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The Princess and the Goblin - The Original Classic Edition

C.S. Lewis has written of encountering a sense of the holy while reading the works of George MacDonald. I agree with Lewis assessment when it comes to The Princess and the Goblin. Anyone who reads this book with profit by having done so. First, and perhaps most importantly The Princess and the Goblin is a delightful story. There is a lot of the just plain fun reading stuff going on in this story. There is also a lot more. MacDonald has buried a lot of treasures within the cave walls of his story. If the reader looks carefully as they follow the fates of Irene and Curdie, they will find these jewels just sitting there shining in the darkness, ready to be mined. There are nuggets of wisdom to be gained here in the dialogue, the narration, and in the overall arch of the story. More than this, MacDonalds story features the best of what was Romantic literature and blends it with the greatest characteristics of fairy tales–then he turns convention on its head. Some examples: –Whereas in fairy tales wisdom is associated with the old and knowledgeable, wisdom is here associated with innocence. –While in traditional tales, it is the hero who saves the princess, here the princess must rescue the hero. –Fans of modern fantasy may be used to Providential Guidance being related to male literary figures such as Tolkiens Gandalf, Lewis Aslan. Here the figure is Feminine–the Grandmother. In the process of playing off of and twisting traditional Romantic literature and fairy tales MacDonald manages to transcend both genres and create a truly original work of wonder. I recommend the Princess and the Goblin most highly.

House of Mirth - The Original Classic Edition

Wharton Edith

It had been 16 years since I last read of Lily Bart and her life, and I didnt realize how much I had missed her upon re-reading. For me, this is one of the great reading experiences, one of a handful that make reading a book the deeply moving and human exchange that it is. Despite the distance of wealth, property, time and manners, Wharton manages to make Lilys world and life palpable to anyone who will listen. The clash of money, morals, personality and circumstance is infinitely developed and played out in front of a never fading natural world. Once again, I was deeply moved by Lily Bart and at the end, felt I had lost someone myself. Edith Whartons The House Of Mirth is a sad, but brilliant commentary on the closed, repressive society of the rich, upper class, New York nobility, at the dawn of the 20th century. It is also the story of the downfall of one woman, who attempts to live by her own rules, with no sponsor and no money of her own. Her parents are dead and she lives with relatives. Lily Bart is one of societys most eligible women, at the height of her powers, when the novel opens. Though she has little money, she has family connections, good breeding and the hope of coming into an inheritance. Beautiful and very charming, Lily has been brought up to be an ornament, as were most women of her class at that time. She is a gilded bird with a noble heart, but clearly she is not aware of the restrictions of her cage. Part of Lilys tragedy is that she does have character, spirit, and a conscience. However, she does not know how to align these attributes, with her ornamental avocation, and her ambitions to marry a wealthy man of good birth. As expected, Lily is popular with both bachelors and married men. Most of the bachelors propose marriage at on time or another. The only man she has real affection for is her dear friend, Lawrence Seldon, a barrister, whose lack of income makes him entirely unsuitable as a husband. Lily had developed a gambling habit to support her lifestyle, and supplement her allowance. An unfortunate losing streak has put her into debt. In her naivete, she forms an unsavory business alliance with a married man. Later, she is unjustly accused of having an affair with him and their business arrangement also come to light. Her family cuts her off without a penny. Society friends and connections reject their former darling, trying to extricate themselves from any repercussions Lilys indiscreet behavior may have on their reputations. Former friends turn vicious. The irony is that Lily has never committed any of the sins she is accused of. Several of her friends have, and frequently…but their sins are committed with the utmost discretion. Lilys crime is indiscretion. Her beaus disappear, as do her marriage prospects. The hypocrisy of her class becomes more apparent to her, as she searches for a means to survive, with all the familiar doors closed in her face. Lily seeks employment as a seamstress in the New York City slums, and lives there also, in a humble room with no refinements. Having no formal training and no real ambition, (her ambivalence about work is obvious), she sinks into deep depression and begins to decline. Laudanum helps her to sleep, and she becomes dependent on the drug. Lilys descent, from societys beautiful darling to a disheveled, desperate woman living in a shabby hotel room, addicted to drugs, is disturbing reading, to say the least. Her decline seems inevitable, especially after we read of her many poor and self-destructive decisions. She seems to sabotage herself. However, Lily Bart is ultimately the victim of a cruel society that sacrifices anyone who does not conform to its expectations. After reading House Of Mirth, for the first time several years ago, Lilys character has remained clear in my mind. I think of her from time to time with great poignance and a sense of personal loss.

