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Все книги издательства IngramThe Prince and the Pauper - The Original Classic Edition
This story has been a favorite of many since they have read as a child. They have re-read it many, many times, most recently to their own children (who will also enjoy it), and it continues to be rich and engaging. <p> A beggar (Tom Canty) and a prince (Edward Tudor), who look so alike as to be twins, meet and swap clothes for a lark. But an accident of judgment stretches the lark into an adventure, and the adventure into a nightmarish struggle of life and death, honor and dishonor. <p> Hasnt everyone wished to be royalty at some point in their lives? And especially if you were the poorest of the poor, like Tom Canty, wouldnt it be your dearest wish as a child? This is a great and yet fearful adventure, superbly detailed and believable. It was carefully written in such a manner that genuine history leaves it possible. One of Twains best ever.
The Woman in White - The Original Classic Edition
Laura Fairly is the innocent, the young, sheltered, Victorian maiden who abides by her departed fathers wishes. On his deathbed, he bids her to marry Sir Percival Glyde. Enter villainy. The grasping, frightened, short-tempered Sir Percival insists on a speedy wedding. He handily dispatches any obstacles thrown up in his path; he is damned and determined to wed Laura–and her fortune. But Laura has a sister, Marian, a strong-willed, independent, fiercely loyal sister who at first champions the marriage and then recoils once she realizes the true nature of Sir Percival. The man is a monster. And Marian will do anything to protect her sister. Heroism, and then some. There is also another, a drawing master named Walter Hartright, commissioned to teach Laura and Marian the fine art of watercolors. He falls in love with Laura, and she with him–before her marriage to Sir Percival. The drama should be obvious. <p> But what of the title? Who is the Woman in White? Her chance meeting with Walter Hartright on the road to London provides the catalyst upon which the entire narrative turns. She is at once and both the key and the puzzle. She is a victim. She is a harbinger. She scares Sir Percival out of his wits. <p> This book offers vivid portrayals of Victorian England, its mannerisms, its wardrobe, its inhibitions, its attitude. This book eerily reflects our own time, our own angst, in the 21st century. Once you read it, youll know what I mean. Deception has no age. <p> P.S. Whatever you do, dont turn your back on Count Fosco!
The Idiot - The Original Classic Edition
You will be fully engrossed day after day in a world of ideas, people and places once you open this book. Its ideas are many: atheism vs. Christianity; nihilism vs. a dying social order; Eros vs. charity; truth vs. artifice; id vs.ego and superego. It will captivate you. <p> The characters in this novel, though usually explained as symbolic of the ideas they represent, are yet the most vividly realized characters you will ever read. The real-time manner in which they are drawn and followed is as if the author simply recorded their actions and conversations as and where they happened. We get to know who these people are, not through narrative description, but, as if by candid camera, observing what they say, withhold, do, and fail to do. What emerges are fascinating, at times frightening and at times affectionate portraits of real and troubled humans: Lizaveta, the flighty, but loving society mother; General Epanchin, the successful but utterly conventional man of the house; Aglaya, the childish but delightful beauty who resents her sisters and parents expectation for her; Ganya, who wants money and love, but plays the wounded martyr while more obviously blaming his father for his failures at both; Ivolgin, the pathetic figure of an aging man who aches for dignity and respect but whos former glory is long gone and mostly imagined; and Lebedev, the likeable sycophant and name-dropper. <p> The more central characters to the events, the murderously passionate Rogozhin, and the self-scorning beauty Nastasya, are more starkly drawn. But even those portraits are created not through direct thought narration or narrative description, but by the authors leading us to read between and behind the lines of their words, conversations with others, and public displays. <p> One comes away with the strong impression (reinforced by the portrait of Aloysha, hero of Brothers Karamazov) that Dostoevsky saw children as embodying the ideal of spirit that we strive to maintain or regain as adults. The princes obvious affection for the loyal young boy Kolya and the compassionate young girl Vera, in this book, and similar bonds between his hero Aloysha and the children in Karamozov Brothers, show Dostoevskys admiration for the child in man. <p> The Idiot shows what happens when a simple, trusting and exceptionally compassionate child-man enters the more corrupt world of human adulthood without the experience to navigate, or even to perceive, the traps and snares laid by more worldly humans whose innocence has been chipped or stripped bare by ambition, envy, greed, despair or old age. <p> On another level, The Idiot is an allegory for the Christ story itself- with Prince Myshkin coming from the Swiss sanatorium into the the world of Petersburg with a