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The Mill on the Floss - The Original Classic Edition

Powerful and moving, The Mill on the Floss is considered to be George Eliots most autobiographical novel. Along with Middlemarch it is my favorite. Set in early 19th century England – St. Oggs, Lincolnshire to be exact – this is the tale of gifted, free-spirited Maggie Tulliver and her selfish, spoiled brother, Tom, who were born and raised at Dorlcote Mill on the River Floss. Eliots portrayal of sibling relationships is terribly poignant and plays a major part in the novel, as does the longstanding rivalry between two local families – the Tullivers and the Wakems. From earliest childhood Maggie worships her brother Tom, and longs to win his approval, and that of her parents. However, her fierce intelligence and strong streak of independence bring her into constant conflict with her family. She finds, in literature, the kindness and love she longs for in life. …everybody in the world seemed so hard and unkind to Maggie: there was no indulgence, no fondness, such as she imagined when she fashioned the world afresh in her own thoughts. In books there were people who were always agreeable or tender, and delighted to do things that made one happy, and who did not show their kindness by finding fault. The world outside the books was not a happy one Maggie felt. If life had no love in it, what else was there for Maggie? Her nature, complex, passionate, sensuous, noble, intellectualized, and spiritualized, is of great importance to this novel, as is the pathos of her relationship with Tom. As she reaches adulthood, Maggie finds herself torn between her relationships with three extremely different men: her proud, stubborn brother, Tom; Philip Wakem, a beloved friend who is also the son of her familys worst enemy; and a charismatic but unacceptable suitor. When Tom is thrown suddenly into the role of adult, after his fathers death, he becomes obsessed with acquiring social status and power. He attempts to arrange a socially advantageous marriage for Maggie, and when she refuses, he severs ties with her. I wont spoil your read with any further discussion of the novels details, especially the dramatic conclusion. George Eliot writes with a keen sense of humor, especially when addressing the grotesque in the human character. Her narrative has great depth, as insight to character and social observations are more important to Eliot than pace and action. The Mill On The Floss is deeply romantic – a work of great beauty and a literary classic. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The Mill On The Floss is based partially on Eliots, (born Mary Ann Evans), own experiences with her family and her brother Isaac, who was three years older than she. Eliots father, like Mr. Tulliver, was a businessman who had married a woman from a higher social class. His wifes sisters were rich, ultra-respectable, and self-satisfied. These maternal aunts provided the character models for the aunts in the novel. Like Maggie, Eliot was extremely intelligent, energetic, imaginative and unconventional. She did not fit traditional models of feminine beauty or behavior, causing her family a great deal of consternation. Eliot lived with a man who she had not married – a daring enterprise in Victorian England. By the time this novel was published, she had gained considerable notoriety as an immoral woman.

Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England - The Original Classic Edition

Bede the

This book is a must read for anyone studying English history. It was completed by the monk Bede in 731 AD and contains a wealth of material he gathered from sources available at that time. He provided an overview of Roman emperors, and gives accounts of conflicts within the Roman empire and particularly within Briton. He provided a good account of Saxons and other invaders and their conflicts with the Romano-Britons. He also provided various sidelights including accounts of miracle cures using holy relics. Unfortuneately, the material is often all too brief, and the original sources seem to have vanished in the dust. For example, the uprising (led by the warrior queen Boadicea) against the Romans in 61 A.D. is described by Bede in a single sentence in the Greater Chronicle (4021) when, writing of Nero, he states this emperor attempted nothing of a military kind, and even nearly lost Britain, where two of the finest towns were captured and sacked (he is somewhat in error as three towns were burned to the ground, and the entire Roman Ninth Legion was massacred). Chapters are very short, e.g., less than a page. I originally became interested while looking for material on King Arthur. Bede noted in Chapter 11 that after Gratian died, in 407, in his place Constantine, a worthless soldier of the lowest rank, was elected in Britain solely on account of the promise of his name and with no other virtue to recommend him. This Constantine challenged the Romans in Gaul and was defeated and killed by the Roman officer Constantius. It is probable that this Constantine is the one alleged to be the grandfather of Arthur, but no solid connection is found (the name Constantine seems to have been fairly common). In Chapter 16, Bede again refers to the Britons after invaders (Saxons, etc.) had ravaged the land. Bede notes, in reference to the Britons, Their leader at that time was a certain Ambrosius Aurelianus, a discreet man, who was, as it happened, the sole member of the Roman race who had survived this storm in which his parents, who bore a royal and famous name, had perished. Under his leadership the Britons regained their strength… Bede then briefly mentions Mount Badon and goes on to discuss other things (this account appears to have been taken from the monk Gildas, On the Ruin of Britain, written circa 520/540 A.D. – the decisive battle at Mount Badon was circa 516 A.D.). In the Greater Chronicle (4444), Bede again briefly mentions Ambrosius Aurelianus and his parents, who had worn the purple… The book is sometimes a little hard to follow chronologically because sometimes he gives an actual year AD, and sometimes he gives a particular year in some emperors reign, e.g., the ninth year in the reign of Emperor so-and-so. It is somewhat heavy on religious detail, e.g., providing the complete statements by Pope Gregory on allowable marriages between related men and women and on relations between husbands and wives.

