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First published serially between 1859 and 1860, “The Woman in White” is Wilkie Collins’s epistolary novel that tells the tale of Walter Hartright, who encounters a woman all dressed in white on a moonlit road in Hampstead. Hartright helps the woman to find her way back to London. The woman warns him against an unnamed baronet and after they part he discovers that she may have escaped from an insane asylum. Hartright travels to Cumberland where he takes up a position as the art tutor of Laura Fairlie and her devoted half-sister, Marian Halcombe, who are somehow entangled with this mysterious “woman in white”. Wilkie Collins’s fifth published novel, “The Woman in White” is considered one of the earliest examples of the mystery genre, an early work of detective fiction, and one of the finest examples of sensationalist literature. While the novel was a commercial success when first published it was harshly reviewed by critics of the age. Since that time it has come to be regarded as a groundbreaking work of the mystery genre, one of Collins’s best. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
Henry V (Annotated by Henry N. Hudson with an Introduction by Charles Harold Herford)
Believed to have been written in 1599, William Shakespeare’s “Henry V” forms the final installment of a tetralogy of plays which includes “Richard II”, “Henry IV, Part I”, and “Henry IV, Part II”. The play focuses on the events surrounding the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years’ War. Henry, who is introduced in the earlier plays as a wild and undisciplined youth, has now come of age and ascended to the thrown following the death of his father, King Henry IV. At the outset of the play we find the English fleet embarking for France in pursuit of conquest of the nation just across the English Channel. At this time a plot to assassinate the King by the Earl of Cambridge and two others is discovered. Henry’s cleverness in uncovering the plot and the ruthlessness in which he deals with the conspirators exhibits that his immaturity of youth, exhibited in earlier plays, has now past and that he has grown into a competent monarch. “Henry V”, along with the other plays of the tetralogy, provides an incredible dramatic portrayal of an important chapter in the long military conflict between two of the most powerful of European nations, England and France. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson and an introduction by Charles Harold Herford.
A Doll's House (Translated by R. Farquharson Sharp with an Introduction by William Archer)
First performed at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 21, 1879, “A Doll’s House” is one of Henrik Ibsen’s most famous plays. It is the story of Nora Helmer who has secretly borrowed a large sum of money to help her husband recover from a serious illness, sometime prior to the beginning of the play. Nora who has borrowed this money by forging her father’s signature soon fears that her secret will be discovered when her husband, Torvald, becomes director of the bank and fires an associate, Nils Krogstad, who knows of Nora’s transgression. When Krogstad threatens to reveal Nora’s secret, she begs her husband not to reinstate him, however, he refuses. The tension that arises in Nora and Torvald’s marriage ultimately comes to a head when Torvald finally learns of the forgery. A gripping drama about a failing, loveless marriage, “A Doll’s House” was very controversial when it debuted, because of its critical attitude toward 19th-century marriage norms. Ibsen himself believed that the male dominated society of the 19th-century society failed to allow women to truly be themselves, and thus advocated, through his work, for an advancement of women’s rights. This edition includes an introduction by William Archer.
The Communist Manifesto (with an Introduction by Algernon Lee)
First published in 1848, “The Communist Manifesto” is a political pamphlet by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which initiated in one of the greatest movements of political change that the world has ever seen. At the heart of the economic writings of Marx and Engels is the materialist conception of history, or that productive capacity is the primary organizing factor of society. This conception gives rise to the fundamental inequality that exists between the socioeconomic classes. By controlling the means of production, the wealthy, or “bourgeoisie,” gain a power over the working class, or “proletariat.” The writings of Marx and Engels would brilliantly expose the causes of the vast division between socioeconomic classes that had existed throughout history. From its initial publication “The Communist Manifesto” was intended to help unite the working class in a common goal of forming a political party based on the philosophies of communism. To that aim, it was very successful and helped to unleash a wave of sweeping political change across the globe. This edition includes an introduction by Algernon Lee.
Pygmalion (Illustrated by May Wilson Preston)
First performed in 1913, “Pygmalion” is George Bernard’s Shaw’s play regarding two scholars of phonetics, Professor Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering, trying to test their theories on an unsuspecting flower girl. When Higgins boasts he could pass anyone off as a lord or lady simply by teaching them to speak right, Pickering wagers that he can’t and offers to pay for the speech lessons of Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower girl. Eliza accepts the offer for speech lessons because she wants to lose her Cockney accent so she can get a job in a flower shop. A satire of the superficiality of distinctions between social classes, “Pygmalion” is one of Shaw’s most famous comedies, the subject of numerous stage productions. Forever immortalized by the multiple Academy award-winning motion picture “My Fair Lady”, this play is sure to endure as a dramatic classic for years to come. This edition includes the illustrations by May Wilson Preston which appeared in the first serialized American edition.
