Her gün, daima öğleden sonra oraya gidiyor, koridorlardaki resimlere bakıyormuş gibi ağır ağır, fakat büyük bir sabırsızlıkla asıl hedefine varmak isteyen adımlarımı zorla zapt ederek geziniyor, rastgele gözüme çarpmış gibi önünde durduğum Kürk Mantolu Madonnayı seyre dalıyor, ta kapılar kapanıncaya kadar orada bekliyordum.

Kimi tutkular rehberimiz olur yaşam boyunca. Kollarıyla bizi sarar. Sorgulamadan peşlerinden gideriz ve hiç pişman olmayacağımızı biliriz. Yapıtlarında insanların görünmeyen yüzlerini ortaya çıkaran Sabahattin Ali, bu kitabında güçlü bir tutkunun resmini çiziyor. Düzenin sildiği kişiliklere, yaşamın uçuculuğuna ve aşkın olanaksızlığına dair, yanıtlanması zor sorular soruyor.

Capitães da Areia é o livro de Jorge Amado mais vendido no mundo inteiro. Publicado em 1937, teve a sua primeira edição apreendida e queimada em praça pública pelas autoridades do Estado Novo.

Em 1944 conheceu nova edição e desde então sucederam-se as edições nacionais e estrangeiras, e as adaptações para a rádio, televisão e cinema. Jorge Amado descreve, em páginas carregadas de grande beleza, dramatismo e lirismo poucas vezes igualados na literatura universal, a vida dos meninos abandonados nas ruas de São Salvador da Bahia.

Dividido em três partes, o livro atinge um clímax inesquecível no capítulo Canção da Bahía, Canção da Liberdade, em que é narrada a emocionante despedida de um dos personagens da história, que se afasta dos seus queridos Capitães da Areia na noite misteriosa das macumbas, enquanto os atabaques ressoam como clarins de guerra.

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out onto the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance!

Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Set in the days of the Empire, with the British ruling in Burma, Orwell's book describes corruption and imperial bigotry. Flory, a white timber merchant, befriends Dr. Veraswami, a black enthusiast for the Empire, whose downfall can only be prevented by membership at an all-white club.

Orwell draws on his years of experience in India to tell this story of the waning days of British imperialism. A handful of Englishmen living in a settlement in Burma congregate in the European Club, drink whiskey, and argue over an impending order to admit a token Asian.

George Orwell’s triumphant first novel. Informed by his experiences as a police officer in Burma, the novel paints a vivid portrait of the waning days of British imperial rule, and the racism and corruption that ran rampant. It centres on John Flory, a European businessman in colonial Burma, disenfranchised by the bigotry he sees around him and his persistent feeling of being out of place.

M. R. James is widely regarded as the father of the modern ghost story, and his tales have influenced horror writers from H. P. Lovecraft to Stephen King. First published in the early 1900s, they have never been out of print and are recognized as classics of the genre.

This collection contains some of his most chilling tales, including A View from a Hill, Rats, A School Story, The Ash Tree, and The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance. These tales cannot fail to send a shiver down your spine.

Nancy Drew is alarmed when Nathan Gombet threatens her father. Gombet sold a piece of land for a railroad bridge through Carson Drew and now believes that he was cheated.

Meanwhile, valuable objects are disappearing from rooms in the Turnbull mansion even while the Turnbull sisters, Rosemary and Florette, are at home in their locked house. Having heard about her reputation for solving mysteries, the sisters invite Nancy Drew to stay in the mansion and discover the thief.

In seeking to solve the mysterious happenings in an old stone mansion, Nancy uses her courage and powers of deduction and tackles a situation that would have appalled a far older person.

Julia: A Novel is an imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell's 1984, from the point of view of Winston Smith's lover, Julia, by critically acclaimed novelist Sandra Newman. Julia Worthing is a mechanic, working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. It's 1984, and Britain (now called Airstrip One) has long been absorbed into the larger trans-Atlantic nation of Oceania.

Oceania has been at war for as long as anyone can remember, and is ruled by an ultra-totalitarian Party, whose leader is a quasi-mythical figure called Big Brother. In short, everything about this world is as it is in Orwell's 1984. All her life, Julia has known only Oceania, and, until she meets Winston Smith, she has never imagined anything else.

