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  Complete Tales and Poems

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  Edgar Allan Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. Although best known for his short stories, Edgar Allan Poe was by nature and choice a poet. From his exquisite lyric "To Helen," to his immortal masterpieces, "Annabel Lee," "The Bells," and "The Raven," Poe stands beside the celebrated English romantic poets Shelley, Byron, and Keats, and his haunting, sensuous poetic vision profoundly influenced the Victorian giants Swinburne, Tennyson, and Rossetti. 
  Today his dark side speaks eloquently to contemporary reader in poems such as "The Haunted Palace" and "The Conqueror Worm," with their powerful images of madness and the macabre. But even at the end of his life, Poe reached out to his art for comfort and courage, giving us in "Eldorado" a talisman to hold during our darkest moments—a timeless gift from a great American writer.

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  The Encantadas or Enchanted Isles

  Herman Melville

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  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".

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  The Virginian

  Owen Wister

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  A strong, silent stranger rides into the lawless lands of the western frontier, battles horse thieves, deals with unyielding scoundrels, and wins the heart of a schoolmarm. Owen Wister's 1902 classic-the first great novel of the American West-is rich in moral drama and vernacular wit. His hero-like knights of old-lives by an enduring code of chivalry and is governed by quiet courage and a deep sense of honor.Set in the vast Wyoming territory, this masterpiece helped establish the code of the West and its stereotypical characters: the genteel but brave cowboy, the pretty spinster from back East, and villains beyond redemption. The novel is also on record for incorporating the first known "shootout" in American literature.In 1977, The Virginian was voted by the Western American Writers as the greatest western novel of all time. Brimming with action, romance, and atmosphere, it remains a classic of frontier fiction.

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  Northanger Abbey - Full Cast Drama

  Jane Austen

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  Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" stands as a unique gem among her body of work. Published posthumously in 1817, the novel offers a delightful departure from Austen's more conventional romantic tales, instead serving as a sharp satire of the gothic novel genre that was popular in her time. 
   
  The story revolves around Catherine Morland, an earnest and imaginative young woman who is introduced to the world of society and courtship during her stay in Bath, England. As Catherine embarks on her own romantic adventures, Austen uses her character to playfully deconstruct the conventions of gothic literature, which was characterized by eerie castles, mysterious secrets, and dark, brooding heroes. 
  Through Catherine's vivid imagination and penchant for reading gothic novels, Austen takes the opportunity to mock the sensationalism and melodrama of the genre. Catherine's expectations of intrigue and danger are repeatedly thwarted by the mundane realities of everyday life. Her tendency to view her surroundings through the lens of her favorite novels leads to humorous misunderstandings and serves as a commentary on the dangers of allowing fiction to overly influence one's perception of reality. 
   
  Austen employs irony and humor throughout "Northanger Abbey" to highlight the contrast between Catherine's fanciful expectations and the ordinary events she encounters. The novel's satirical tone gently pokes fun at the excesses and absurdities of gothic literature while simultaneously celebrating the power of imagination and the importance of distinguishing between fiction and reality.

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  The Baron in the Trees

  Italo Calvino

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  A landmark new translation of a Calvino classic, a whimsical, spirited novel that imagines a life lived entirely on its own terms. 
  Cosimo di Rondo, a young Italian nobleman of the 18th century, rebels against his parents by climbing into the trees and remaining there for the rest of his life. He adapts efficiently to an existence in the forest canopy - he hunts, sows crops, plays games with earthbound friends, fights forest fires, solves engineering problems, and even manages to have love affairs. From his perch in the trees, Cosimo sees the Age of Enlightenment pass by and a new century dawn. 
  The Baron in the Trees exemplifies Calvino's peerless ability to weave tales that sparkle with enchantment. This new English rendering by acclaimed translator Ann Goldstein breathes new life into one of Calvino's most beloved works.

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  Our Mutual Friend

  Charles Dickens

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  A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, "Our Mutual Friend" revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap's expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights "Noddy" Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes "the Golden Dustman." 
  Charles Dickens's last complete novel, "Our Mutual Friend" encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, "Our Mutual Friend" is one of Dickens's most complex - and satisfying - novels.

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