Classic Literature

A beautifully written book whose basic plot and story line are the basis of the movie Moulin Rouge. A young naive man, who falls for the most beautiful courtesan in Paris, has to contend with his father's interference, her more sophisticated lovers, and her eventual death by consumption. This book follows a long tradition of great novels that were about the lives and loves of women

While Candide is without a doubt a farcical, humorous, and far-fetched tale, a seriousness lies beneath its satirical veneer. Candide is the story of an innocent young man embarking on a series of adventures during which he discovers much evil in the world. Throughout his journey Candide believes in and adheres to the philosophy of his teacher, Pangloss, that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds." This philosophy was prevalent during Voltaire's day, and Candide is Voltaire's s... more info>>

Now, however sceptical I may yet feel about the truth of all Darwin's theory, I cannot sit quietly by and see him misrepresented in such a scandalously slovenly manner. What Darwin does say is that sometimes diversified and changed habits may be observed in individuals of the same species; that is that there are eccentric animals just as there are eccentric men.

The only one of Kipling's novels to be cast in an American setting, Captains Courageous endures as one of literature's most cherished and memorable sea adventures. Harvey Cheyne, spoiled millionaire's son, tumbles overboard from a luxury liner--only to be rescued by the crew of a Gloucester schooner. Thus begins the boy's second voyage into the rugged rites and ways of sailors. Like all Kipling's masterworks, Captains Courageous is an interweaving of art and moral purpose. Angus Wilson has said ... more info>>

Trollope creates a disturbing picture of the lives of the laboring Irish poor both before and during the famine.

In this wild, hurtling, apocalyptic tale, we meet the grown-up children of Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the absent-minded "father of the atomic bomb," who have the only example of their father's last discovery--ice-nine. From Ilium, New York we travel to a Caribbean banana republic where Bokononism is practiced--and ice-nine begins to overtake mankind.

A William Makepeace Thackeray classic.

This sequel to R.L. Stevenson's Kidnapped takes David Balfour further into intrigue and danger as he seeks to solve the Appin murder and absolve himself and his friend, Alan Breck.

Classic poetry by James Joyce.

Conrad's most technically ambitious work is a psychologically penetrating portrait of a young woman's transformation from a vulnerable, almost tragic figure to a self-respecting woman--and Conrad's only novel to feature a female protagonist.

Charmides and Other Poems is a compilation of poems including: Charmides; Requiescat; San Miniato; Humanitad; Louis Napoleon; Endymion (For Music); Le Jardin; La Mer; Le Panneau; Les Ballons; Canzonet; Le Jardin Des Tuileries; Pan--Double Villanelle; In The Forest; Symphony In Yellow; Helas!; To Milton; On The Massacre Of The Christians In Bulgaria; Holy Week At Genoa; Urbs Sacra Aeterna; E Tenebris; At Verona; On The Sale By Auction Of Keats' Love Letters; The New Remorse

An Anthony Trollope Classic.

A novel by Alexandre Dumas.

A sparkling collection of children's bedtime stories, with a Christmas theme. These are suitable for reading by older children, or for reading aloud to the smaller ones at bedtime. There are enough stories included to use them as an advent activity, by reading one each night to your little ones every night from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Children of the Frost is a collection of 10 stories based entirely upon Indian themes. Like his other books, this one drew immediate praise and continues to be popular today. Particularly good for family groups or younger readers.

Short Story. It's Christmas in England and three old men gather to solve a mystery.

A Classic Christmas Tale based on the premise that Christmas was Christmas, even before the birth of Christ.

Rachel Innes rents a summer house that is full of hidden rooms and sinister happenings. Chilling horror, romance and rollicking humor permeate this story of how a middle-aged spinster lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep our newspapers and detective agencies happy and prosperous.

On Sunday morning, October seventh, 1849, Reuben A. Riley and his wife, Elizabeth Marine Riley, rejoiced over the birth of their second son. They called him James Whitcomb. This was in a shady little street in the shady little town of Greenfield, which is in the county of Hancock and the state of Indiana. The young James found a brother and a sister waiting to greet him--John Andrew and Martha Celestia, and afterward came Elva May--Mrs. Henry Eitel-- Alexander Humbolt and Mary Elizabeth, who, of... more info>>

O. Henry's short, simple stories are noted for their careful plotting, ironic coincidences, and surprise endings. Contents: The Red Roses of Tonia; Round the Circle; The Rubber Plant's Story; Out of Nazareth; Confessions of a Humorist; The Sparrows in Madison Square; Hearts and Hands; The Cactus; The Detective Detector; The Dog and the Playlet; A Little Talk About Mobs; The Snow Man.

A Henry James classic.

by Alexander Dumas (pere) This enduringly popular tale of love and revenge in the post-Napoleonic era follows Edmond Dantes as he prepares to captain his own ship and marry his beloved Mercedes. But on his wedding day, he is betrayed by spiteful enemies and arrested on trumped-up charges. Condemned to lifelong imprisonment, he befriends Faria, a priest and fellow inmate with an escape plan. When Faria dies, Edmond escapes alone. Free at last, and incredibly wealthy, Edmond enters society posing... more info>>

Crime and Punishment is the story of a murder committed on principle, of a killer who wishes by his action to set himself outside and above society. A novel of great physical and psychological tension, pervaded by Dostoevsky's sinister evocation of St Petersburg, it also has moments of wild humour. Dostoevsky's own harrowing experiences mark the novel. He had himself undergone interrogation and trial, and was condemned to death, a sentence commuted at the last moment to penal servitude. In priso... more info>>

On vacation from school, Denis goes to stay at Crome, an English country house inhabited by several of Huxley's most outlandish characters from Mr. Barbecue-Smith, who writes 1,500 publishable words an hour by "getting in touch" with his "subconscious," to Henry Wimbush, who is obsessed with writing the definitive History of Crome. Denis's stay proves to be a disaster amid his weak attempts to attract the girl of his dreams and the ridicule he endures regarding his plan to write a novel about lo... more info>>

Author Jack London sails the South Pacific and visits the Islands of Teipe (Typpe), Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, and Bora Bora. Join Jack for his adventures at sea and on land, among the cannibals.