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  The Monk

  M. G. Lewis

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  Lewis claimed to have written The Monk in just ten weeks, when he was twenty-one years of age. He published the first edition anonymously, sensing that the controversial and then-pornographic nature of the novel would stun society. And so it did—the book was so sensational, so salacious, and so scandalous, that after he put his full name (and title, as a member of Parliament) on the second edition, his reputation hardly recovered for the rest of his life. The Monk is a Gothic horror novel marked by an intricate plot, melodramatic characters, and scenes of shocking terror. It follows two plots: in the first, the celebrated monk Ambrosio meets a mysterious novice at the abbey—a woman, Matilda, posing as a man, who seems to have a powerful, irresistible charisma. Matilda seduces Ambrosio not just in body but in mind, and leads him down a path of darkness and brutal violence. In the other plot, Raymond, the son of a marquis, falls in love with a nun, and the two scheme to live together; but their plans lead to encounters with evil spirits, exorcisms, riots, dungeons, and more. The novel was shocking for its time in its frank depiction of sexuality and sexual violence, demons, spirits, and scenes of raw horror; but just as shocking was its anti-religious sentiment and thesis that evil often triumphs over good. It sold so well and offended so many that just two years after its publication Lewis was forced to issue a bowdlerized fourth edition, in which any offensive passages were either muted or expunged. Despite this attempt at satisfying society, and despite at least one written apology, Lewis spent the rest of his days in a constant struggle to escape the shadow of The Monk 's reputation, which he never quite did—even posthumous assessments of him as a person sometimes concluded that the debauched excess depicted The Monk reflected a failing of his own personal morals.

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  The Count of Monte Cristo Volume 4

  Alexandre Dumas

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  "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas is a tale of betrayal, revenge, and redemption. Edmond Dantès, a young sailor, is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit by jealous rivals. During his confinement, he discovers a hidden treasure and reinvents himself as the enigmatic Count of Monte Cristo. With wealth and cunning, he orchestrates intricate plans to punish those who betrayed him while rewarding those who remained loyal. Set against a backdrop of intrigue and adventure, the novel explores themes of justice, forgiveness, and the moral complexities of vengeance. A masterful blend of drama and suspense, it remains a timeless classic of love, ambition, and the human spirit’s resilience.

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  After Twenty years - From their...

  O Henry

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  William Sydney Porter was born on 11th September 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. At age 3 his mother died from tuberculosis. From an early age it was clear Porter had a large appetite for reading as he absorbed the world around him. 
  He first attended at a school run by his aunt before enrolling at the Lindsey Street High School and then worked at his uncle’s drugstore and gained a pharmacists’ license in 1881.  
  A persistent cough took him to Texas in the hope that a change of climate would help his symptoms. He took on various types of work, initially from ranch hand and cook and then as varied as pharmacist, draftsman, bank teller and journalist. He also began to write, though for now, purely as a hobby. 
  He was a member of several singing and dramatic groups when he met 17 year old Athol Estes, daughter of a wealthy Austin family. Despite her mother’s objection owing to Athol’s tuberculosis, they began courting and in July 1887, they eloped and soon married. 
  Athol, impressed by his writing, encouraged him to get them published. A job as a draftsman at the Texas General Land Office paid a healthy $100 dollars per month and life was good. 
  But then life turned cruel. His son died a few hours after birth although a daughter, Margaret, came the following year.  His job had to be vacated but another was found at the First National Bank of Austin. The bank operated informally and Porter was careless in keeping the books. He lost that job but began writing for the humourous weekly The Rolling Stone and the Houston Post. Some time later the federal Bank auditors went through his former accounts and he was arrested on charges of embezzlement. 
  Porter fled the day before his trial to Honduras. Holed up for several months he began to write.  Athol had become too ill to travel to meet him and learning that her health was deteriorating he surrendered to the court in February 1897.  Bail was obtained so that he could stay with Athol during her final days.  
  Porter was sentenced to five years at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus. His pharmacy qualifications got him the job of night druggist.  His sentence also gave him time to write and publish fourteen short stories. In December 1899 in McClure’s Magazine he published a short story as O Henry.  
  He was released two years early in July 1901, and reunited with Margaret, now 11, in Pittsburgh.  He now began his most prolific period of writing; a short story per week for the New York World, while also publishing works in other magazines.  Eventually over 600 of his short stories were published. 
  Porter was a heavy drinker and in 1908 his health, which had deteriorated for several years, took a dramatic turn for the worse, as did his writing. 
  O Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver complicated by diabetes and an enlarged heart on 5th June 1910.<

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  The Golden Goose and Other Stories

  the Brors Grimm

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  This charming collection of Grimms' Fairy Tales includes The Golden Goose, Clever Gretel, Clever Hans, The Little Peasant, The Water of Life, and Ashputtel (Cinderella). Grimms' Fairy Tales was first published in Germany in 1812 as Kinder und Hausmärchen. This series of recordings is based on the original 1823 English translation by Edgar Taylor, with subsequent editing by Marian Edwardes.

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  The Merchant of Venice

  William Shakespeare

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  Antonio, a wealthy and popular merchant, is in financial difficulty. He approaches a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to provide 3000 ducats, with a very curious bond – a pound of the merchant’s flesh, to be levied if Antonio fails to make a timely repayment. Feeling confident that his argosies will arrive in time to cover the debt, Antonio agrees to this bizarre transaction. 
  Meanwhile, a wealthy gentlewoman, Portia, must choose a suitor using a curious ritual mandated by her father’s will. Applicants must choose from three locked caskets, one of which contains a picture of Portia. He who chooses the casket with the picture will wed Portia immediately; the unsuccessful applicants will cease courting not only Portia, but all prospective partners. Portia’s preferred suitor is a young Venetian, Bassanio, who is a close friend of Antonio. 
  Antonio’s ships fail to arrive in time to satisfy his debt to Shylock and Antonio is hauled into court. In a male disguise, Portia appears in court to represent Antonio. Will her skillful representation free Antonio from Shylock’s demands? 
  Written between 1596 and 1598 and published in 1600, The Merchant of Venice most notably touches on the troubling subject of antisemitism. While critical debate rages about Shakespeare’s actual attitudes toward Jewish culture, it is difficult to deny that the eventual fate of Shylock is not in accord with today’s view of social justice. 
  Featuring the voices of Denis Daly, Catherina Bilson, Alexandra Lee Smith, Gary D. Macfadden, Blaise Doran, Graham Scott, Roberta Jackson, Josh Innerst, Simon Paxton, Alan Weyman, Emma Faye and Marty Krz.

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  The Great Sermon Handicap

  P. G. Wodehouse

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  In the quiet villages of England, sport takes many forms. But none is as treacherous as a Sunday morning in church.
  The Great Sermon Handicap begins with an innocent enough idea and quickly drifts into that uniquely Wodehouseian territory where friendly competition becomes absurdly serious. Bertie Wooster soon discovers that even the calm rituals of village life can inspire rivalry, speculation, and chaos on a near-professional scale.
  Elegant, mischievous, and beautifully timed, this story showcases Wodehouse at his most playful — transforming ordinary social rituals into a masterpiece of comic escalation, where every polite conversation hides the possibility of complete catastrophe. 
  A brilliantly irreverent comedy of errors that proves that in Wodehouse's world, even a religious service is a perfectly valid reason for a spectacular disaster.

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