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  The Rewards of Industry - In...

  Richard Garnett

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  Richard Garnett C.B. was born on the 27th February 1835.  
   
  Educated in Bloomsbury he then joined the nearby British Museum as an assistant librarian in 1851, shortly after his father’s death.  
   
  He was continuously promoted to high-ranking positions at the British Library until his retirement in 1899. 
   
  In his personal life he married Olivia Narney Singleton in 1863 and was the father to six surviving children.  Despite the constant call of work and family he found time to translate many titles from their original Greek, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.   
   
  As an author he wrote several volumes of verse, a book of short stories and several biographies and history books. 
   
  In 1901, Garnett was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society. 
   
  Richard Garnett died on the 13th April 1906.  He was 71.

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  History of Tom Jones a Foundling...

  Henry Fielding

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  A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.
  BOOK 5: Peradventure there may be no parts in this prodigious work which will give the reader less pleasure in the perusing, than those which have given the author the greatest pains in composing. Among these probably may be reckoned those initial essays which we have prefixed to the historical matter contained in every book; and which we have determined to be essentially necessary to this kind of writing, of which we have set ourselves at the head.

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  The Red and the Black

  Stendhal

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  "The Red and the Black" is a psychological novel that follows the story of Julien Sorel, a young and ambitious protagonist from a provincial town in France. Set against the backdrop of the post-Napoleonic era, the novel explores themes of love, social climbing, and the clash between individual aspirations and societal expectations. Julien, a clever and ambitious young man, navigates the complexities of love and politics as he seeks to rise above his social station.

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  A 1001 Nights - Arabian Nights

  Unknown Unknown

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  "A Thousand Nights and a Night," also known as Arabian Nights, is a timeless collection of Middle Eastern folktales and stories that has captivated readers for centuries. Compiled over many centuries, the book features a rich tapestry of narratives, including adventure, romance, magic, and morality tales. The collection is framed by the story of Scheherazade, a clever and resourceful storyteller who uses her wit and storytelling skills to save herself and others from a vengeful king. 
   
  The tales within "A Thousand Nights and a Night" transport readers to a captivating world of enchantment and wonder. From the legendary adventures of Aladdin and his magical lamp to the epic voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, the stories are filled with fantastical elements, larger-than-life characters, and intricate plot twists. Each story is intricately woven with vibrant descriptions of exotic settings, mythical creatures, and intricate moral lessons, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and imaginative storytelling traditions of the Middle East. 
   
  One of the enduring qualities of Arabian Nights is its ability to transport readers to a world beyond their own. The tales are a window into the values, traditions, and customs of the Middle East, providing a glimpse into the region's history and cultural tapestry. Moreover, the stories explore universal themes of love, honor, bravery, and the consequences of human actions, resonating with readers from diverse backgrounds and time periods. "A Thousand Nights and a Night" continues to be celebrated for its captivating narratives and its enduring influence on world literature. 
   
  Geoffrey Giuliano is a renowned audiobook narrator known for his captivating storytelling and versatile vocal talents. With a career spanning over three decades,

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  Dies Irae - From their pens to...

  Kenneth Grahame

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  Kenneth Grahame was born on 8th March 1859 in Edinburgh. 
  At age 5 his mother succumbed to puerperal fever.  His father, who had a drinking problem, now sent his 4 children to live with their grandmother at her large house in Cookham, Berkshire. Here the children lived in large open grounds next to the river.  These early experiences would in later years, be retold in his writing through a myriad of characters. 
  Grahame loved being a pupil at St Edward's School, Oxford and wanted to enroll at the university there but his guardian demurred on account of the cost. 
  Instead, a banking career was chosen for him, starting in 1879 at the Bank of England, where he rose steadily to the rank of its Secretary until retiring, with a pension, in 1908 due to ill health. 
  Alongside his commercial career Grahame had written and published various stories and essays in several periodicals. Some were anthologized as ‘Pagan Papers’ in 1893, and two years later ‘The Golden Age’ and later still ‘Dream Days’ and its masterpiece ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ became part of many home libraries.  His ability to view life through the lens of a young and curious child was superb, enabling the reader to easily identify with the character.   
  Grahame married Elspeth Thomson in 1899 and they had one child; Alastair, born semi-blind and plagued by health problems.  In a heart-rending tragedy he would later take his own life whilst attending Oxford University in 1920.   
  In 1908 Grahame reworked many of the bedtime stories he had fashioned for his son into the enduring favourite; ‘The Wind in the Willows’, describing the heart-warming adventures of Mr Toad and his friends.   
  Kenneth Grahame died in Pangbourne, Berkshire, on 6th July 1932.

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  Great Gatsby The: Original 1925...

  Francis Scott Fitzgerald

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  The Great Jazz Age Novel_______The 1925 Original Version, with Classroom History_______The Great Gatsby is considered F. Scott Fitzgerald's magnum opus, exploring themes of decadence, idealism, social stigmas, patriarchal norms, and the deleterious effects of unencumbered wealth in capitalistic society, set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties. At its heart, it's a cautionary tale, a revealing look into the darker side to the American Dream."When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the "creative temperament"—it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men..."

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