Seventy-five years after Orwell finished writing his iconic novel, Sandra Newman has tackled the world of Big Brother in a truly convincing way, offering a dramatically different, feminist narrative that is true to and stands alongside the original. For the millions of readers who have been brought up with Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, here, finally, is a provocative, vital and utterly satisfying companion novel.

An Old-Fashioned Girl tells the story of Polly Milton, a young girl from the countryside who goes to visit her wealthy and sophisticated friends in the city. The novel is structured in two parts, with the first part focusing on Polly's childhood visit and the second part on her experiences as a young woman.

In the first part, Polly stays with the Shaw family, including Tom, Maud, and Fanny. She is initially seen as old-fashioned and unsophisticated compared to her more fashionable city friends. However, her kindness, honesty, and good-hearted nature soon win over the Shaw family, and she becomes a beloved member of their household.

The novel explores the contrast between Polly's simple, virtuous upbringing and the more worldly values of her city friends. Polly's influence on the Shaws and her ability to maintain her integrity in the face of societal pressures serve as central themes.

In the second part of the book, Polly returns to the city as a young woman, and the story follows her experiences as she navigates the challenges of adulthood, including romance, career aspirations, and the importance of staying true to oneself. Polly's character development is a central focus as she matures and finds her place in the world.

An Old-Fashioned Girl is known for its moral and ethical themes, as well as its portrayal of the importance of character and virtue. It contrasts the values of simplicity and authenticity with the superficiality of social conventions. The novel also explores themes of friendship, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Louisa May Alcott's An Old-Fashioned Girl is a charming and heartwarming coming-of-age story that continues to resonate with readers for its timeless lessons and the enduring appeal of its characters.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning, fable-like short novel—by the author of Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth—has been beloved around the world for nearly a century. This splendid and profoundly moving novel begins with a simple and seemingly senseless tragedy. "On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below." A traveling monk, Brother Juniper, witnesses the catastrophe and becomes obsessed with investigating the lives of the five victims in order to prove that their deaths had meaning. His mission is doomed to fail, but over the course of the story, the five unlucky individuals—a noblewoman, a maid, an orphan, an old man, and a child—come to life for the reader in all of their glorious complexity. Their intertwined lives—snuffed out in one shattering moment—illuminate the biggest questions that we can ask ourselves about the nature of love and meaning of the human condition.

Dream Story is a beautiful, heartless, and baffling novella that explores the delicate intricacies of relationships. Through a simple sexual admission, a husband and wife are driven apart into rival worlds of erotic intrigue and revenge.

Set in early twentieth-century Vienna, this erotic psychodrama delves into themes of infidelity, transgression, and decadence. Arthur Schnitzler masterfully crafts a narrative that captivates with its exploration of the subconscious desires and the complexities of human intimacy.

Discover the world of Dream Story, where dreams and reality intertwine, leading to a journey of self-discovery and unexpected revelations.

The Lathe of Heaven is a classic science fiction novel by one of the greatest writers of the genre, Ursula K. Le Guin. Set in a future world where one man's dreams control the fate of humanity, the story unfolds in a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes. George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon, George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George's dreams for his own purposes. The Lathe of Heaven masterfully addresses the dangers of power and humanity's self-destructiveness, questioning the nature of reality itself. It is a classic of the science fiction genre, an eerily prescient novel that remains relevant and thought-provoking.

Framed in the doorway of Poirot’s bedroom stood an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man’s gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell. Who was he? Was he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what was the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper?

Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life to uncover the truth about ‘Number Four’. The story unfolds as Poirot, alongside his faithful assistant Hastings, follows clues and outmaneuvers a cabal of international criminals.

In this action-packed mystery, Poirot's brilliance is put to the test as he faces formidable foes, including a brilliant Chinese criminal mastermind, an American multi-millionaire, a beautiful Frenchwoman scientist, and "the destroyer," a ruthless murderer with a genius for disguise. Will Poirot succeed in foiling "The Big Four" and prevent their plan for world dominance?

The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible is an essentially literal Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and depth of meaning.

