Publisher: Good Press
"Rimrock Trail" is an absorbing modern western of the 1920s. This work makes an interesting read with its great storyline, thrilling adventures, and amusing characters. The vivid descriptions the writer delivers keep the readers engaged until the end.
The Top 10 – Bret Harte – An Introduction The American West. A landscape hewn in vastness as its rips from Plains, to deserts, to mountain, to ocean overlaid by waves of emigration of peoples either dispossessed or searching for a new life and the American dream. These are their stories. Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature. Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something. 1 - The Top Ten - Bret Harte - An Introduction 2 - The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte 3 - The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte 4 - The Iliad of Sandy Bar by Bret Harte 5 - Tennessee's Partner by Bret Harte 6 - The Man of No Account by Bret Harte 7 - Brown of Calaveras by Bret Harte 8 - A Jersey Centarian by Bret Harte 9 - The Poet of Sierra Flat by Bret Harte 10 - The Yellow Dog by Bret Harte 11 - A Lonely Ride by Bret HarteShow book
The Lesser Key of Solomon, also known as Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis or simply Lemegeton, is an anonymously authored grimoire on demonology. It was compiled in the mid-17th century, mostly from materials several centuries older. It is divided into five books: the Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia-Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. ''Like anything else of this nature its interesting from a historical point to see things the way antiquity did''Show book
In the heart of London, during a chilly Christmas Eve, a tale of redemption and the transformative power of goodwill unfolds in Charles Dickens' timeless masterpiece, "A Christmas Carol." The story introduces us to Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who values wealth above all else and has long abandoned the joy and compassion of the holiday season. Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his long-deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, condemned to an eternity of torment for his own avarice in life, arrives weighed down by heavy chains made of cashboxes, ledgers, and padlocks, a grim testament to the price of a selfish existence. Marley warns Scrooge that he, too, is bound for a similar fate unless he changes his ways. To aid in this transformation, Scrooge will be visited by three more spirits: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The story's power lies in the journey of Ebenezer Scrooge, as he confronts his own misdeeds and awakens to the true spirit of Christmas. As he witnesses the lives of those around him, his icy heart begins to thaw. The Cratchit family's humble celebration, despite their meager means, touches him deeply, and he is especially moved by the vulnerability of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit's ailing son. Scrooge's transformation culminates when he is confronted with the vision of his own lonely death, unloved and unmissed. Filled with remorse and newfound understanding, he implores the spirit for a second chance, a chance to change his ways and embrace the spirit of giving, love, and compassion that embodies the true essence of Christmas. "A Christmas Carol" serves as a timeless reminder that it is never too late to change, to find the joy in life's simplest pleasures, and to share the wealth of kindness and goodwill with those around us, especially during the holiday season.Show book
James Thomson was born in Port Glasgow, Scotland on the 23rd November 1834. At the age of 8 his sister died and his father suffered a stroke. Thomson was now sent south to be raised in a London orphanage, the Royal Caledonian Asylum on Chalk near Holloway. Shortly thereafter he was given the news that his mother had also now died. It was a bleak beginning to the next chapters of his life and would undoubtedly go a long way towards shaping both his character and his future. Thomson trained as an army schoolmaster at the Royal Military Asylum in Chelsea and served in Ireland. After a decade of Army life he left the military and moved to London to find work as a clerk. What Thomson also possessed was a powerful and unique writing gift. Unfortunately, his own demons curtailed him from leaving a larger literary legacy. But what he did leave are works that can be difficult but very rewarding, allowing us to observe, to understand and make sense of themes and issues that we might at first shy away from. He also used the suffix B V (Bysshe – taken from Percy Bysshe Shelley and Novalis - the pseudonym of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg) this was to avoid confusion with the earlier Scottish poet of the same name. For Thomson life always had a complication. Stories, essays and poems were submitted to various publications during his life and undoubtedly the creative high point of his life is ‘The City of Dreadful Night’. Within its bleak verse are the struggles of Thomson’s own chaotic tortures with depression, insomnia and alcoholism in the uncaring world that surrounded him. It was published to favourable reviews from the critics but by now Thomson’s health was rapidly declining. James Thomson B V died, in London, at the age of 47, on 3rd June 1882, from a broken blood vessel in his bowel.Show book
Banned by the Nazis, the haunting novel At the Edge of the Night (Am Rande der Nacht), by the German writer Friedo Lampe, is a work of magic realism. This poignant book, beautifully translated by Simon Beattie, was, in Lampe’s own words, ‘born into a regime where it could not breathe’; he hoped that one day it might rise again. It evokes the sensations and impressions of a sultry September evening on the waterfront of Bremen, with its charm and tenderness, squalor and lust. The plot contains a stream of images with many characters: children, old and young people, men and women, townsfolk, performers, students and sailors. Its depiction of raw reality was unacceptable to the Nazis: the book was seized by them in December 1933 and withdrawn from sale. At the Edge of the Night is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that offers a unique perspective on the experience of the Second World War. Lampe’s prose is lyrical and evocative, and his characters are complex and multi-dimensional. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the war or the human experience of conflict. It drew praise from Hermann Hesse, who first read it in 1933 and said that ‘what struck us at the time... as so beautiful and powerful has not paled, it has withstood; it proves itself with the best, and captivates and delights just as then’.Show book
"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley is a thrilling and captivating novel that has mesmerised readers for over 200 years. The story follows the brilliant and ambitious scientist, Victor Frankenstein, as he creates a monstrous being using stolen body parts. But as the creature struggles to find acceptance and meaning in a hostile world, Victor is consumed by guilt and fear, realising too late the horrifying consequences of his actions. As the two engage in a battle of wills and wits, Shelley's vivid and evocative language paints a chilling picture of a world gone awry, where science and technology have unleashed dark and dangerous forces beyond our control. "Frankenstein" is a haunting tale of ambition, revenge, and the consequences of playing God, which continues to shock and captivate readers today. This new audio edition is brought to life for 21st century listeners by narrator Jake Urry.Show book
