those two novels, as in the simpler Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky had plots and political and religious ideas working together. In The Idiot he is straining to grasp a story and a character converting themselves from Gothic to Saint’s Life on the run. What makes the greatness is double—the character of the prince, and a powerful series of confrontations with death. The true subject of The Idiot is the imminence and immanence of death.” —A. S. Byatt, The Guardian   “Nothing is outside Dostoevsky’s province. . . . Out of Shakespeare there is no more exciting reading.” —Virginia Woolf

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  Hey Rube

  Hunter S. Thompson

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  New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson is known for such groundbreaking works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A provocative collection of rants and reflections from Thompson’s columns at ESPN.com, Hey Rube offers outrageously brilliant insight on topics ranging from the 2000 election to his unconventional take on professional sports (“eliminate the pitcher” to improve Major League Baseball).

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