Jill the Reckless - The Original Classic Edition

Wodehouse P

One of Wodehouse the less well-known novels, which you will enjoy reading. A lot of the usual Wodehouse humour based on how people think and react to situations. There are other Wodehouse novels where the charm of New York comes across. This one is as good as any of them in that respect. It also captures the inner workings of the stage and the making of musicals, of course in a Wodehousean way. The story is typical Wodehouse, which is to say that it is simple and yet complicated with many twists and turns, all leading back to a place where the reader pretty much expects it to get after the initial setup section of the book. In this case, the key character is Jill Mariner, and she is joined by Freddie Rooke and Wally Mason, who (as we learn) were Jills childhood friends. Wally had a big crush on Jill in their earlier lives, but when the story starts Jill is engaged to Sir Derek Underhill, and is about to be introduced to his mother Lady Underhill. Jill is still in touch with Freddie, and Wally re-enters their lives when they go to see his new play. Other key characters are Major Christopher Selby, who is Jills uncle and was in charge of her inheritance; and Nelly Bryant, who is an American chorus girl who is stranded in London. The story follows Jill through a broken engagement over a misunderstanding, the loss of her wealth, her living with relatives who have their own plans, her decision to get work as a chorus girl, and, as with all Wodehouse, the finding of the love of her life. The story starts in England, but moves to America which brings in her additional relatives, as well as Isaac Goble, Otis Pinkington, and his wealthy aunt Mrs. Peagrim. Isaac is a theatrical manager and has been contracted by Otis to put on a play which he wrote called The Rose of America. This book is a great example of Wodehouses work. With a little more trimming, this might have been even better, but even without that you will find plenty of enjoyment. It is a solid book, and a fun read.

Russian Fairy Tales - The Original Classic Edition

Ralston Balch William

The stories contained in the following pages are taken from the collections published by Afanasief, Khudyakof, Erlenvein, and Chudinsky. I had misgivings when I started this book, as its as much more a book about fairy tales than a book OF fairy tales. But by the end I was totally won over, and am seriously considering reading more by W. S. Ralston. It is set up so that theres a tale followed by a brief (the authors word, not mine) discussion of the storys merits, meanings, possible origins and closest relatives, with many of those being summarized and discussed in turn. Its undeniably informative, and incredibly well-written; the more I read of it, the more I wanted to read of it. The fifty or so tales included are well-told and interesting, and can be easily accessed from the active Table of Contents. Footnotes were included for further discussions and citations, and were all properly linked to throughout the text. I have to recommend this book because I learned more about fairy tales than I ever thought there was to learn. A merry collection of folktales stretching from Murmansk to Ugolnyye Kopi. I enjoyed the simple Cinderella stories and learned more about the culture than I ever hoped I would. Classic tales from Russia in the beautiful way told that I remember from Saratov summers on the Volga.

Jo's Boys - The Original Classic Edition

Alcott Louisa

This is a story of how the Little Men turned out. Will Tom be able to get Nan to marry him? Or will Nan turn him down? What about Dan? Does he ever marry? And what about the Princess? Will Mrs. Meg Brooke ever let Nat marry Daisy? Read the book to find out the rest of the story! For Jos Boys, which she intended to be the last in her series about the March family, Louisa May Alcott pulled out all the stops. It is with great fanfare that the beloved characters of former books make their last appearance. All sorts of incredible developments are described in the course of the novel–and some of them fairly stretch the imagination. My favorite is the emigration of the whole extended family to Plumfield: Meg has a house close by, Laurie and Amy have a mansion on an adjacent hill, and even Mr. March and Mr. Laurence have become neighbors to the school. Of course, this and all the rest make the story more fun. The school itself has become a college–a convenient twist that allows the characters from Little Men to still be in the same area years after they ought to have moved away. Though not all the Plumfield students make a second appearance, Alcotts famous favorites remain. A decade later, Demi is having trouble deciding on a career and declaring himself to a certain young lady. Tommy is in pursuit of his childhood sweetheart, Nan, who has vowed to be a spinster for life. Nat is sent to Germany, far away from his beloved Daisy, for musical training. Emil is shipwrecked, Dan tangles with the law, and young Ted gets into scrapes worthy of his namesakes youth. There is enough lovering and spooning here to make up for the lack in Little Men, but some characters brought in for the romance are ex machina. I loved this book, but I thought that little men and little Woman were better. Perhaps it is the long times span she took writing it. I thought, however, it was clever. I was worried that things wouldnt work out in the end, but they did. You really must read this book if you have read the others it is top notch.

