Publisher: Good Press
"Lord Arthur Savile's Crime" features a man with a supernatural ability to read the details of people's lives from tiny pieces. Mr. Podgers, the chiromancer of the story, uses people's palms to divine the secrets of their personalities and to predict their futures. It is a witty and clever piece of writing that touches on a serious topic.
Percy Bysshe Shelley was able to distill big themes into brilliant poems. In this collection ‘The Masque of Anarchy’ captures the appalling terror of British troops killing and injuring their own people as they peacefully protest for the reform of Parliamentary representation at Peterloo in Manchester on 16th August, 1819. ‘Adonais’ majestically captures his admiration and the deep tragic loss he felt for his friend and fellow Romantic poet John Keats. In ‘Ode To Liberty’ Shelley makes a bold plea for the support of revolutionary causes and for the expression of individual freedom. In these three pieces Shelley confirms that he did not limit himself in being part of the Romantic movement and was able to actively comment with conviction and passion on the social and political issues of his day.Show book
This short story is included in Tales of the Jazz Age, a collection written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald goes on to summarize the story below. I suppose that of all the stories I have ever written this one cost me the least travail and perhaps gave me the most amusement. As to the labor involved, it was written during one day in the city of New Orleans, with the express purpose of buying a platinum and diamond wrist watch which cost six hundred dollars. I began it at seven in the morning and finished it at two o'clock the same night. It was published in the "Saturday Evening Post" in 1920 and later included in the O. Henry Memorial Collection for the same year. I like it least of all the stories in this volume. My amusement was derived from the fact that the camel part of the story is literally true; in fact, I have a standing engagement with the gentleman involved to attend the next fancy-dress party to which we are mutually invited, attired as the latter part of the camel—this as a sort of atonement for being his historian.Show book
"The Encantadas, or Enchanted Isles" is a novella by American author Herman Melville. First published in Putnam's Magazine in 1854, it consists of ten philosophical "Sketches" on the Encantadas, or Galápagos Islands. It was collected in The Piazza Tales in 1856. The Encantadas was a success with the critics, and contained some of Melville's "most memorable prose".An anonymous narrator unites the ten disparate "Sketches", each of which begin with a few lines of poetry, mostly taken from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. All of the stories are replete with symbolism reinforcing the cruelty of life on the Encantadas. "Sketch First" is a description of the islands; though they are the Enchanted Isles they are depicted as desolate and hellish. "Sketch Second" is a meditation on the narrator's encounter with ancient Galápagos tortoises, while "Sketch Third" concerns the narrator's trip up the enormous tower called the Rock Rodondo. "Sketch Fourth" details the narrator's musings from atop the tower, and his recollection of the islands' accidental discovery by Juan Fernández. "Sketch Fifth" describes the USS Essex' encounter with a phantom British ship near the area during the War of 1812.Show book
Critically acclaimed as one of Shakespeare's most complex and intriguing plays.A delightfully comic tale of mistaken identities revolves around the physical likeness between Sebastian and his twin sister Viola, each of whom, when separated after a shipwreck, believes the other to be dead. Filled with superb comedy, this entertaining masterpiece remains one of Shakespeare's most popular and performed comedies.Show book
A teacher in Chicago at the beginning of the last century, Jennie Hall wrote a number of engaging history books for children. Viking Tales follows the story of Harald Fairhair from the time he is given his own thrall at the cutting of his first tooth, through his exploits as a Viking adventurer, to his crowning as King of Norway. Jennie Hall (1875 - 1921)Show book
What would happen if Martians landed on Earth—and none of our weapons could stop them? H.G. Wells's timeless masterpiece—which spawned many a movie adaptation—imagines this frightening scenario. The horrifying bug-like extraterrestrials, which can wipe out entire crowds with a single heat-ray and poisonous gas, first appear in the English countryside … and then wreak havoc. Narrated by an unnamed protagonist who flees home to seek out safe ground, this terrifying tale creates a shockingly realistic vision of what might happen if fearsome, technologically superior aliens attacked us. Beautifully illustrated by acclaimed artist Scott McKowen, this Unabridged Classic will rivet kids and adults alike.Show book
