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  Here We Are - From their pens to...

  Dorothy Parker

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  The bookshelves of American literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Dorothy Parker.

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  The Maltese Cat - Celebrated...

  Rudyard Kipling

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  Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born in Mumbai, India on 30th December 1865.   
   
  As was the custom in those days, he and his sister were sent back to England when he was 5.  The ill-treatment and cruelty by the Portsmouth couple they boarded with Kipling said contributed to the onset of his literary life.  
   
  At 16 he returned to India to work on a local paper where he was soon contributing and writing.  It also exposed him to the issues of identity and national allegiance which pervade much of his work.  
   
  In 1886, his ‘Departmental Ditties’, collection of verse appeared in print followed by 39 short stories for his newspaper over only 8 months.  These were then published as ‘Plain Tales from the Hills’, shortly after his 22nd birthday.  
   
  He continued his prolific pace of writing before being dismissed in a dispute and, taking his pay-off and the profits from the sale of some publishing rights, decided to return to London, travelling via Rangoon, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States, all the while writing articles, and arriving at Liverpool in October 1889. 
   
  Over the next two years he saw further works published as books and in magazines, as well as a nervous breakdown for which he was prescribed a sea voyage, to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India.  
   
  Happier times came with marriage to Caroline Starr Balestier in January 1892.  The honeymoon began in Vermont and ended in Yokahama where they heard their bank had failed.  They returned to Vermont and settled.  Caroline was now pregnant and he was planning the ‘Jungle Books’.  
   
  A failed arbitration between the US and England resulted in an argument between Caroline’s brother and Kipling, and then his arrest.  At the hearing he was mortified by the exposure of his private life and after settling the matter they returned to England and life in Torquay.  ‘Kim’ was published in 1902, and ‘Just So Stories for Little Children’, a year later.  
   
  In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature with the citation “in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterise the creations of this world-famous author”.   
   
  When the Great War erupted, he scorned those who refused conscription.  His son enlisted and was killed at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at 18, an exploding shell had ripped his face apart.  This death inspired Kipling’s writing thereafter, but the tragedy broke his life and by 1930 his prolific pen had almost ceased. 
   
  Rudyard Kipling died on 18th January 1936 from a perforated duodenal ulcer.  He was 70.  His ashes are buried at Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. 
   
  In the Maltese Cat Kipling returns once more to India and the British Empire.  A polo match is being played.  The fierce competitive instincts of two social classes are fighting for dominance.  All told through the voice of the Maltese Cat, the most cunning of the horses.

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  The Narrative of Arthur Gordon...

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  Rum, a sailing ship, and a dare…   …What could go wrong?   Edgar Allan Poe’s only complete novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is one of the first adventure stories set in and around the Antarctic, which at the time was a place of mystery and the unknown.   Pym takes us on an adventure across the seas to uncharted southern lands that are fraught with danger. With shipwrecks, murder, mutiny, and, yes, cannibalism, this tale has it all. First published in 1838, midway between Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Poe’s Pym echoes one and presages the other while delving even deeper into the darkness of men’s souls.   This new edition, with a new Foreword by New York Times best-selling author and Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry, brings the classic tale back to life. Not for the faint of heart, Poe’s novel, which inspired H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, H.P. Lovecraft, and many others, reflects the wonder and dangers of exploring the unknown.

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  By Your Side When the Sun Sets

  M.H. Lee

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  Twenty-five years Gray has been a dragonrider. Every day spent with his dragon and best friend, Mal. But when Mal starts to forget who Gray is...it's not an easy choice to make.

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  Timeless Tales: Wisdom For All...

  Homer Todiwala

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  Dive into Timeless Tales: Wisdom For All Ages —a heart warming collection of 98 reimagined parables for children and adults alike. From courageous cats and wise owls to determined tortoises and curious gamers, each short story is a delightful journey filled with laughter, insight, and timeless wisdom. 
  Perfect for bedtime reading or solo reflections, these bite-sized tales spark conversations about kindness, honesty, resilience, and the power of community. Whether you're 8 or 80, there's a lesson in every tale that resonates with readers across generations. 
  📚 Bonus: Every book purchase supports the Reading for Feeding initiative, helping to provide meals to those in need across London, UK.

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  Brooksmith

  Henry James

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  "Brooksmith," a short story written by Henry James in 1891, tells the tale of Brooksmith, a retired diplomat's butler the 'narrator' had once known. Brooksmith was responsible for the preservation of the atmosphere the diplomat's salon where the guests enjoyed a high level of intellectual conversation. Brooksmith was regarded by the narrator as "the artist" who insured that the company at each gathering was the optimum number and mix of personalities to provide the highest level of conversation possible. 
   
  This was partially of benefit to Brooksmith himself, who would linger in the room on some pretext or other in order to eavesdrop on the exchanges. The diplomat was well aware of this, and alluded to it on occasion with dryly humorous remarks. With the diplomat's death, Brooksmith loses his vocation, which to him was almost a calling. At the end of the story, the narrator reveals that Brooksmith, lonely and dispirited, works a few odd jobs but falls into poverty and illness, and eventually disappears.

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