The Histories (Translated by George Rawlinson with an Introduction by George Swayne and a Preface by H. L. Havell)
Widely referred to as the “Father of History”, Greek Historian Herodotus lived during the 5th century BC and “The Histories” is generally accepted as the first work of historical literature in Western Civilization. Departing from the ancient Homeric tradition of treating historical subjects as epically romantic figures, Herodotus instead approached his subjects with a systematic method of investigation. “The Histories” of Herodotus describe the important wars of the fifth century BC. This work conveys the careful research and deliberate documentation of martial battles between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire. The reasons for his efforts, as explained by Herodotus, were to preserve the memory and glory of human achievements and deeds, as well as to record why the Greco-Persian Wars took place. Organized in nine books, which are named after the Muses, he unfolds the various battles while making a comparison of the widely differing governments of the antagonists. In undertaking his “Histories,” Herodotus unfolds a holistic view of the classical world with considerable narrative skill and charisma. This edition follows the translation of George Rawlinson, includes an introduction by George Swayne, and a preface by H. L. Havell.
Black Beauty (Illustrated by Robert L. Dickey)
First published in 1877, “Black Beauty” is Anna Sewell’s classic tale of a horse living in 19th century England. Having been injured in early childhood, Anna Sewell would have difficulty walking for most of her life. As such she had to rely on horse-drawn carriages to get around. It was this experience that inspired her love of horses. “Black Beauty” is a fictional autobiography told from the perspective of the horse. This use of an anthropomorphic protagonist was ground-breaking for its time. The novel follows the story of a young colt through his life, from his early carefree days with his mother on an English farm, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, and ultimately to his happy retirement in the countryside. Black Beauty’s experiences are one of both cruelty and kindness as he passes from master to master. The novel masterfully explores the relation between men and animals and strives to impress upon the reader that all animals should be treated with kindness and compassion. An instant bestseller ever since its original publication, “Black Beauty” has inspired millions of readers with its endearing story and compassionate plea for the ethical treatment of animals. This edition is illustrated by Robert L. Dickey.
Gulliver's Travels (Illustrated by Milo Winter with an Introduction by George R. Dennis)
A parody of traveler’s tales and a satire of human nature, “Gulliver’s Travels” is Jonathan Swift’s most famous work which was first published in 1726. An immensely popular tale ever since its original publication, “Gulliver’s Travels” is the story of its titular character, Lemuel Gulliver, a man who loves to travel. A series of four journeys are detailed in which Gulliver finds himself in a number of amusing and precarious situations. In the first voyage, Gulliver is imprisoned by a race of tiny people, the Lilliputians, when following a shipwreck he is washed upon the shores of their island country. In his second voyage Gulliver finds himself abandoned in Brobdingnag, a land of giants, where he is exhibited for their amusement. In his third voyage, Gulliver once again finds himself marooned; fortunately he is rescued by the flying island of Laputa, a kingdom devoted to the arts of music and mathematics. He subsequently travels to the surrounding lands of Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan. Finally in his last voyage, when he is set adrift by a mutinous crew, he finds himself in the curious Country of the Houyhnhnms. Through the various experiences of Gulliver, Swift brilliantly satirizes the political and cultural environment of his time in addition to creating a lasting and enchanting tale of fantasy. This edition is illustrated by Milo Winter and includes an introduction by George R. Dennis.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Illustrated)
First published in 1883, Howard Pyle’s “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood” is arguably the most popular rendering of the legend of Robin Hood, the yeoman-thief of Sherwood Forest. Each chapter offers new and exciting stories, including the famous scenes of Little John and his staff besting Robin on the bridge, Robin winning the golden arrow at the Sheriff of Nottingham’s archery contest, his complicity with courageous Will Scarlet and musical Alan-a-Dale, the continual outsmarting of the Sheriff, and many others. This timeless children’s classic transforms the sly Robin Hood of medieval ballads into a hero who exemplifies justice, fair play, generosity, and compassion. Beautifully illustrated with Pyle’s original artwork, no other version of the Robin Hood legend has received as much veneration and enjoyment from readers of all ages in the past one hundred years as has this 19th century classic.
The Wealth of Nations (with Introductions by Ernest Belfort Bax and Edwin R. A. Seligman)
The foundation for all modern economic thought and political economy, «The Wealth of Nations» is the magnum opus of Scottish economist Adam Smith, who introduces the world to the very idea of economics and capitalism in the modern sense of the words. Smith details his argument in the following five books: Book I. Of the Causes of Improvement in the productive Power of Labour, Book II. Of the Nature, Accumulation, and Employment of Stock Introduction, Book III. Of the Different Progress of Opulence in Different Nations, Book IV. Of Systems of Political Economy, and Book V. Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or Commonwealth; which taken together form a giant leap forward in the field of economics. A product of the «Age of Enlightenment,» «The Wealth of Nations» is a must read for all who wish to gain a better understanding of the principles upon which all modern capitalistic economies have been founded and the process of wealth creation that is engendered by those principles. This unabridged edition includes introductions by Ernest Belfort Bax and Edwin R. A. Seligman.