A Text-Book of the History of Painting - The Original Classic Edition

Dyke John

The limited time given to the study of art in the average educational institution has not only dictated the condensed style of the volumes, but has limited their scope of matter to the general features of art history. Archæological discussions on special subjects and æsthetic theories have been avoided. The main facts of history as settled by the best authorities are given. TABLE OF CONTENTS: General Bibliography xv, Introduction xvii CHAPTER I. Egyptian Painting 1, CHAPTER II. Chaldæo-Assyrian, Persian, Phœnician, Cypriote, and Asia Minor Painting 10, CHAPTER III. Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Painting 21, CHAPTER IV. Italian Painting-Early Christian and Mediæval Period, 200-1250 36, CHAPTER V. Italian Painting-Gothic Period, 1250-1400 47, CHAPTER VI. Italian Painting-Early Renaissance, 1400-1500 57, CHAPTER VII. Italian Painting-Early Renaissance, 1400-1500, Continued 73, CHAPTER VIII. Italian Painting-High Renaissance, 1500-1600 86, CHAPTER IX. Italian Painting-High Renaissance, 1500-1600, Continued 99, CHAPTER X. Italian Painting-High Renaissance, 1500-1600, Continued 110, CHAPTER XI. Italian Painting-The Decadence and Modern Work, 1600-1894 122, CHAPTER XII. French Painting-Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries 132, CHAPTER XIII. French Painting-Nineteenth Century 143, CHAPTER XIV. French Painting-Nineteenth Century, Continued 156, CHAPTER XV. Spanish Painting 172, CHAPTER XVI. Flemish Painting 186, CHAPTER XVII. Dutch Painting 203, CHAPTER XVIII. German Painting 223, CHAPTER XIX. British Painting 241, CHAPTER XX., American Painting 260, Postscript 276, Index 279 This is a high quality book of the original classic edition. This is a freshly published edition of this culturally important work, which is now, at last, again available to you. Enjoy this classic work. These few paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside: The first important records of this art are met with in Egypt; but before the Egyptian civilization the men of the early ages probably used color in ornamentation and decoration, and they certainly scratched the outlines of men and animals upon bone and slate. …Substantially the same method of painting was used upon other materials, such as wood, mummy cartonnage, papyrus; and in all its thousands of years of existence Egyptian painting never advanced upon or varied to any extent this one method of work. …EXTANT PAINTINGS: The temples, palaces, and tombs of Egypt still reveal Egyptian painting in almost as perfect a state as when originally executed; the Ghizeh Museum has many fine examples; and there are numerous examples in the museums at Turin, Paris, Berlin, London, New York, and Boston.

Selected Essays - The Original Classic Edition

Marx Karl

This is an excellent selection of the writings of Karl Marx. This includes many writings which do not make it into the usual Marx/Engels Readers; Writings including Marxs Letters, his criticism of Bakunin, more writings on economics than in the usual Reader, and so on. The book is one of the most valuable tomes of Marxism Ive bought. Id recommend anyone interested in the thought of Karl Marx to get this book; If one is interested in both the writings of Marx and Engels, Id recommend they get this book. This is the best Marx anthology available. Aside from selections taken from all of Marxs major works, it contains lesser-known selections on a variety of topics. The whole presents a steady stream of selections through Marxs life. Consequently, it gives the length and breadth of Marxs writing without burying you in a life-time of reading. Short explanatory introductions help place the selections in Marxs development and in broader history.

