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Скачивание или чтение онлайн электронных книг.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (with an Introduction by Brander Matthews)
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is considered by many to be the greatest of all American novels. This sequel to Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” is a first person narrative told by its title character. The novel picks up where “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” leaves off. Huck Finn who is now wealthy with the discovery of treasure at the end of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” finds himself in great danger from his abusive drunkard father who wishes to cash in on Huck’s fortune. Fearing for his life Huck believes that he must run away from his home with the Widow Douglas and her Sister, Miss Watson. Huck fakes his own death and escapes to Jackson’s Island. There he finds Miss Watson’s escaped slave, Jim. Together they escape down the Mississippi River on a raft. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a story told in the time of slavery with language that embodies the regional dialects that are common to Twain’s work and the Mississippi River Valley in which Twain grew up. The novel is as much a biting and satirical commentary on slavery, religion, and civilized society as it is a light-hearted comedy and buddy travel story through Midwestern 19th century America. This edition includes an introduction by Brander Matthews and a biographical afterword.
Meditations (Translated by George Long with an Introduction by Alice Zimmern)
Marcus Aurelius was born in Rome in 121 AD and would become its Emperor from 161 to 180. Considered by Machiavelli as the last of the good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius would become one of the most important of the Stoic philosophers. Educated in oratory, he would turn aside from rhetoric to the study of the Stoic philosophy, of which he was the last distinguished representative. The «Meditations,» which he wrote in Greek, are among the most noteworthy expressions of this system, and exhibit it favorably on its practical side. The work is a series of twelve books that he intended for his own guidance and self-improvement, which picture with faithfulness the mind and character of this noblest of the Emperors. Simple in style and sincere in tone, they record for all time the height reached by pagan aspiration in its effort to solve the problem of conduct. In Marcus Aurelius’s practice of this philosophy along with his teaching he showed that “even in a palace life may be led well.” This edition follows the highly-regarded translation of George Long and includes an introduction by Alice Zimmern.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories
“The Death of Ivan Ilyich” tells a tale of a man in his 40s who has spent his entire life climbing the social ladder in Russia. Barely tolerant of his wife and generally indifferent to the other people around him, Ivan has a minor accident hanging curtains in a new apartment that proves to be a terminal injury. As his life slowly and painfully spirals inexorably toward death, Ivan struggles immensely against what he perceives to be an unfair fate. Only in the end does he see how he might have lived a different and more authentic life. In this and the other short stories of this collection the themes of loss and death are brilliantly explored by one of the world’s greatest writers. Also included in this collection are the following other stories: “The Invaders” (or “The Raid”), “The Wood-Cutting Expedition,” “Three Deaths,” “Polikushka,” “After the Dance,” and “The Forged Coupon.” This edition follows the translations of Benjamin R. Tucker and Nathan Haskell Dole.
Les Miserables (Translated by Isabel F. Hapgood)
Victor Hugo’s literary masterpiece, “Les Miserables,” was first published in 1862 and would ultimately establish the author as one of the most gifted and influential writers of his time. The novel is principally concerned with the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean, a man who is initially imprisoned for stealing bread for his starving family, and because of numerous escape attempts ends up being imprisoned for a period of nineteen years. Jean Valjean, despite his efforts to become a force for good in the world cannot escape the consequences of his criminal past. The novel paints a picture of nineteen century Paris, in all its gritty detail, as a time of great conflict. Themes of moral redemption, politics, justice, and human rights are vividly expressed as Hugo follows the lives and struggles of the lower classes of Parisian society in the 19th century. This sprawling epic is at once a brilliant fictional narrative and a sharp criticism of the social and economic injustice that the countless impoverished peoples of the world have faced. A tale of heroism and love, “Les Miserables,” is justifiably regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written. This edition follows the translation of Isabel F. Hapgood.
The Flowers of Evil and Paris Spleen (with an Introduction by James Huneker)
Upon its original publication in 1857 Charles Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal” or “The Flowers of Evil” was embroiled in controversy. Within a month of its publication the French authorities brought an action against the author and the book’s publisher claiming that the work was an insult to public decency. Eventually the French courts would acknowledge the literary merit of Baudelaire’s work but ordered that six poems in particular should be banned from subsequent publication. In this edition we reproduce the 1861 edition along with the six censored poems. Also included in this volume is the collection of 51 short prose poems by Charles Baudelaire entitled “Paris Spleen” which was first published posthumously in 1869. Inspired by Aloysius Bertrand’s “Gaspard de la Nuit – Fantaisies à la manière de Rembrandt et de Callot” or “Gaspard of the Night – Fantasies in the Manner of Rembrandt and Callot,” Baudelaire remarked that he had read Bertrand’s work at least twenty times for starting “Paris Spleen.” A commentary on Parisian contemporary life, Baudelaire remarked on his work that “These are the flowers of evil again, but with more freedom, much more detail, and much more mockery.” Rich with symbolism, these works are rightly considered classics of the modernist literary movement. This edition includes an introduction by James Huneker.