Nurse and Spy in the Union Army - The Original Classic Edition

Edmonds S

I found this book exciting and very interesting, the author certainly was a brave lady who played a significant part in the Civil War (masquerading as a man). It is an exciting read, and a good historical account of battles during the Civil War. A beautifully written and heartbreaking account of Emma Edmonds experiences during the first two years of the Civil War. I was surprised. She refrains from name calling her enemies, and even when she complains about someones behavior, she does so delicately and diplomatically. She relates stories about other people, and I have chocked up during some of them, like when she talks about a nurse who refused to leave his patients even if it meant he would be captured by the Confederate Army. She reminds us that even the Confederates are humans and expresses her wish that the war would end so people can stop suffering and hurting each other, even as she faces the opposite sides army with pistols drawn. I bought the book to help me in researching Civil War era women spies, and her details and explanations helped me understand what went into spying before James Bond was created. In between thrilling stories about her adventures as a spy, and emotion churning stories about those she watched suffer the effects of the war, she finds optimistic stories to share to remind us to see the good in life. This is an original source for Civil War History, and its been meticulously documented with endnotes that set the text in context of what else was happening at the time. Amazing job on the part of the 20th century editor, and facinating reading for the history buff or researcher alike.

The Faerie Queene - The Original Classic Edition

Spenser Edmund

Although everyone has heard of Edmund Spensers amazing narrative poem, The Faerie Queene, its a pity that few seem to read it. To a superficial glance it may appear difficult, although the truth is that its basically a fascinating story that even an intelligent child can follow with enjoyment and interest. It appears difficult only because of Spensers deliberately antique English. He needed such an English because he was creating a whole new dimension of enchantment, a magical world, a land of mystery and adventure teeming with ogres and giants and witches, hardy knights both brave and villainous, dwarfs, magicians, dragons, and maidens in distress, wicked enchanters, gods, demons, forests, caves, and castles, amorous encounters, fierce battles, etc., etc. To evoke an atmosphere appropriate to such a magical world, a world seemingly distant in both time and place from ours, Spenser created his own special brand of English. Basically his language is standard Sixteenth Century English, but with antique spellings and a few medievalisms thrown in, along with a number of new words that Spenser coined himself. The opening lines of the poem are typical : A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plain, / Y cladd in mightie armes and siluer shielde, / Wherein old dints of deepe wounds did remain, / The cruell markes of many a bloudy fielde.... (page 41). If, instead of reading with the eye, we read with the ear or aloud, the strange spellings resolve themselves into perfectly familiar words such as clad (clothed), mighty, arms, silver, shield, deep, cruel, marks, bloody, field. And Y cladd is just one of those Spenserian medievalisms that simply means clad or clothed (i.e., wearing). The only two words in this passage that might cause problems for the beginner are pricking and dints, and it doesnt take much imagination to realize that these must refer, respectively, to riding (i.e., his horse) and dents. But if you cant guess them, an explanation is provided in the useful list of Common Words at the back of the book. Once youve used that 2-page list for a little while, progress through Spensers text becomes a snap. And learning a few hundred words is a small price to pay for entrance into one of the most luxuriant works ever produced by the Western imagination, and one that once entered you will often want to return to. Spenser is one of Englands very greatest writers. And he was writing, not for critics, but for you and me. Admittedly his language can be a bit tricky at first, and he certainly isnt to be rushed through like a modern novel. His is rather the sort of book that we wish would never end. His pace is leisurely and relaxed, a gentle flowing rhythmic motion, and thats how he wants us to read him. To get the hang of things, try listening to one of the many available recordings. And if you hit a strange-looking word, dont fret or panic. Try to hear the word in your mind, and guess at its meaning. That will often help, but if it doesnt, Roches list or his brief and excellent notes should. So take Spenser slowly, and give his words a chance to work their magic. Let him gently conduct you through his enthralling universe, one that you will find both wholly strange and perfectly familar, since human beings and their multifarious doings are Spensers real subject, and somewhere in one of his enchanted forests you may one day find yourself.