The Lost Continent - The Original Classic Edition

Burroughs Edgar

For two hundred years, a civilized America had cut off all contact with the war-ruined Eastern Hemisphere until such places as Europe and Great Britain had become mere legends. Then Jefferson Turck dared take his U.S. aero-sub across the 30th Longitude West on the mission of a new Columbus, and a fascinating voyage of discovery. First published in 1915, the motivations for this story are obvious. The nations of the western hemisphere have taken an extreme isolationist stance in the early years of World War I, to the point that 200 years later they do not even know whether anything or anyone has survived the massive armed conflagration that began in the early 20th century. The hero inadvertently gets stranded in Europe and makes all of the startling discoveries of the outcome of the conflict and ensuing 200 years. The story is ERBs standard fare. However, like many of his books from this period, there are a few themes to the story that are of interest above and beyond the light adventure story. The elements foremost in this novel are the destructive nature of war and racism. There is also a certain amount of naivete from the period and the relative newness of the United States as a world power. Most of Burroughs books are good reading for pre-teen to early adolescent, and nostalgic adults; this one is no exception. I consider this a must have for anyone who likes sci-fi/fantasy.

The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter - The Original Classic Edition

Potter Beatrix

Although the recommended age range is 4 to 8, I can speak from our own familys experience that 2 is not to young to start learning from the richness of the prose; neither is 63 to old to be enchanted all over again by the animal characters drawn upon her days living in the pastoral region of Lake Windermere, England. One can picture Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck and friends in the ponds, woods and hedgerows of that gentle region. I had several of the small Beatrix Potter books as a child. The stories enchanted me, and the books were just the right size for my hands. This book is much bigger. It also includes more stories than my original collection–nineteen. It is easy to find the Peter Rabbit stories and some of the others in the small books–but some of the stories in this book (such as the wonderful The Story Of A Fierce Bad Rabbit) Ive never seen for sale in individual form. So, if you loved these stories as a child or if you want to introduce them to a child in your life, this large and beautiful book is a good choice.

Spirits in bondage; a cycle of lyrics - The Original Classic Edition

Lewis C

Published a few months after the end of the Great War as part of the vogue for soldier poets, this verse cycle (a prologue and 40 poems) was C. S. Lewis first book. The poet was not yet 21, and his world view was dominated by two principles: rage-filled atheism (I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing. I was equally angry with Him for creating a world.) and romantic longing (in the words of the prologue, Sing about the Hidden Country fresh and full of quiet green/ Sailing over seas uncharted to a port that none has seen). In the long run, these proved incompatible. In 1919 they rested side by side. In the first 21 poems of the cycle (The Prison House), the former predominates. In the second half (Hesitation and The Escape), an occult-tinged search for a spiritual world that may or may not actually exist offers release from bondage, climaxing in the finale Death in Battle (xl), with its stirring yet poignant first stanza: Open the gates for me,/ Open the gates of the peaceful castle, rosy in the West,/ In the sweet dim Isle of Apples over the wide seas breast,/ Open the gates for me! Death in Battle is distinctly the highlight, as well as the conclusion, of the cycle. The beginning is also good, a bleak, powerful Satan Speaks (i): I am Nature, the Mighty Mother,/ I am the law: ye have none other. In between are striking lines (And here he builds a nebula, and there he slays a sun (Ode for New Years Day (viii))) but also many collections of images that fail to cohere (the two poems entitled Night (ix and xxix)) and much bald exposition that gains nothing from being set in verse (Dungeon Grates (xv), an apparent attempt to spell out the philosophy underlying Richard Lovelaces famous To Althea, From Prison). I know that Lewis is mostly known for his books, but these poems have images in them that have remained in my mind for several years after Ive read them…the imagery, and the ideas, is what really works in these poems. Also, it is very interesting to read what Lewis wrote before he became a Christian; since most of his writings are religious. The creativity and keen spiritual insights that have made C.S. Lewis the most renowned Christian writer of the modern era combine with eloquent poetry to reveal the writers struggles, hopes and nightmares that predate his conversion to Christianity. This book of poems illustrates his yearning for truth and salvation by revealing his images God, man and Satan in delightful, rhyming lyrics. The intellectual and spiritual force present in these poems create a powerful edge rarely matched. Readers will discern the drive that eventually leads Lewis to find his hearts delight. This is a must-have for those who have appreciated Lewis other writings.

