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  The Black Arrow

  Robert Louis Stevenson

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  England is in the throes of the War of the Roses. As the houses of Lancaster and York vie for the crown, young Richard Shelton eagerly serves under his guardian, Sir Daniel Brackley, whose lessons he hopes will make him worthy of becoming a knight.But Sir Daniel and his allies have been targeted by the outlaws known as the fellowship of the Black Arrow. This band of archers has a different lesson to teach Dick about loyalty, honor, revenge, and the ambiguities between good and evil.Originally serialized in a periodical of boys' adventure fiction, The Black Arrow furthered the genre of the historical novel through its swashbuckling action and its portrayal of a young man's journey to discover the heroism within himself.

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  The Gift of the Magi Last Leaf

  O. Henry

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  A poor young couple demonstrates the meaning of love and self-sacrifice in the Christmas Classic, "The Gift of the Magi". Also included is "The Last Leaf". This tale follows a young woman artist who is stricken with pneumonia. She watches the leafy vine opposite her window with hollow eyes, and she determines to stay alive until the last leaf falls. O. Henry, always a master with the surprise ending, delivers two fine tales of his beloved New York City.

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  Sons and Lovers

  D. H. Lawrence

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  The Modern Library recently placed ‘Sons and Lovers’ ninth on their list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century.The autobiographical novel tells the story of Paul Morel, sensitive and talented son of an English coal miner in Nottinghamshire. His mother, Gertrude, the educated daughter of Puritanical middle-class parents, has married the miner in the heat of physical attraction. The marriage soon disintegrates; Walter Morel takes to drink and beats his wife and children, and Mrs. Morel pours all her possessive love upon her sons, especially Paul.The novel is concerned with Paul’s painful introduction to the commercial world, his discovery of books and art, his growing discontent with his background of poverty and gloom, and his developing talent for painting. It records his lover affairs with Miriam and with Clara Dawes. Because of the strong bond of love between him and his mother, he is never able to give his affection wholly to either of the women.'Sons and Lovers,' which was attacked on its publication because of its frankness in dealing with sexual matters, is more naturalistic than Lawrence’s later work. It is remarkable for its portrayal of English mining life, its vivid characterizations, and its poetic descriptions of nature.

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  The Mystery of the Steel Room

  Thomas W. Hanshew

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  Thomas W. Hanshew (1857 – 1914) was an American writer from New York.  His best-loved creation was the private detective Hamilton Cleek, known as "the man of the forty faces" for his incredible skill at disguise. Cleek is based in Clarges Street, London, where he is constantly consulted by Inspector Narkom of Scotland Yard.  In "The Mystery of the Steel Room" Cleek is called upon to solve a very strange case. A famous racehorse is under threat from saboteurs ahead of the Derby. On the two previous nights, the groom guarding her has been attacked. The first was left paralyzed, the second was murdered. But nobody can work out how the saboteurs got into the locked stable, where the horse is guarded in an impenetrable steel cage. Cleek travels down to Suffolk to investigate and discovers that the whole situation is very sinister indeed...

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  Carmilla

  Joseph Le Fanu, J. Sheridan Le Fanu

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  Sink your teeth into the cult classic vampire novella that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Fear sweeps the countryside as people fall victim to a strange illness.  After a peculiar accident, beautiful Mircalla becomes a ward at Laura’s family home.  Soon, friendship blooms between the mysterious Mircalla and curious Laura.  Love is in the air, but so is something deadly.  Will Mircalla’s secret cost Laura her life? Carmilla, originally published in 1872, is one of the first vampire novels ever written, predating Dracula by twenty-six years. Carmilla, with its themes of vampirism and homosexuality, shocked the standards and stereotypes for women set in the Victorian era. Today, Carmilla is considered the original archetype of female and LGBTQ vampires, and Le Fanu’s influence is seen throughout vampire fiction.

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  Shannon - A Poem of the Lewis...

  Campbell McGrath

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  “An unexpected story and a gem of a book.”—Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe incomparable Campbell McGrath, whom Outside magazine calls, “A writer who could help save poetry from academia and get the rest of us reading it again,” delivers an astounding work: Shannon, an epic poem that traces the remarkable journey of the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Kansas City Star praises Shannon as, “A luminescent narrative…a myth of American character before its corruption,” and Campbell McGrath—Poet Laureate, Guggenheim Fellowship, Pushcart Prize, and three-time Academy of American Poets Prize winner—proves once again to be truly an “everyman poet” who channels the spirit of Walt Whitman in this lyrical adventure.

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