Publisher: Aeterna Classics
Male, female, deft, fraudulent, constantly shifting: which of the masquerade of passengers on the Mississippi steamboat Fidele is the confidence man? The central motif of Melville's last and most modern novel can be seen as a symbol of American cultural history.
A witty account of three friends' boating adventure along the river Thames. Wtritten in the nineteenth century the humour is still accessible to a modern audience. Read by celebrated actor Sir Timothy AckroydShow book
"Babbit" is a seminal novel by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1922, which sharply satirizes the American middle class and its preoccupation with material success. The protagonist, George F. Babbitt, is a real estate agent in the fictional city of Zenith, who becomes increasingly disillusioned with his life dictated by social status, conformity, and business ethics. The narrative follows his struggles with societal norms and his attempts at rebellion, painting a picture of the conflicts within the American Dream during the Roaring Twenties.Show book
"Concerning Chess" by H. G. Wells is a short essay. H. G. Wells once different, humorous social satire and ironic.The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face. It is the most absorbing of occupations, the least satisfying of desires, an aimless excrescence upon life.Show book
Published posthumously in 1919, this collection of diary entries presents a scathing picture of army life and is said to be one of the most vivid accounts of daily life in the trenches. It chronicles West's increasing disillusion with war and his move toward pacifist and atheist beliefs. The final part consists of his powerful war poems, including God, How I Hate You, You Young Cheerful Men, and Night Patrol. West was killed by a sniper in 1917. In view of some of his poems, one wonders if death was not unwelcome. Arthur Graeme West was a British writer and war poet. West was born in Eaton, Norfolk, educated at Highgate School, then Blundell's School and Balliol College, Oxford, and killed by a sniper in 1917.Show book
The Shadow Builder dwells in the gloomy nether regions of the universe, lonely and haunting in his realm. He dwells in the area beyond the Gate of Dread, where the great procession meets its final end. The Shadow Builder sees all from his gloom, happiness and sadness, hope and despair. He focuses intently on the relationship between a mother and son, watching everything unfold from his Threshold. It his from these two that he learns the truth about his power, the power of death. Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was an Irish writer of novels and short stories, most famous for his gothic horror novel Dracula. Although he wrote throughout his life while working as a personal assistant and theatre manager, he did not achieve much literary fame until after his deathShow book
Undoubtedly, this story is cute, touching, heartwarming, tear-jerking. In other words, a classic for anyone! Anne is a young woman beautifully flawed and full of resilient grace. She's a master portrait of living and loving in the everyday. Montgomery's writing is wonderfully expressive, the characters are drawn with tremendous insight and humor. The poignant messages throughout this book are completely necessary for today's world and it teaches a lot of important things. Anne of Green Gables is a masterpiece that will make every person – man, woman, child – better for having read it.Show book