The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram" 1910-1912 - The Original Classic Edition

Amundsen Roald

Recent years have seen a re-examination of the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration. Roland Huntford in his excellent books The Last Place on Earth and Shackleton helped to debunk the myth of the glorious failure (Scott the Martyr) as an example to follow. The greatest tale of this age was surrounded by no great tales of hardship, no honeyed or sanitised versions of the deed. In this book we hear in the words of the greatest exponent of the art of polar travel, the story of that rarest of plans – the perfectly executed coup. For a coup it was. When Amundsen turned from the North Pole to the South after the question of the great nail had been settled by Cook & Peary, his decision was treated in many sectors (most notably an unbalanced and jingoistic British Press) as underhanded and double dealing. Amundens account of the reasoning behind it makes clear that any deceit was necessary to ensure no forestalling of his plans by others – not only Scott. To ensure the future of his extended plan (the drift across the Arctic which was eventually carried out in the Maud) he knew the Press Barons would need an exclusive and juicy story. The South Pole would give him this currency. The book is written in an honest and clean style – an extension of the Man and his nature. The hardships faced are almost disguised by the simple tale of their telling. To strike up an unknown glacier and forge his way over virgin ground on the way to the polar plateau and the Pole itself displays fortitude and grit we can only marvel at in todays world. But his description of the task is hidden behind a work-a-day narrative. To truly appreciate the splendour of the achievement is difficult in our modern era. One cannot help but admire the total outcome of the plan. There are few tales in history and few great men who can truly say they accomplished exactly what they set out to do in the manner in which they planned. Those who can are Masters of their field. Amundsen is such a man – and master. A feature of this book is the credit given by Amundsen to those who went with him. Where others claimed responsibility for the great deeds of their men, Amundsen retreats to the background and gives the credit to those who did the act. Natural humility is a trait of the Norwegian nature and Amundsen shows this in the writing of the book. There is no playing to the crowd but deeds are allowed to speak for themselves. To appreciate the tale, read the book and marvel.

The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete - The Original Classic Edition

Tranquillus Gaius

In historical study there are two types of literature. Secondary sources are written based on the original writings which are known as Primary sources. If you want to lern about the earliest Roman Emperors this source is indispensable. True, some of it is not historical and Suetonius is somewhat of a gossip monger at times, seeing as he explains in detail the various sexual appetites of each Caesar as well as other deviant behaviour. Still, this is one of the foremost primary sources about those famous Romans and most of the history books written on the Caesars are standing on Suetonius shoulders. Not much is known about the life of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillis. He was probably born in A.D. 69–the famous year of four Emperors–when his father, a Roman knight, served as a colonel in a regular legion and took part in the Battle of Baetricum. Suetonius became a scribe and noted secretary to the military set, eventually ending up in the service of Hadrian, who was emperor from A.D. 117-138. He was dismissed for indiscreet behaviour with Hadrians empress, Sabina, but not before doing sufficient research to complete many books of a historical nature. His attempts at philosophy were much less well received, and most of his history has been overlooked by all but classical scholars, but this work, The Twelve Caesars has held the imagination of more than just the scholarly set since it was first written. Suetonius had the good fortune of speaking to eyewitnesses from the time of the early Caesars. Much of his information about Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero in fact comes from those who observed and/or participated in their lives. Suetonius is in many ways more of a reporter than an historian–he would record conflicting statements without worrying about the reconciliation (this set him apart from Tacitus and other classical historians who tried to find a consistency in stories and facts. Suetonius has been described as the tabloid journalist of ancient Rome, because not only did he not appear to check facts (which in fact is not true–he did check, he just didnt try to smooth over the conflicting facts), but he choose to concentrate on the private lives, motivations and personality quirks of his subjects rather than their grand plans, policies and military/political victories. Thus, many details of the lurid scene appear. Suetonius, and this volume in particular, formed much of the basis for Robert Graves as he wrote I, Claudius and Claudius the God, which in turn pulled up the popularity of Suetonius in this generation. Suetonius had first hand knowledge of many of the Caesars who followed the Claudians, and ready access to the archives of the imperial family and the Senate, given his imperial posting. For the record, the twelve Caesars, about whom Suetonius writes, are: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian Suetonius held nothing back in writing about the personal habits of the emperors and their families, nor did he hold back in his moral judgement of them. Of Tiberius, for instance, he wrote that Tiberius did so many other wicked deeds under the pretext of reforming public morals–but in reality to gratify his lust for seeing people suffer–that many satires were written against the evils of the day, incidentally expressing gloomy fears about the future.... At first Tiberius dismissed these verses as the work of bilious malcontents who were impatient with his reforms and did not really mean what they said. He would remark: Let them hate me, so long as they fear me! But, as time went on, his conduct justified every line they had written. Take a step back into the seemier side of ancient Rome, the side most history courses overlook in favour of more traditional historical events, and get this book!