The Sonnets (Annotated by Henry N. Hudson with an Introduction by Charles Harold Herford)
First published in 1609, “The Sonnets” of William Shakespeare are a collection of 154 loosely connected 14 line poems. Considered by many to be among some of the greatest love poetry ever written much debate surrounds the context of the poetry. It has been suggested that the work may be semi-autobiographical but no real evidence firmly supports this notion. The themes of the poems contained within this volume are varied and include such subjects as the passage of time, love, beauty, and mortality. Some scholars have interpreted the collection as a parody of the 300-year-old tradition of Petrarchan love sonnets. This analysis arises out of the fact that Shakespeare inverts conventional gender roles creating a more complex depiction of human love. Seen as a new type of love poetry when first written, “The Sonnets” largely languished in obscurity until the renewed interest in Shakespeare’s work which accompanied the Romantic literary movement of the 19th century. Regardless of Shakespeare’s intent behind the writing of “The Sonnets”, these poems can be appreciated individually or as a whole as examples of William Shakespeare’s true literary genius. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.
Othello (Annotated by Henry N. Hudson with an Introduction by Charles Harold Herford)
A tightly constructed drama which is regarded as one of the William Shakespeare’s finest; “Othello” is the story of its titular character, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. Othello secretly marries Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio, who disapproves of the union. The marriage draws the contempt of Roderigo, a wealthy gentleman of low moral character who is in love with Desdemona and has asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago is an ensign under the command of Othello who is angry for being passed over for promotion. Iago plots against Othello by convincing him that his wife is having an adulterous affair with Cassio, whom he has been passed over by for promotion. As the web of deceit is woven a series of tragic events begins to unfold for all those involved. Based upon a 16th century short story entitled “A Moorish Captain” by Italian novelist and poet Cinthio, “Othello,” masterfully dramatizes the tragic consequences that can arise from jealous deceit. This edition is annotated by Henry N. Hudson, includes an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.
The Best Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (Illustrated by Harry Clarke with an Introduction by Edmund Clarence Stedman)
Some of the most popular horror and mystery stories of all time are collected together here in “The Best Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe.” A master of the macabre, Poe exhibits his literary prowess in these chilling and classic tales. Included in this collection is “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the story of a man and his sister who suffer from a strange, debilitating illness. Her death drives him to the point of madness as their fragile mansion falls along with the Usher family line. One of Poe’s most famous stories, it is a masterpiece of Gothic literature. Also included in this collection is “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” considered one of the world’s first detective stories, which concerns the curious circumstances surrounding a double homicide in France. The emotional tone of fear and trepidation evoked in Poe’s work has often been imitated but seldom duplicated. The influence of Poe’s writing cannot be overstated, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once wrote, in his short stories there “is a root from which a whole literature has developed.” This collection includes twenty-eight of Poe’s best tales, an introduction by Edmund Clarence Stedman, a biographical afterword, and is illustrated by Harry Clarke.
The Iliad (Translated into prose by Samuel Butler with an Introduction by H. L. Havell)
Due to a lack of biographical evidence regarding the identity of Homer it has been suggested that the two great works attributed to him, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” may, in fact, be the work of multiple authors passed down through a long oral tradition. While scholarship on the subject will likely never definitely prove one way or the other, it is now generally accepted that these two great epic poems are the work of a single Greek author, Homer, who lived sometime during the 9th century BC. Set during a few weeks in the final year of the Trojan War, “The Iliad” is a classical epic poem concerning a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. While encompassing just a brief period of the Trojan War the poem relates events leading up to and following the few weeks that encompass the setting of the poem giving the reader a comprehensive perspective of the Trojan War. Part romanticized historical narrative, part mythological epic, the “Iliad” is widely recognized as one of the most important works from classical antiquity. Along with the “Odyssey,” it would establish Homer as one the most influential authors to ever have lived. This edition follows the prose translation of Samuel Butler and includes an introduction by H. L. Havell.
The Iliad (Translated into verse by Alexander Pope with an Introduction and notes by Theodore Alois Buckley)
Due to a lack of biographical evidence regarding the identity of Homer it has been suggested that the two great works attributed to him, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” may, in fact, be the work of multiple authors passed down through a long oral tradition. While scholarship on the subject will likely never definitely prove one way or the other, it is now generally accepted that these two great epic poems are the work of a single Greek author, Homer, who lived sometime during the 9th century BC. Set during a few weeks in the final year of the Trojan War, “The Iliad” is a classical epic poem concerning a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. While encompassing just a brief period of the Trojan War the poem relates events leading up to and following the few weeks that encompass the setting of the poem giving the reader a comprehensive perspective of the Trojan War. Part romanticized historical narrative, part mythological epic, the “Iliad” is widely recognized as one of the most important works from classical antiquity. Along with the “Odyssey,” it would establish Homer as one the most influential authors to ever have lived. This edition follows the verse translation of Alexander Pope, and includes an introduction and notes by Theodore Alois Buckley.