Publisher: Jovian Press
Climb up in this tree, and play house Elizabeth Ferguson commanded. She herself had climbed to the lowest branch of an apple-tree in the Maitland orchard, and sat there, swinging her white-stockinged legs so recklessly that the three children whom she had summoned to her side, backed away for safety. If you don't, she said, looking down at them, I'm afraid, perhaps, maybe, I'll get mad...
A Study in Scarlet, a short novel published in 1887, was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes story. At the beginning of the book, Dr. Watson meets the detective for the first time and we ride along with them to the scene of a murder. The crime baffles the Scotland Yard detectives, but of course Holmes solves it easily. In the second half of the story, the scene shifts to Utah as we learn the murderer's history. The action returns to London in the last two chapters. In his first adventure, Holmes demonstrates many of the traits for which he later became well known: meticulous study of a crime scene, brilliant deductive reasoning, aptitude for chemistry and music, and the somewhat annoying habit of withholding crucial facts from Watson (and consequently the reader) until the conclusion of the case. An Author's Republic audio production.Show book
Two novellas by the incomparable H.G. Wells: First, The Invisible Man - A scientist theorizes that if a person's refractive index is changed to exactly that of air his body does not absorb or reflect light, then he will not be visible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but cannot become visible again, becoming mentally unstable as a result.Next, The Time Machine - Follow the Time Traveller to the year 802,701 A.D. He finds a golden race of small, soft, innocent people. but what is it that lurks in the dark shadows? And what happens when the time machine is stolen?Show book
A classic collection of tales by the acclaimed Russian playwright and author universally recognized as a master of the modern short story. In “The Bet,” partygoers strike up a debate regarding the humanity of capital punishment versus life imprisonment, which causes a two-million-ruble wager to be struck between a lawyer and a banker. The lawyer, arguing in favor of life imprisonment, agrees to spend fifteen years in total isolation in a guest room on the banker’s property. Granted only basic necessities, he staves off loneliness and depression by reading, studying, playing piano, and drinking wine. Meanwhile, the banker experiences the follies of fortune, leading him to a desperate and dastardly decision . . . Other stories in this volume include “A Tedious Story,” “The Fit,” “Misfortune,” “After the Theatre,” “That Wretched Boy,” “Enemies,” “A Trifling Occurrence,” “A Gentleman Friend,” “Overwhelming Sensations,” “Expensive Lessons,” “A Living Calendar,” and “Old Age.”Show book
Stories are one of mankind’s greatest artistic achievements. Whether written down or spoken they have an ability to capture our imagination and thoughts, and take us on incredible journeys in the space of a phrase and the turn of a page. Within a few words of text or speech, new worlds and characters form, propelling a narrative to a conclusion with intricate ease. Finely crafted, perfectly formed these Miniature Masterpieces, at first thought, seem remarkably easy to conjure up. But ask any writer and they will tell you that distilling the essence of narrative and characters into a short story is one of the hardest acts of their literary craft. Many attempt, but few achieve.Show book
The Haunted Bookshop (1919) is not a work on the supernatural. Rather, the name refers to the ghosts of the past that haunt all libraries and bookstores: "the ghosts of all great literature." Morley, through the character of Roger Mifflin, speaks about the knowledge and wisdom that one can gain from literature. The suspenseful novel is set in Brooklyn around the end of World War I. The narrative begins with a young advertising man, Aubrey Gilbert, stopping by a bookstore named "The Haunted Bookshop" in the hopes of finding a new client. Gilbert meets the owner, Roger Mifflin. Gilbert does not sell anything, but is attracted by Mifflin and his conviction about the value books and booksellers have to the world. Additionally, Gilbert is thrilled by the fact that his firm's biggest client, Mr. Chapman, is a friend of Mifflin and has asked Mifflin to undertake the education of his daughter, Titania Chapman, by hiring her as an assistant…Show book
The novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky, including the classic Crime and Punishment, secured the great Russian writer an exalted position in the literary pantheon of 20th-century authors. The Gambler stands as one of the literary genius’ most highly regarded shorter works. At the casino in Roulettenburg, Germany, a Russian family awaits word that a wealthy relative from Petersburg has died. But to their dismay, Granny arrives and begins gambling away their inheritance at an alarming rate.Show book