The Lair of the White Worm - The Original Classic Edition

Stoker Bram

The Lair of the White Worm (also known as The Garden of Evil) is a horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, who also wrote Dracula. It is partly based on the legend of the Lambton Worm. The book was published in 1911 by Rider and Son in the UK, the year before Stokers death, with color illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. In 1925, it was republished in a highly abridged and rewritten form. Over a hundred pages were removed, the rewritten book having only twenty-eight chapters instead of the original forty. The final eleven chapters were cut down to only five, leading some critics to complain that the ending was abrupt and inconsistent. In 1988, it was adapted into a film by Ken Russell. This is a crazy little story that transported me out of my routine. I like the way Stoker shows warm feelings between the characters then juxtaposes them with an environment of extreme violence and insanity. If not for the repose of normal people in the novella, the strangeness of the story would cause it to fall apart. This is Stokers signature method in Dracula as well. I loved the story and think its the authors second best novel after Dracula. 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: Salton, during the journey to Southampton, often wondered if his grand-nephew was as much excited as he was at the idea of meeting so near a relation for the first time; and it was with an effort that he controlled himself. …"I am so glad to find you as you are, my dear boy-just such a young man as I had always hoped for as a son, in the days when I still had such hopes. …This man's grandfather, also named Edgar-they keep the tradition of the family Christian name-quarrelled with his family and went to live abroad, not keeping up any intercourse, good or bad, with his relatives, although this particular Edgar, as I told you, did visit his family estate, yet his son was born and lived and died abroad, while his grandson, the latest inheritor, was also born and lived abroad till he was over thirty-his present age. … My old friend, Sir Nathaniel de Salis, who, like myself, is a free-holder near Castra Regis-his estate, Doom Tower, is over the border of Derbyshire, on the Peak-is coming to stay with me for the festivities to welcome Edgar Caswall. …Moreover, I want you to come with me for an early walk, during which we may notice, whilst the matter is fresh in our minds, the peculiar disposition of this place-not merely your grand-uncle's estate, but the lie of the country around it.

South! The Story Of Shackleton?s Last Expedition 1914?1917 - The Original Classic Edition

Shackleton Ernest

The Shackleton story is fascinating, not only for the awesome testament to dogged determination to succeed in the face of seemingly daunting odds that it is. This is a bone chilling visual and literary step by aching step trudge through the most inhospitable place on Earth. As the Endurance, their ship, died so their own endurance was born. And what an endurance that was! As my eyes wander the pages in the warm comfort of bed my mind is wind-whipped by the Antarctic blasts Shackleton and his team ultimately survived! It is quite simply one of the most amazing stories it has ever been my pleasure to absorb. I am in awe of the achievement described and pictured in this book. 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: When I returned from the Nimrod Expedition on which we had to turn back from our attempt to plant the British flag on the South Pole, being beaten by stress of circumstances within ninety-seven miles of our goal, my mind turned to the crossing of the continent, for I was morally certain that either Amundsen or Scott would reach the Pole on our own route or a parallel one. …We failed in this object, but the story of our attempt is the subject for the following pages, and I think that though failure in the actual accomplishment must be recorded, there are chapters in this book of high adventure, strenuous days, lonely nights, unique experiences, and, above all, records of unflinching determination, supreme loyalty, and generous self-sacrifice on the part of my men which, even in these days that have witnessed the sacrifices of nations and regardlessness of self on the part of individuals, still will be of interest to readers who now turn gladly from the red horror of war and the strain of the last five years to read, perhaps with more understanding minds, the tale of the White Warfare of the South. …For the last six months of 1913 I was engaged in the necessary preliminaries, solid mule work, showing nothing particular to interest the public, but essential for an Expedition that had to have a ship on each side of the Continent, with a land journey of eighteen hundred miles to be made, the first nine hundred miles to be across an absolutely unknown land mass. …The Royal Geographical Society made a grant of £1000; and last, but by no means least, I take this opportunity of tendering my grateful thanks to Dame Janet Stancomb Wills, whose generosity enabled me to equip the Endurance efficiently, especially as regards boats (which boats were the means of our ultimate safety), and who not only, at the inception of the Expedition, gave financial help, but also continued it through the dark days when we were overdue, and funds were required to meet the need of the dependents of the Expedition. …I purchased the Aurora from Sir Douglas Mawson, and arranged for Mackintosh to go to Australia and take charge of her, there sending sledges, equipment and most of the stores from this side, but depending somewhat on the sympathy and help of Australia and New Zealand for coal and certain other necessities, knowing that previously these two countries had always generously supported the exploration of what one might call their hinterland.

Planet of the Damned - The Original Classic Edition

Harrison Harry

This was the first science fiction book I read as a kid (too many years ago than I care to count) and it stimulated my interest in the genre. Planet of the Damned is classic science fiction and a coming of age story. The hero, Brion, is a young man given his first opportunity to prove his worthiness by trying to save Dis, a horrible planet that seems hell bent on self destruction. Harrisons imagination fills the page with sweeping scenery. It is proof that epic science fiction does not need to go one for many volumes ala L. Ron Hubbard. This book blends action with Harrisons humor and inventiveness.The book vividly depicts a mans search for an answer to a planets mystery. From start to finish this book is interesting. If you like science fiction this book is for you! The way Harrison describes the characters,the story,and the planet is remarkable! This is a must-have!