Editora: Gibbs Smith
Rediscover Jack London’s beloved classic in this unique hardbound edition. White Fang has been called “one of London’s most interesting and ambitious works.” Follow the wolfdog White Fang in a story of violence and hardship, morality and redemption, and finding home during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. Truly a must-have for London fans.
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. Scholars call the anonymous author the "Beowulf poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 6th century. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf defeats a dragon but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory. Scholars have debated whether Beowulf was transmitted orally, affecting its interpretation: if it was composed early, in pagan times, then the paganism is central and the Christian elements were added later, whereas if it was composed later, in writing, by a Christian. Beowulf is written mostly in the West Saxon dialect of Old English, but many other dialectal forms are present, suggesting that the poem may have had a long and complex transmission throughout the dialect areas of England.No definite sources or analogs of the poem can be proven, but many suggestions have been made, including the Icelandic Grettis saga, the Norse story of Hrolf Kraki and his bear-shapeshifting servant Bodvar Bjarki, the international folktale the Bear's Son Tale, and the Irish folktale of the Hand and the Child. Persistent attempts have been made to link Beowulf to tales from Homer's Odyssey or Virgil's Aeneid. More definite are Biblical parallels, with clear allusions to the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel.Ver livro
William Wymark Jacobs was born on 8th September 1863 in Wapping, East London. He was educated at a private school and then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London. In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank. In 1885 his first short story was published but it was not until almost the turn of the century that he would abandon his post office career to that as a full-time writer. By then he was a very popular author, his collections selling extremely well and with an excellent income. His best-known work is the macabre ‘The Monkey's Paw’ and he is also highly regarded for his ghost stories although much of his remaining short story output is streaked with humour. His characters are immediately identifiable and we all know that life will take chunks out of them in no time at all. Jacobs married the noted suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams in 1900 at West Ham, Essex. They went on to have two daughters and three sons as they settled down to life. By the outbreak of the First World War his literary output had declined and he now mainly spent his time rewriting his earlier stories for the stage. In all he wrote 18 plays. W W Jacobs died on 1st September 1943 at Hornsey Lane, Islington in London. He was 79.Ver livro
Immerse yourself in the haunting world of Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece, Mosses from an Old Manse. Crafted from the depth of human complexities, this collection shines a ghostly light on the darker facets of our nature through allegories that captivate and challenge. Set against the historical backdrop of The Old Manse in Concord, these tales emerge from a place deeply entwined with American history and personal significance to Hawthorne. Heralded by literary giants like Herman Melville for its "shrouded in blackness, ten times black" narrative, Mosses from an Old Manse offers readers a journey through stories that intricately blend the bright and somber aspects of human existence. Each tale reveals the genius of Hawthorne's craft, making it an essential exploration for those fascinated by the enduring themes of history, morality, and the complexities that lie within us all. Discover why Mosses from an Old Manse stands as an immortal testament to American romanticism and dark romanticism. Let Hawthorne's ethereal prose guide you through a reflective journey into the human soul. This audiobook was narrated and produced by RAM Studios, where humans and artificial intelligence collaborate to create an excellent listening experience. (The reading is done primarily by AI)Ver livro
Franz Kafka was born on 3rd July 1883 in Prague, then in Bohemia, the eldest of 6, into a middle-class Jewish family. Life for the young Kafka and his passion for literature was often made an ordeal by his over-bearing and domineering entrepreneur of a father. In 1889 Kafka was sent to the Deutsche Knabenschule, an elementary school in Prague. His father would only allow him to be educated in German-speaking schools and even went so far as to limit visits to the synagogue to four a year. In 1901 he graduated from the classics-oriented Altstädter Gymnasium. Kafka did well there and across a large range of subjects. He now enrolled at the Charles Ferdinand University, to study chemistry, but quickly switched to law for which he obtained his degree in June 1906 and then performed the mandatory year of unpaid service as clerk at the civil and criminal courts. A job at an Italian insurance company left him little time to write and after a year he took another job with the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia where he stayed until ill health led to his resignation in 1922. Although he saw work as a means to pay the bills and to allow him time to write, he received several promotions and was noted as a good employee. By 1917 Kafka was suffering from tuberculosis, which required frequent periods of convalescence. Interspersed with this, were several intense affairs before he settled in Berlin with Dora Diamant, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher who herself having left the ghetto now influenced Kafka's interest in the book of Jewish law, the Talmud. Kafka’s on-going health was littered with problems. Apart from TB there were several other ailments, including migraines, insomnia, boils, depression, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains. He attempted to counteract all of this by naturopathic treatments, a vegetarian diet and consuming large quantities of unpasteurized milk. His tuberculosis still worsened. He returned to Prague, where he died on 3rd June 1924. He was 40. His literary works are few in number but towering in influence. His masterpieces include ‘The Trial’, ‘The Metamorphosis’ as well as a number of short stories which reveal facets of humankind that truthfully could only be born from Kafka’s brain and pen.Ver livro
Middlemarch (Book 8: Sunset and Sunrise), A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, from 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Leavened with comic elements, Middlemarch approaches significant historical events in a realist mode: the Reform Act 1832, early railways, and the accession of King William IV. It looks at medicine of the time and reactionary views in a settled community facing unwelcome change. Eliot began writing the two pieces that formed the novel in 1869–1870 and completed it in 1871. Initial reviews were mixed, but it is now seen widely as her best work and one of the great English novels.Ver livro
The second in his series of "Christmas books," after A Christmas Carol. The Chimes is a lesser known, but no less powerful story by Charles Dickens of christmastime and the plight of the poor. Trotty Veck is a poor porter and father, who despairing of the poors lot, is shown a terrifying vision by the "Ghosts of the Chimes" of a world without him. Narrated by Michael Ward.Ver livro
