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  Battle of Frogs and Mice

  Homer Homer

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  The Batrachomyomachia or Battle of the Frogs and Mice is a comic epic commonly attributed to Homer. 
  The Mouse-Prince stops by the shore of a lake to drink, and encounters the Frog King. The Frog offers to show the Mouse his kingdom, on the other side of the lake, and the Mouse agrees. The Prince climbs onto the Frog King's back. In the middle of the lake, they are confronted by a water snake. The Frog dives, forgetting about the Mouse, who cannot swim, and the Prince drowns. 
  On the bank, another Mouse witnesses the scene, and informs the other Mice, who arm themselves for battle. A battle ensues, and the Mice prevail.

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  Dream of Armageddon A (Unabridged)

  H. G. Wells

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  "A Dream of Armageddon" is a short story by H. G. Wells which was first published in 1901 in the British weekly magazine Black and White. The story opens aboard a train, when an unwell-looking man strikes up a conversation with the narrator when he sees him reading a book about dreams. The white-faced man says that he has little time for dream analysis because, he says, his dreams are killing him.

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  A Legend of Old Egypt - From...

  Boleslaw Prus

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  Aleksander Głowacki who wrote under the nom de plume Boleslaw Prus was born on 20th August 1847 at Hrubieszów in the Kingdom of Poland, at that time, controlled by the Russian Empire. 
  At three his mother died and then at nine his father.  Female relatives helped raise him but at 15 he joined the Polish uprising against the might of Imperial Russia.  Wounded on the battlefield, arrested and imprisoned, he was later released into the care of a relative and resumed secondary school and then Warsaw University but poverty forced him to leave after two years.  At some point he developed agoraphobia which often caused problems. 
  In 1869, he enrolled in the Forestry Department at Puławy but was soon sacked and so he began a system of self-education that led to work as a newspaper columnist on a wide-ranging series of topics that eventually became the ‘Weekly Chronicles’ and spanned 40 years. 
  With his finances now stabilized he married and then adopted his late brother-in-law’s son.  
  It seems he had doubts as to the scale of his talents and early on adopted the name ‘Boleslaw Prus’ for both his journalistic and literary offerings. 
  His work as a short-story writer met with much acclaim. He wrote several dozen of them, originally published in newspapers and ranging in length from micro-story to novella. His keen observation of everyday life and sense of humor are evident in them.  
  During his career he also wrote novels. After ‘Pharoah’, in 1895, he embarked on a four-month journey taking in Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Rapperswil in Switzerland, where he stayed for two months, and his final destination, Paris.  Here his agoraphobia was so bad he couldn’t cross the Seine.  
  However, his writing continued and in 1911 his novel ‘Changes’, though uncompleted, began to be serialised.  It was never finished. 
  Boleslaw Prus died on 19th May 1912, at his Warsaw apartment.  He was 64.  A National Hero, thousands attended both his funeral service and interment.

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  Souls of Black Folk The...

  W. E. B. Du Bois

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  This landmark book is a founding work in the literature of black protest. W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) played a key role in developing the strategy and program that dominated early 20th-century black protest in America. In this collection of essays, first published together in 1903, he eloquently affirms that it is beneath the dignity of a human being to beg for those rights that belong inherently to all mankind. He also charges that the strategy of accommodation to white supremacy advanced by Booker T. Washington, then the most influential black leader in America, would only serve to perpetuate black oppression. Publication of The Souls of Black Folk was a dramatic event that helped to polarize black leaders into two groups: the more conservative followers of Washington and the more radical supporters of aggressive protest. Its influence cannot be overstated. It is essential reading for everyone interested in African-American history and the struggle for civil rights in America.

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  The Vicar of Wakefield

  Oliver Goldsmith

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  The Vicar of Wakefield, a novel by Oliver Goldsmith, first published in 1766, has long been regarded as a literary treasure of 18th-century English fiction. Though often simple in plot and unassuming in its narrative style, the novel reveals the depth of Goldsmith's genius and the charm of his storytelling, which has captivated readers across generations. 
  The novel recounts the trials and tribulations of Dr. Charles Primrose, the vicar of the title, and his family. A man of virtuous character, the vicar's steadfast belief in providence and moral integrity is tested through a series of misfortunes—financial ruin, deception, and personal calamity. Yet, it is through these trials that the narrative explores themes of resilience, forgiveness, and the essential goodness of the human spirit. Goldsmith’s portrayal of the Primrose family, especially the vicar’s unwavering faith, serves as both a reflection of the virtues of 18th-century morality and an enduring commentary on human dignity.

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  The Island of Doctor Moreau

  H. G. Wells

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  "Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men?"
  
  After being shipwrecked in the South Pacific, Edward Prendick is rescued and brought to a remote island inhabited by the brilliant, exiled physiologist Dr. Moreau. There, Prendick discovers a nightmare beyond his wildest imagination: a population of grotesque "Beast Folk"—animals transformed into humanoid shapes through the agony of vivisection and surgical grafting. As Moreau attempts to "carve" the animal out of the beast, the primal instincts of his creations begin to resurface. This chilling masterpiece is a foundational text of biological horror that questions what truly separates humanity from the beasts of the field.
  
  The "Law" and the Divine Surgeon: At the heart of the novel is the "Law"—a series of chanted prohibitions meant to suppress the animal instincts of the Beast Folk. Moreau acts as a cruel, indifferent god, using pain as a tool for "civilization." Wells uses this premise to satirize religion, social conditioning, and the Victorian belief that science alone could perfect human nature.
  
  A Critique of Scientific Hubris: Dr. Moreau is the ultimate "mad scientist," driven by a cold, intellectual curiosity that completely ignores the suffering of his subjects. The novel remains startlingly relevant in the age of genetic engineering and organ transplantation, serving as a cautionary tale about the ethics of "playing God" with the building blocks of life.
  
  A Descent into the Primal: As the social order of the island collapses, Prendick is forced to confront the beast within himself. The novel's haunting conclusion, where the protagonist returns to London only to see the animal eyes and instincts in his fellow humans, is one of the most powerful and unsettling endings in English literature.
  
  Enter the House of Pain. Purchase "The Island of Doctor Moreau" today and discover the animal truth.

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