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  David Elginbrod

  George MacDonald

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  “A novel which is the work of a man of genius”—and that launched MacDonald’s career as one of the preeminent Victorian novelists of his day (The Times). George MacDonald’s first realistic novel, David Elginbrod, was published in 1863. Unable to get his poetry and fantasy published, one of MacDonald’s publishers remarked, “I tell you, Mr. MacDonald, if you would but write novels, you would find all the publishers saving up to buy them of you. Nothing but fiction pays.” Eventually MacDonald decided to try his hand at realistic fiction, and his publisher’s words proved prophetic—within a few years publishers indeed were lining up to buy his books. Partially set in MacDonald’s homeland of northern Scotland, the story of Hugh Sutherland and Margaret Elginbrod is replete with the dialect and thorough “Scottishness” that became MacDonald’s trademark. The story takes the characters into the eerie world of the occult and spiritualism that so fascinated Victorian readers. This new edition by MacDonald biographer Michael Phillips streamlines the occasionally ponderous Victorian narrative style and updates the thick Doric brogue into readable English.

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  The Jungle Book

  Rudyard Kipling

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  The Jungle Book  is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves. The stories are set in a forest in India; one place mentioned repeatedly is "Seonee" (Seoni), in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. 
  A major theme in the book is abandonment followed by fostering, as in the life of Mowgli, echoing Kipling's own childhood. The theme is echoed in the triumph of protagonists including Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and The White Seal over their enemies, as well as Mowgli's. Another important theme is of law and freedom; the stories are not about animal behaviour, still less about the Darwinian struggle for survival, but about human archetypes in animal form. They teach respect for authority, obedience, and knowing one's place in society with "the law of the jungle", but the stories also illustrate the freedom to move between different worlds, such as when Mowgli moves between the jungle and the village. Critics have also noted the essential wildness and lawless energies in the stories, reflecting the irresponsible side of human nature. The Jungle Book has remained popular, partly through its many adaptations for film and other media. Critics such as Swati Singh have noted that even critics wary of Kipling for his supposed imperialism have admired the power of his storytelling. The book has been influential in the scout movement, whose founder, Robert Baden-Powell, was a friend of Kipling's. Percy Grainger composed his Jungle Book Cycle around quotations from the book.

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  Scaramouche

  Rafael Sabatini

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  Fans of outlaws and vigilantes will enjoy this classic adventure tale of a sword-fighting hero out for revenge during the French Revolution.   A lawyer of unknown parentage raised by nobility, André-Louis Moreau had little concern for the plight of the lower class and the vast inequality in France until his friend, Philippe de Vilmorin, is killed in a duel after demanding justice for a murdered peasant. Outraged, Moreau speaks out against the aristocracy and his words sow the seeds of revolution.   Wanted by the law, Moreau assumes the role of Scaramouche, the clown character in a group of traveling actors. His swashbuckling adventures include inciting a riot mid–theater performance, apprenticing at a fencing academy, and discovering a revelation about his past that leads to an unexpected romance.   Utilizing his mastery of swordsmanship and oration to combat the corrupt nobility, Moreau is an iconic character whose story explores class, inequality, and the power of an individual to influence his society.

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  The Wise Woman

  George MacDonald

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  A Victorian-era fairy tale of one woman’s quest to redeem a selfish girl—from the Scottish author of The Princess and the Goblin.    This shorter fairy tale “Double Story” (by which title it was also published), tells the story of spoiled Princess Rosamond, and a mysterious wise woman whom she meets in the forest, and who continues to come to her in different guises which the princess does not always recognize. Considered by some as one of MacDonald’s “short stories” rather than a novel, this edition includes MacDonald’s insightful essay, “The Fantastic Imagination.” This edition of The Wise Woman for The Cullen Collection is unedited.   “Reading this book reminded me why George MacDonald’s wonderful fairy-tales have always been so treasured by Christian writers from CS Lewis to Madeleine L’Engle . . . an astounding, rich story.”—Vintage Novels

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  Death Comes for the Archbishop

  Willa Cather

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  In 1851, Father Jean Marie Latour becomes the Apostolic Vicar to New Mexico. While the area is American by law, it's still Mexican and Indian by custom and belief. During the years that follow, Latour tirelessly but gently spreads his faith while facing external and internal obstacles. Loosely based on the life of Jean-Baptiste Lamy and the construction of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, this novel chronicles the events that occur after the capture of the southwest by American forces during the Mexican-American war.

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  Aristophanes - Four Comedies

  Aristophanes

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  New English versions of Lysistrata, The Frogs, The Birds, and Ladies' Day. "Thanks to Dudley Fitts...we can appreciate Aristophanes' vigor, his robust style, his scorching wit, his earthy humor, his devotion to honesty and his poetic imagination" (Brooks Atkinson, New York Times). Index.

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