mission to live among, love and save its people. The complications of heart and mind when his human emotions unexpectedly collide with the more selfish and less willing of those around him are at the center of this story of a second coming re-imagined. <p> Crime and Punishment, a psychological crime story, showed Dostoevskys incredible genius for writing the inside of the human mind. Brothers Karamozov was a morality tale that laid out, on a grand scale, yet in great detail, the most essential questions of good and evil, id and ego, life and after-life. The Idiot does what both of these other great novels did, but was the most captivating of the three, because it is so human, intimate and real in its characters discourse, actions and exposition. It is much less overt than the Brothers Karamazov, and less psychologically analytical than Crime and Punishment. But of the three, the timeless characters of The Idiot last most indelibly in the mind.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories - The Original Classic Edition
The Awakening is one of many readers favorite classic novels! If you have been trying to branch out into new literary worlds, and the classics is one genre that you haent yet touched; get this book; your journey will be profitable. The Awakening is one novel that is incredibly easy to read and holds such powerful prose in so few pages. <p> A taboo subject back in its day, The Awakening tells the story of one womans emotional journey from a stifled, miserable marriage to a spirited and lusty freedom. Young Edna Pontellier feels trapped in a loveless, although pampered, life with husband, Leonce. Stirrings of independence begin one summer while resorting in Grand Isle, an island off the coast of Louisiana. These new feelings have begun a profound change in Edna, liberating her beyond belief. Thus ensues an infidelity that dreams are made of, although at the expense of her marriage and motherhood. <p> Hardly shocking in this day and age, The Awakenings subject of marital infidelity and physical lust for another is always a pageturner. The theme of the novel – Ednas torment at the chains that bind her and the flutterings of an unbridled passion – is brought to life with beautiful writing in simple, elegant words. <p> You will be surprised to find such a passionate and provocative story within its pages. Short but penetrating, The Awakening will move you.
Famous Modern Ghost Stories - The Original Classic Edition
Dr. Dorothy Scarborough (Columba U) has selected a truly horrifying, frightening and bloodcurdling selection of Ghost Stories. Including Ambrose Bierce, an American genius, who ranks with Poe and Lovecraft as one of the greatest writers of horror stories. His tales of ghosts and horror are like no other, and one story in particular, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, is considered to be one of the finest ever written. <p> This book is considered a classic for all that it offers and is far superior than todays pale imitations, this collection goes deep into the mind of morbid. If you truly are a connoisseur of unfathomable horror, you will treasure this fine collection. <p> Prepare to be scared, VERY SCARED!
The Island of Doctor Moreau - The Original Classic Edition
Although it is less often read than such Wells novels as THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, the basic story of THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU is very well known through several extremely loose film adaptations. Pendrick, a British scientist, is shipwrecked–and by chance finds himself on an isolated island where Dr. Moreau and his assistant Montgomery are engaged in a series of experiments. They are attempting to transform animals into manlike beings. <p> Wells, a social reformer, was a very didactic writer, and his novels reflect his thoughts and theories about humanity. Much of Wells writing concerns (either directly or covertly) social class, but while this exists in MOREAU it is less the basic theme than an undercurrent. At core, the novel concerns the then-newly advanced theory of natural selection–and then works to relate how that theory impacts mans concept of God. Wells often touched upon this, and in several novels he broaches the thought that if mankind evolved up it might just as easily evolve down, but nowhere in his work is this line of thought more clearly and specifically seen than here. <p> At times Wells determination to teach his reader can overwhelm; at times it can become so subtle that it is nothing short of absolutely obscure. But in THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, Wells achieves a perfect balance of the two extremes, even going so far as to balance the characters in such a way that not even the narrator emerges as entirely sympathetic. It is a remarkable achievement, and in this sense MOREAU is possibly the best of Wells work: the novel is as interesting for the story it tells as it is for still very relevant themes it considers. <p> It is also something of an oddity among Wells work, for while Wells often included elements of horror and savagery in his novels, MOREAU is not so much horrific as it is disturbingly gruesome and occasionally deliberately distasteful. This is not really a book than you can read and then put away: it lingers in your mind in a most unsettling way. Strongly recommended.
