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First published in 1866, Hugo's story unfolds the life of a reclusive fisherman, Gilliat, who lives on the Isle of Guernsey, where Hugo himself was exiled for a large portion of his life. When Gilliat becomes a young man, he falls in love with Déruchette, the beautiful niece of wealthy ship-owner Lethierry. When Lethierry's steamship mysteriously runs aground, Déruchette, who is in love with the new rector of the island, offers to marry the man who can recover the 'Durande'. Gilliat sets off at once to free the ship, and his feats of ingenuity and strength create some of the most memorable descriptions to be found in a romantic novel. Although the least known of Hugo's masterpieces, this deliberately grandiose tale is by turns a sympathetic, richly detailed account of the hard work of seamanship and exhilarating action, as in the remarkable battle with the octopus. This irresistible novel, written with Hugo's considerable narrative skill, is both captivating and haunting to its ironic conclusion.
The Litigants
The 17th century dramatist Jean Racine was considered, along with Molière and Corneille, as one of the three great playwrights of his era. The quality of Racine's poetry has been described as possibly his most important contribution to French literature and his use of the alexandrine poetic line is one of the best examples of such use noted for its harmony, simplicity and elegance. While critics over the centuries have debated the worth of Jean Racine, at present, he is widely considered a literary genius of revolutionary proportions. In this volume of Racine's plays we find «The Litigants», the fourth of twelve plays by the author. Inspired by Aristophanes' «Wasps», Racine removes all political significance in this farce. As the only comedy by Racine «The Litigants» stands apart from his other works. The action of the story revolves around Judge Dandin, who in his old age has begun to go crazy. Hilarity ensues as Leander, Dandin's son, and Petit Jean, a house porter, attempt to wrangle the out of control patriarch of the family.
The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel
Baroness Emmuska Orczy (1865-1947) was a British novelist, playwright and artist whose noble Hungarian origins afforded her an idyllic childhood and extensive education in the arts at schools in Brussels, Paris and London. In 1903, with the success of a play written by Orczy and her husband based on one of her short stories about an English aristocrat, Orczy rewrote the story as a novel that drew huge sales. As a result, «The Scarlet Pimpernel» cemented Orczy's name in the literary world, and led to over a dozen sequels and countless television, film and musical reproductions. One such sequel is «The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel», which was published in 1919 and consists of eleven short stories about Sir Percy Blakeney and his exploits during the French Revolution. The stories are set in 1793 but are set in no particular order.
How to be a Genius or The Science of Being Great
"How to Be a Genius, or The Science of Being Great" is one of Wallace D. Wattles classic treatises on achieving success through the power of positive thinking. A classic of the new thought movement «How to Be a Genius, or The Science of Being Great» follows on the heels of Wallace's other classic «The Science of Getting Rich».
A Princess of Mars
"A Princess of Mars" is the first tale in the classic Martian novel series of Edgar Rice Burroughs. At the center of the series is the protagonist John Carter, a Confederate Captain of the American Civil War, who finds himself mysteriously transported to the planet Mars. «A Princess of Mars» is both a romantic adventure and a science fiction tale of fantasy. John Carter finds himself captive by large four-armed green men along with the lovely princess of Helium, Dejah Thoris. Between them and a safe escape lies a treacherous landscape of strange creatures and mysterious deadly dangers.
The Witch and Other Stories
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a master of the short story. The son of a former serf in southern Russia, he attended Moscow University to study medicine, writing short stories for periodicals in order to support his family. What began as a necessity became a legitimate career in 1886 when he was asked to write in St. Petersburg for the Novoye Vremya (New Times), owned by millionaire magnate Alexey Suvorin. Chekhov began paying more attention to his writing, revising and developing his own principles and conceptions of truth, for a time coming under the influence of Leo Tolstoy. As a result of his widespread popularity, Chekhov amassed a vast collection of short stories displaying an early use of stream-of-consciousness writing, as well as his powerful ideas concerning the individual, the tedium of life, and the beauty nature and humanity. This edition contains many stories, including «Peasant Wives,» «The Post,» «Dreams,» «Agafya,» «Gusev,» «In the Ravine,» «The Huntsman,» and «Happiness.»
Arms and the Man
One of George Bernard Shaw's most performed and studied plays, «Arms and the Man» is a classic example of Shaw's comedic wit. Set during the Serbo-Bulgarian war, «Arms and the Man» is a biting social commentary on the conflict that occurs in both love and war. Raina Petkoff, who is engaged to a young soldier by the name of Sergius, has a romantic notion of war. That is until an escaping soldier by the name of Bluntschli tries to convince her otherwise.
The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt
Regarded as one of the greatest Presidents of The United States, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) led a full and vibrant life that reflected his storied personality and presence. «The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt» is an invaluable literary work and a true gift to readers, as it is a glimpse into the psyche of such an enigmatic historical figure. Roosevelt led a life rich in accomplishments not limited to his being the youngest president in US history. He was a courageous soldier, posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor for his creation and leadership of the Rough Riders in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He was also the first American to win a Nobel Peace prize, which he received for his negotiation of the end of the Russo-Japanese War. In addition, Roosevelt was an adventurer with a taste for hunting and exploring, especially in South America, where a river is named after him. His iconic slogan, «Speak softly and carry a big stick,» is still quoted and embodied by politicians to this very day, exemplifying his indelible impact on the history of the United States.
Iphigenia, Phaedra, Athaliah
The 17th century dramatist Jean Racine was considered, along with Molière and Corneille, as one of the three great playwrights of his era. The quality of Racine's poetry has been described as possibly his most important contribution to French literature and his use of the alexandrine poetic line is one of the best examples of such use noted for its harmony, simplicity and elegance. While critics over the centuries have debated the worth of Jean Racine, at present, he is widely considered a literary genius of revolutionary proportions. In this volume of Racine's plays we find «Iphigenia, Phaedra, Athaliah», three of the most popular of the author's dramas. In «Iphigenia» we find the titular daughter of Agamemnon, King of the Greeks, who must sacrifice his daughter in order to set sail for war. In «Phaedra», we have the classic story from Greek mythology concerning its titular character who though married to Theseus falls in love with Hippolytus. And finally in «Athaliah» we find the biblical story of Athaliah, widow of the king of Judah, who rules the country as Queen regnant.
The Complete Christmas Books and Stories of Charles Dickens
This edition brings together the complete Christmas books and short stories of Charles Dickens. While readers will be most familiar with «The Christmas Carol» in which Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who endeavor to show him the error of his miserly ways just in time for Christmas, Dickens also wrote four other Christmas themed books. These include «The Chimes», the story of Toby «Trotty» Veck, a poor working-class man who has lost his faith in humanity and believes that his poverty is the result of his unworthiness; «The Cricket on the Hearth», the story of John Peerybingle and his family who are visited by a guardian angel in the form of a cricket who is constantly chirping on their hearth; «The Battle of Life» a charmingly uplifting and romantic Christmas story; and «The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain», which is the story of Redlaw, a chemistry teacher constantly brooding over the grief caused by wrongs done to him in the past. Along with these novels is included a complete collection of Dickens' Christmas short stories which include the following: A Christmas Tree, What Christmas is as We Grow Older, The Poor Relation's Story, The Child's Story, The Schoolboy's Story, Nobody's Story, The Seven Poor Travellers, The Holly-Tree, The Wreck of the Golden Mary, The Perils of Certain English Prisoners, Going into Society, The Haunted House, A Message from the Sea, Tom Tiddler's Ground, Somebody's Luggage, Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings, Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy, Doctor Marigold, The Trial for Murder, The Signal-Man, Mugby Junction, and No Thoroughfare.