H.G. Wells popularized the idea of time travel in his 1895 novel, The Time Machine. This classic book tells the story of a Victorian scientist who travels far into the future in a mechanical device he has built.
A collection of three different stories, Gothic and grotesque, but with enduring charm: The Signal Man; The Haunted House; and The Trial for Murder. The novels are the author’s brief but successful foray into the mystery and detective genres.
Sherlock Holmes and Professor Watson are warned that someone named John Douglas is in grave danger and could be murdered at any time. The unfortunate event happens before Holmes can stop it and now he has to solve yet another daunting crime. He arrives at the crime scene - an old manor with a moat and a drawbridge - but very few pieces fall into place. For example, how did the murderer get inside?
Spy for the British Empire, W. Somerset Maugham traveled many times to the South Pacific and the Far East. There, he began creating a series of short stories about the life of the colonialists and how the remoteness and strangeness of such far-away lands can ultimately destroy the very soul of the civilized man.
In the thick of the French Revolution, only one man stands as a savior to the aristocracy of Paris. The Scarlet Pimpernel is on a mission to whisk endangered nobles across the English channel while maintaining his alter-identity as a well-dressed English dandy. This fun tale of romance, adventure and intrigue was initially written by Baroness Orczy as a play and has been adapted for stage and screen.
Edgon Heath is a mystical place where life is not at all ordinary and simple. It is also the stage where the tragedy in The Return of the Native unfolds. And like any classical tragedy, the action revolves around a woman, goddess-like Eustacia Vye who searches for a way to escape the mundane. Will passion bring her relief?
Having fought in World War I, 35-year-old Chris Baldry finally returns home. Believing he’s 20 years old, he is shocked when he finds out the he actually has a wife and that his childhood sweetheart is already married with another man. He slowly realizes the passing of time but he can’t remember anything from his last 15 years. Is there a solution?
Sinbad is a sailor who voyages through the magical seas meeting monsters and supernatural creatures. Read the classic story of Sinbad, a Middle Eastern folk tale that has delighted audiences for centuries.
This classic Icelandic saga hails from the 13th century and provides a stunning look into a culture long past. Divided into three parts, this prose epic deals with friendship, tragedy and retribution and is a breathtaking look at Medieval Norse culture.
The Scarlet Letter is set in 1850s Puritan Boston and tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Thomas Paine sensed the need for someone to defend social uprisings like the French Revolution…this is how Rights of Man was born. The book was revolutionary at the time speaking of the right of the people to revolt if the government doesn’t meet their demands. As important, the book dismisses the political Adam and the notion of ruling by heredity.
Book 3 in the Psammead Trilogy (Five Children and It) The children from E. Nesbit's novel, Five Children and It, are back and they found the magical Psammead again. Even though the Psammead can't grant their wishes, he encourages them to buy an amulet with magical powers. When they make a simple wish to be reunited with their parents, they end up on a journey through time and space in a fun and fantastical story.
Welcome to the old Texas where nobody is held accountable for his or her crimes. The only justice one will ever find here is delivered by a bunch of Texas Rangers. Can they tame Texas or will they end up wild and crazy like pretty much everyone else? Can they tame themselves and love another human being? The Rustlers of Pecos County by Zane Grey is a classic, action-packed western from the genre's master.
The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft is filled with horror story clichés, before they became cliché. In the story, the protagonist discovers strange fungi and other plants in and around an abandoned house. When he and his uncle decide to spend the night in the house, they find a nightmare awaits.
Arcade, a guardian angel of the lowest rank, seeks knowledge and falls out of Heaven because of it. He meets other fallen beings who plot to dethrone God. Maurice is the human who Arcade should be guarding and he wants his guardian angel back. But is he ready to face the truth?
An autobiographical tragic novel that follows the unhappiness of Werther after he falls desperately in love with Charlotte Buff, a young woman who is married to another.
A chilling tale of espionage and terrorism by a literary master. On the surface, Adolf Verloc is a bookstore owner in London. Beneath his carefully crafted persona, dwells a spy for a foreign government. When his handlers decide it's time for action, Verloc is tasked with blowing up the Royal Observatory. This modern novel is still as fresh and relevant as ever and makes an exciting and though-provoking read.
The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey is the second book in Grey's trilogy about the clash of civilizations on the post-revolutionary war frontier. This novel set in the times of westward expansion is filled with adventure, romance and a nuanced look at Manifest Destiny. Zane Grey is a master of the western novel and this classic western is a thrilling read.
Ten years after the events of Riders of the Purple Sage, John Shefford leaves Illinois to find Fay Larkin, the woman he loves although they never actually met face to face. But to survive in the West, he first must be apprenticed by Navajo Nas Ta Bega. Eventually she finds the woman under a different name. The running begins starting from a natural rock formation called The Rainbow Bridge.
The Sign of the Four is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes. In this story, Sherlock must unravel a plot involving a missing British officer and stolen treasure.
Lady Chester lives in a semi-detached house (a duplex, in American terminology). Her husband, Arthur is sent away on a diplomatic mission. So she is also forced to live a ‘semi-detached’ life along with her neighbors, the Hopkinsons. How will she handle her new life?
The novel illustrates the development of a young man upon taking a captaincy in the Orient, with the shadow line of the title representing the threshold of this development.
The Song of Hiawatha is an epic poem inspired after the Ojibwe - a Native American tribe - myths and legends. Read about the making of the world we live in and about the adventures of Hiawatha - the hero who invented written language and discovered corn - as seen by one Amerindian tribe.
Like many of Conrad’s writings, the action in The Secret Sharer is set on a boat at sea and revolves around a central character torn apart. He is the new ship captain and has to win the trust of his crew. To make things difficult however, he accepts to hide a man accused of murder in his cabin. The two characters strike up a strange bound.
John Cameron and Ruth MacDonald rediscover themselves in the eve of World War One. John has to fulfill his duties yet he tries to refuel his regained relationship with Ruth.