Secret Chambers and Hiding Places - The Original Classic Edition

Fea Allan

The secret chamber is unrivalled even by the haunted house for the mystery and romance surrounding it. Volumes have been written about the haunted house, while the secret chamber has found but few exponents. The ancestral ghost has had his day, and to all intents and purposes is dead, notwithstanding the existence of the Psychical Society and the investigations of Mr. Stead and the late Lord Bute. Alas! poor ghost! he is treated with scorn and derision by the multitude in these advanced days of modern enlightenment. The search-light of science has penetrated even into his sacred haunts, until, no longer having a leg to stand upon, he has fallen from the exalted position he occupied for centuries, and fallen moreover into ridicule! In the secret chamber, however, we have something tangible to deal with-a subject not only keenly interesting from an antiquarian point of view, but one deserving the attention of the general reader; for in exploring the gloomy hiding-holes, concealed apartments, passages, and staircases in our old halls and manor houses we probe, as it were, into the very groundwork of romance. We find actuality to support the weird and mysterious stories of fiction, which those of us who are honest enough to admit a lingering love of the marvellous must now doubly appreciate, from the fact that our school-day impressions of such things are not only revived, but are strengthened with the semblance of truth. Truly Bishop Copleston wrote: If the things we hear told be avowedly fictitious, and yet curious or affecting or entertaining, we may indeed admire the author of the fiction, and may take pleasure in contemplating the exercise of his skill. But this is a pleasure of another kind-a pleasure wholly distinct from that which is derived from discovering what was unknown, or clearing up what was doubtful. And even when the narrative is in its own nature, such as to please us and to engage our attention, how, greatly is the interest increased if we place entire confidence in its truth! Who has not heard from a child when listening to a tale of deep interest-who has not often heard the artless and eager question, Is it true?
From Horace Walpole, Mrs. Radcliffe, Scott, Victor Hugo, Dumas, Lytton, Ainsworth, Le Fanu, and Mrs. Henry Wood, down to the latest up-to-date novelists of to-day, the secret chamber (an ingenious necessity of the good old times) has afforded invaluable property-indeed, in many instances the whole vitality of a plot is, like its ingenious opening, hinged upon the masked wall, behind which lay concealed what hidden mysteries, what undreamed-of revelations! The thread of the story, like Fair Rosamonds silken clue, leads up to and at length reveals the buried secret, and (unlike the above comparison in this instance) all ends happily! Apart, however, from the importance of the secret chamber in fiction, it is closely associated with many an important historical event. The stories of the Gunpowder Plot, Charles II.s escape from Worcester, the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745, and many another stirring episode in the annals of our country, speak of the service it rendered to fugitives in the last extremity of danger. When we inspect the actual walls of these confined spaces that saved the lives of our ancestors, how vividly we can realise the hardships they must have endured; and in wondering at the mingled ingenuity and simplicity of construction, there is also a certain amount of comfort to be derived from drawing a comparison between those troublous and our own more peaceful times.