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  Valiant Little Tailor The -...

  Brothers Grimm

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  The Valiant Little Tailor, also known as the Brave Little Tailor is a well known tale of trickery and cunning in which the underdog comes out on top. The story tells the tale of a little tailor who is offered a reward from the king if he is able to complete several difficult tasks.

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  Washington Irving - A Short...

  Washington Irving

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  Washington Irving was born on 3rd April, 1783, the youngest of 11, in New York. 
    
  Irving found his real interests away from school in literature and the theatre.  An outbreak of yellow fever at 15 moved him away from Manhattan and into the surrounding countryside providing valuable settings for later works such as ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. 
   
  By 19 Irving was writing regularly to the New York Morning Chronicle, commenting on the theatrical and social scenes.  When his health began to fail, he was sent on the Grand Tour of Europe.  Bizarrely he ignored most of the great sights on offer to concentrate on developing his social and conversational powers.  His health, though, did improve.  
   
  In 1806, back in New York to study law, he scraped a pass at the bar and then founded with several others the literary magazine Salmagundi. Irving nicknamed the city ‘Gotham City’, a name still in use today.  Moderately successful, the magazine spread Irving’s reputation beyond New York. 
   
  In 1809 while mourning the death of his teenage fiancée Irving finished his first significant book, ‘A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynsasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker’.  It satirised local history, local historians and politics.  It received great critical acclaim. 
   
  Unfortunately his family’s established trading company was now facing great upheavals and Irving was dispatched to England to try to sort it out.  After two years he could see no way out but bankruptcy.  This left him in England with no real employment prospects, and so he returned to writing.  
   
  He sent some short stories back to New York to be published as ‘The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent’.  The first part included ‘Rip Van Winkle’ and was extremely successful.  The sixth part contained ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’.  
   
  Beset by literary piracy, with no copyright law at the time, he set about publishing legitimate copies in England to outwit the bootleggers.  From now on Irving published concurrently in America and England in order to render piracy obsolete.  
   
  In August 1824, he published ‘Tales of a Traveller’, which included the famed ‘The Devil and Tom Walker’.  
   
  In 1826, the American Minister to Spain, invited him to Madrid where he could examine the many historical documents that he had access to.  Irving reveled in both the size of the libraries he was granted access to and their rich quality.  Historical works flowed from his pen further enhancing his reputation and fortune.   
   
  Following the completion of ‘Tales of the Alhambra’ in 1832, Irving returned to America after 17 years abroad. He was now a figurehead of American literature and dispensed advice to Edgar Allan Poe amongst others.  Irving also became an advocate for American copyright legislation.  
   
  A later appointment as Minister to Spain in 1842 left him disheartened at the antics of the various political factions he encountered.  It also afforded him no time to write as he had hoped.  
   
  On his return home he began an ‘Author’s Revised Edition’ of his works agreeing an unprecedented deal for 12 per cent of the retail profits.  
   
  Washington Irving died of a heart attack at his ‘Sunnyside’ home on the 28th November 1859 at the age of 76, a few months after completing his five volume George Washington biography, in whose honour he had been named. 
   
  01 - Washington Irving - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  02 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 
  03 - The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving 
  04 - The Art of Book-Making by Washington Irving 
  05 - The Conquest of the Earth by the Moon by Washington Irving 
  06 - John Bull by Washington Irving

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  Babbit

  Sinclair Lewis

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  "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.

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  The Lost World

  Arthur Conan Doyle

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  "The Lost World" is a science fiction novel published in 1912 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the renowned creator of Sherlock Holmes. This story revolves around an expedition to a plateau in South America, where Professor Challenger claims to have discovered living dinosaurs. Accompanied by journalist Edward Malone, adventurer Lord John Roxton, and skeptic Professor Summerlee, the group embarks on a thrilling journey to verify Challenger's claims. Beyond the initial challenges, they encounter prehistoric creatures and indigenous tribes, blending action, adventure, and a touch of humor. The novel is considered one of the pioneering works of the "lost world" genre.

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  Hinds' Feet on High Places

  Hannah Hurnard

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  Much-Afraid had been in the service of the Chief Shepherd, whose great flocks were pastured down in the Valley of Humiliation. She lived with her friends and fellow workers Mercy and Peace in a tranquil little white cottage in the village of Much-Trembling. She loved her work and desired intensely to please the Chief Shepherd, but happy as she was in most ways, she was conscious of several things which hindered her in her work and caused her much secret distress and shame. Join Much-Afraid and her two companions Sorrow and Suffering as they journey towards a more full understanding of living a full Christian life. A true Christian Classic that has delighted millions of readers.

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  The Island of Doctor Moreau

  H. G. Wells

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  A visionary and disturbing masterpiece, The Island of Doctor Moreau explores the awful potential of biological experimentation. 
   
  In one of H. G. Wells' most celebrated works, the shipwrecked Edward Prendick finds himself alone on an island with the mad scientist Doctor Moreau. When he hears strange cries echoing through the forest, he discovers that the island is inhabited by bizarre human-hybrid creatures. Prendick must escape the island before he becomes the scientist's next victim. 
   
  Raising questions about morality, the hubris of science, and what it means to be human, The Island of Doctor Moreau has fascinated readers for generations.

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