The Moonstone - The Original Classic Edition
T.S. Eliot called `The Moonstone the first and greatest English detective novel. The novel is worthy of such praise. <p> The story begins with a brief prologue describing how the famous yellow diamond was captured during a military campaign in India by a British officer in 1799. The action moves quickly to 1848 England, where, according to the British officers will, the diamond has been given to one of the soldiers young relatives, Rachel Verinder. Yet only hours after the diamond arrives at the Verinder estate, it disappears. Was it stolen by a relative? A servant? And who are these three Indian men who keep hanging around the estate? <p> `The Moonstone is told from the point of view of several characters. The first portion of the tale is told by Gabriel Betteredge, house steward of the Verinder estate, who has been working for the family practically his entire life. Betteredges account holds the readers interest as he introduces the main players and the crime itself. The next account, by distant Verinder relative Miss Clack, is humorous and somewhat important. But after Miss Clacks account, things really take off at breakneck speed. <p> Readers who latch onto the T.S. Eliot quote expecting a modern detective tale will be sorely disappointed. You arent going to see anything resembling Jeffrey Deaver, James Patterson, Sue Grafton, or even Mary Higgins Clark. You also wont see Mickey Spillane, Dashiel Hammett, or Raymond Chandler. Nor will you see Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, or Martha Grimes. You wont even see Arthur Conan Doyle. But you WILL see the novel that influenced them all. <p> Youll also see something else. Something that modern mystery/detective writers have for the most part lost. Characters. Oh sure, modern writers have characters, but for the most part, the reader only learns enough about the character to forward the plot. In our time, plot is King. When `The Moonstone was published (1868), one of the novels attractions was its characters. Collins has painted each of these characters so well that the reader feels that they know not only how they look, but their mannerisms, their movements, how they think, and their view of the world they live in. That type of character development is seriously lacking today, not from all writers, but from far too many. <p> Put modern mystery/detective stories out of your head. Then read `The Moonstone as you would any other novel. Get lost in the atmosphere and the characters. Immerse yourself. Most of all, enjoy. Reading `The Moonstone is like eating at a fine restaurant after months of fast food. When its over, you just want to sit back in your favorite chair and say, Its nice to know that the finer things are still available. Yes they are. Treat yourself to this gourmet book.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - The Original Classic Edition
You might wonder what prompted Mark Twain to sidle from straight fiction into the realm of outright fantasy. Twain transports a Connecticut shop foreman twelve centuries into the past [and 5 000 kilometres!] to Camelot and Arthurs court. Initially confused and dismayed, Hank Morgans Yankee practicality is quickly aroused and he becomes a major figure among the panopolied knights. With the title of The Boss, his rank equals The King or The Pope with its uniqueness. His elevation doesnt distract him from a more profound impulse, however. Hanks Yankee roots and wide experience evoke an ambition – nothing less than revolution. He wants to sweep away the monarchy and aristocracy and establish an American-style republic in Arthurian Britain. <p> Mark Twains scathing criticism of the sham of hereditary monarchy bolstered by an Established Church makes this among his choicest writings. He resents the condition of a Church which turned a nation of men into a nation of worms. A fervent believer in individual freedom, Twain uses Hank to voice his disdain of Britains royalty. Its no more than might be expected of a man who boasted of but one ancestor – who sat on the jury that executed Charles I. Hank knows revolutions never succeed when implemented from above. Revolution be achieved only when the individuals attitude changes from meek acceptance to self assertion. Hanks method reaches people through clandestine schools and factories, publication of a newspaper and establishment of a telephone system. These new forms of manufacture and communication become the foundation by which Hank expects to abolish the ancient, mis-named, chivalric tradition. Does he change the course of history? <p> Twain relocates the roots of American democracy from the heart of the frontier yeoman farmer to the brain of the urban industrial worker. Here the man of wide, practical experience shows how to survive compared to those with a formal education. Hank has a simple ambition – establishment of a republic – but utilizes a broad spectrum of ideas to bring it about. He would gladly replace the Established Church of Rome with his own Presbyterian ideals, but is aware that it would be swapping one evil for another. Each man should select his own religion, or make one he contends. Yet, finally, it is this dread force that impairs his desire for change. The final sequence stands as a peer to the biblical Armageddon, Twain wallowing in a frightful bloodletting unseen in any of his other works. <p> Mark Twain contrasts the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution with the centuries of slavery, serfdom, and poverty that killed countless more people than that spasm of excising of aristocracy. What else spurred him to write of human rights with such passion? He had written of slavery before, but this book is especially wrathful in describing the peculiar institution eliminated in his homeland but a generation before. He forces the king to experience the slaves condition, a form of degradation he would have all aristocrats endure. Every feature of the human condition is examined in this timeless treasure. He challenges you to follow his gaze, considering whether todays societies, monarchical or not, will endure the scrutiny.
Of The Nature of Things - The Original Classic Edition
On the Nature of Things is the only surviving work of the Roman philosopher Lucretius, born in 99 BC. In On the Nature of Things, Lucretius sought to liberate his fellow Romans from their fear of the gods, and their fear of death. <p> Lucretius argued that the gods are not directly involved in life, and therefore there is no need to appease them; he also argued that death is the end of a human beings body and soul, and therefore there is no point in fearing it. An unforgettable amalgamation of insight, now in a new English translation. <p> On the Nature of Things deserves the highest recommendation especially for public and college library collections.