Other books that might interest you

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  The Top 10 Short Stories – The...

  James Joyce, D H Lawrence, Franz...

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  Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart.  A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. 
   
  In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?  
   
  The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme.  Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature. 
   
  Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made.  If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something. 
   
  From realism, to horror, to entirely new genres, authors in this Century sparkle with wit and purpose as they drive literature forward in expansive and pulsating new ways reflecting the harnessing of their talents to the bewildering changes in society.    
   
  1 - The Top 10 - The 20th Century - The Men - An Introduction 
  2 - The Dead - Part 1 by James Joyce 
  3 - The Dead - Part 2 by James Joyce 
  4 - The Rocking Horse Winner by D H Lawrence 
  5 - A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka 
  6 - The Gift of the Magi by O Henry 
  7 - The Interlopers by Saki the pseudonym for H H Munro 
  8 - Morphine by Mikhail Bulgakov 
  9 - To Build a Fire by Jack London 
  10 - War by Luigi Pirandello 
  11 - The Color Out of Space by H P Lovecraft 
  12 - Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad by M R James

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  Great Expectations (Classic...

  Charles Dickens

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  Unlock the Secrets of Victorian England's Most Elusive Gentleman 
  In Charles Dickens' timeless masterpiece, "Great Expectations", the boundaries between love, class, and redemption blur in a spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery. Follow Pip, a young orphan, as he navigates the dark alleys and opulent mansions of 19th-century England, driven by a burning desire to transcend his humble beginnings. 
  When Pip's life intersects with the enigmatic Miss Havisham and her captivating adopted daughter, Estella, he's drawn into a world of intrigue and deception. A mysterious benefactor propels Pip into London's high society, where he'll learn the art of refinement and the pain of unrequited love. 
  But as Pip's "great expectations" unravel, he'll be forced to confront the true cost of his newfound status and the secrets that have shaped the people around him. Will he find love, acceptance, and redemption, or will the shadows of his past consume him? 
  Enter a World of 
  - Richly drawn characters, from the bitter Miss Havisham to the elusive Estella 
  - Vivid settings, from the misty Kent marshes to the bustling streets of London 
  - Timeless themes, exploring the complexities of love, class, and redemption 
  Join the journey into the heart of "Great Expectations" and discover why Charles Dickens' masterpiece continues to captivate readers to this day. 📚

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  The Children of the New Forest

  Frederick Marryat

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  The Children of the New Forest is a children's novel published in 1847 by Frederick Marryat. It is set in the time of the English Civil War and the Commonwealth. The story follows the fortunes of the four Beverley children who are orphaned during the war and hide from their Roundhead oppressors in the shelter of the New Forest where they learn to live off the land.

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  The Jungle Book

  Rudyard Kipling

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  "The Jungle Book" is a literary classic penned by British author Rudyard Kipling and first published in 1894. Set in the heart of the Indian jungle, it is a captivating collection of stories that combine adventure, morality, and the relationship between humans and animals. At its core, the book explores the idea of the "Law of the Jungle," which represents the rules and principles that govern life in the wild. 
  The central character of "The Jungle Book" is Mowgli, a young boy who finds himself orphaned in the jungle and subsequently raised by a pack of wolves. His upbringing in the jungle introduces him to the intricate web of life and survival strategies that animals employ. Mowgli learns to communicate with various creatures, developing unique friendships and alliances with the jungle's inhabitants. 
  Among his closest animal companions are Baloo, the jovial and wise bear who imparts valuable life lessons to Mowgli, and Bagheera, the sleek and protective black panther who serves as his guardian. Together, they guide Mowgli through the challenges of the jungle, instilling in him the importance of respecting nature and the Law of the Jungle. 
   
  However, not all of Mowgli's encounters in the jungle are friendly. Shere Khan, a fearsome Bengal tiger, serves as one of his primary adversaries. Shere Khan harbors a deep-seated animosity toward humans and poses a constant threat to Mowgli, leading to numerous confrontations throughout the story. 
   
  Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a British author best known for his works of fiction and poetry, often set in the context of the British Empire. He was born in Bombay, India, and spent a significant part of his life there, which greatly influenced his writing. Kipling's notable works include "The Jungle Book," "Kim," "Just So Stories,".

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  The Count of Monte Cristo

  Alexandre Dumas

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  The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) completed in 1844. It is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1839: the era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France. It begins on the day that Napoleon left his first island of exile, Elba, beginning the Hundred Days period when Napoleon returned to power. The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book, an adventure story centrally concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness.Before he can marry his fiancée Mercédès, Edmond Dantès, a French nineteen-year-old first mate of the Pharaon, is falsely accused of treason, arrested, and imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a grim island fortress off Marseille. A fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria, correctly deduces that romantic rival Fernand Mondego, envious crewmate Danglars, and double-dealing magistrate De Villefort are responsible. Over the course of their long imprisonment, Faria educates Dantès and tells him of a cache of treasure he found. After Faria dies, Dantès escapes and finds the treasure. As the powerful and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, he enters the fashionable Parisian world of the 1830s to avenge himself.

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  A Wicked Woman - From their pens...

  Jack London

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  John Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th, 1876 in San Francisco.   
  His father, William Chaney, was living with Flora Wellman when she became pregnant.  Chaney insisted she have an abortion.  Flora's response was to turn a gun on herself.  Although her wounds were not severe the trauma made her temporarily deranged. 
  In late 1876 his mother married John London and the young child was brought to live with them as they moved around the Bay area, eventually settling in Oakland where now, calling himself Jack, he completed grade school. 
  Jack worked hard at several jobs, sometimes 12-18 hours a day, but his dream was university.  He studied hard and borrowed the money to enrol in the summer of 1896 at the University of California in Berkeley. 
  In 1897, at 21, Jack searched out newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and for the name of his biological father. He wrote to Chaney, then living in Chicago, who claimed he could not be Jack’s father because he was impotent and casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men.  Jack, devastated by the response, quit Berkeley and went to the Klondike. Other accounts suggest that his dire finances presented Jack with the excuse he needed to leave. 
  In the Klondike Jack began to gather material for his writing but also accumulated many health problems, including scurvy, which together with hip and leg problems he would carry for the rest of his life. 
  During the late 1890's Jack was regularly publishing short stories and by the turn of the century full blown novels. 
  By 1904 Jack had married, fathered two children and was now in the process of divorcing.  A stint as a reporter on the Russo-Japanese war of 1904 was equal amounts trouble and experience. But that experience was always put to good use in a continuing and remarkable output of work. 
  In 1905 he married Charmian Kittredge who at last was a soul and companion who brought him some semblance of peace despite his advancing alcoholism and his incurable wanderlust. 
  Twelve years later Jack had amassed both wealth and a literary reputation through such classics as ‘The Call of the Wild’, ‘White Fang’ and many others. He had a reputation as a social activist and was a tireless friend of the workers.   
  Jack London died suffering from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism and uremia, aged only 40, on November 22nd 1916 at his property in Glen Elen in California.

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