In this fast-paced spy thriller, a self-described «ordinary fellow» stumbles upon a plot involving not only espionage and murder but also the future of Britain itself. Richard Hannay arrives in London on the eve of World War I, where he encounters an American agent seeking help in preventing a political assassination. Before long, Hannay finds himself in possession of a little black book that holds the key to the conspiracy — and on the run from both the police and members of a...
Three musketeers. Two enemies. One major battle.’‘All for one and one for all!’Country boy d'Artagnan is desperate to join the King's elite band of bodyguards, the Musketeers. And when his fiery loyalties (which often get him into trouble) and incredible sword skill (which get him out again) manages to impress brash Porthos, foppish Aramis and melancholy Athos, the three musketeers and d'Artagnan become friends for life.When they discover that the King they protect is under threat, the...
One of the most loved science fiction novels of all time, H. G. Wells’s “The Time Machine” is a novel that crafts a vivid and haunting picture of an earth some 800,000 years into the future. First published in 1895, it was one of the first novels to deal with the concept of time travel and due to its popularity has come to be regarded as one of the most impactful works on the development of the science fiction genre. “The Time Machine” was written at the beginning of a period of great...
English novelist, historian and science writer Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) abandoned teaching and launched his literary career with a series of highly successful science-fiction novels. The Time Machine was the first of a number of these imaginative literary inventions. First published in 1895, the novel follows the adventures of a hypothetical Time Traveller who journeys into the future to find that humanity has evolved into two races: the peaceful Eloi — vegetarians...
"The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson" begins with the act of a young slave girl exchanging her light-skinned child, fearing for its safety, for that of her master's. From this reversal of identities evolves a suspenseful murder mystery and courtroom drama. «The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson» is everything one would expect from a novel by Mark Twain. On the surface it is a witty and satirical tale but as one digs deeper a biting social commentary of racial inequality can be found.
"Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested." From its gripping first sentence onward, this novel exemplifies the term "«Kafkaesque.» Its darkly humorous narrative recounts a bank clerk's entrapment — based on an undisclosed charge — in a maze of nonsensical rules and bureaucratic roadblocks.Written in 1914 and published posthumously in 1925, Kafka's engrossing parable about the human...
American author and expatriate, Henry James is regarded as one the principal figures of 19th century literary realism. His work, which often features Americans traveling to Europe, is noted for its intimate examination of the consciousness of his characters. In this volume we find two of his most popular works. “The Turn of the Screw” is an intense psychological tale of terror. Beginning in an old house on Christmas Eve, it is the story of a governess who comes to live with and take care of two...
"The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers" combines two of Henry James' most popular works into one conveniently sized volume. «The Turn of the Screw» is an intense psychological tale of terror. Beginning in an old house on Christmas Eve, it is the story of a Governess who comes to live with and take care of two young children. The Governess loves her new position in charge of the young children, however she is soon disturbed when she begins to see ghosts. In «The Aspern Papers» we...
Oliver Goldsmith's 18th century novel «The Vicar of Wakefield» was so popular in Victorian times that it is mentioned in many classics of that era including George Eliot's «Middlemarch,» Jane Austen's «Emma,» Charles Dickens' «A Tale of Two Cities» and Mary Shelley's «Frankenstein», amongst others. It is the story of Dr. Charles Primrose, the titular Vicar, his wife Deborah and their six children who live an idyllic life in a country parish. The Vicar who is wealthy due...