The ESV Bible is equipped with an enhanced navigation feature. Kindle's index feature can be used to navigate directly to any verse. This feature is not supported on the Kindle 1 or any Kindle applications.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The Poem relates the experiences of a sailor who has returned from a long sea voyage. The mariner stops a man who is on the way to a wedding ceremony and begins to narrate a story. The wedding-guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience to fear to fascination as the mariner's story progresses, as can be seen in the language style: Coleridge uses narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create a sense of danger, the supernatural, or serenity, depending on the mood in different parts of the poem.

Along with other poems in Lyrical Ballads, it was a signal shift to modern poetry and the beginning of British Romantic literature. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834) was an English poet, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets.

Reşat Nuri Güntekin'in 1922 yılında ilk kez Vakit gazetesinde tefrika edilen en tanınmış eseridir. Fransız Lisesi mezunu gencecik, delişmen bir kız olan Feride'nin serüveni yaşadığı derin bir hayal kırıklığı sonrasında nişanlısını, ailesini İstanbul'da bırakarak Anadolu'nun küçük bir köyüne öğretmen olmasıyla başlar. Daha sonra bu köyü diğer kasabalar, şehirler izler. Önceleri her gittiği yerde Kurtuluş Savaşı'nın etkileri görülür, güç koşulların, sefaletin izlerine rastlanır. Sonraları farklı kültürden gelen genç, yalnız ve bağımsız bir kızın toplumsal yaşamdaki zorlukları, çatışan değer yargıları, karşısına dikilen çıkar ilişkileri, Feride'nin iç dünyasındaki fırtınalar ve derin yalnızlıkla iç içe geçerek okurun karşısına çıkar. Çalıkuşu, gerçekçi yönelimin ilk dönemlerinden olan bir başyapıttır.

Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas, one of the greatest novels written in Portuguese, is a celebration of language and a revolutionary work that shattered all of the literary conventions of its time. The reader is mistreated, with chapters left blank and others deemed useless. Brás Cubas, the unlikely hero of this story, did nothing special in life. He fell in love with a married woman, failed a political career, never had children, and then he died. After his death, he wrote his memoirs. Since its publication in 1881, it has continued to gain the appreciation and affection of some of the greatest contemporary intellectuals and artists. Woody Allen considered it one of his favorite books, calling it a "very, very original masterpiece." Susan Sontag mentioned that this book always impresses readers with the strength of a personal discovery. Harold Bloom described the book as comic, clever, evasive, and very fun to read, sentence after sentence.

Auto-da-Fé is the story of Peter Kien, a distinguished, reclusive sinologist living in Vienna between the wars. With masterly precision, Canetti reveals Kien's character, displaying the flawed personal relationships which ultimately lead to his destruction.

Manipulated by his illiterate and grasping housekeeper, Therese, who has tricked him into marriage, and Benedikt Pfaff, a brutish concierge, Kien is forced out of his apartment – which houses his great library and one true passion – and into the underworld of the city. In this purgatory, he is guided by a chess-playing dwarf of evil propensities, until he is eventually restored to his home.

But on his return, he is visited by his brother, an eminent psychiatrist who, by an error of diagnosis, precipitates the final crisis...

This novel, first published in Germany in 1935 as Die Blendung ("The Blinding" or "Bedazzlement"), still towers as one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century. Canetti's incisive vision of an insular man battling against the outside world is as fresh and rewarding today as when it first appeared in print.

The Forsyte Saga was the title originally destined for that part of it which is called The Man of Property; and to adopt it for the collected chronicles of the Forsyte family has indulged the Forsytean tenacity that is in all of us. The word Saga might be objected to on the ground that it connotes the heroic and that there is little heroism in these pages. But it is used with a suitable irony; and, after all, this long tale, though it may deal with folk in frock coats, furbelows, and a gilt-edged period, is not devoid of the essential heat of conflict. Discounting for the gigantic stature and blood-thirstiness of old days, as they have come down to us in fairy-tale and legend, the folk of the old Sagas were Forsytes, assuredly, in their possessive instincts, and as little proof against the inroads of beauty and passion as Swithin, Soames, or even Young Jolyon. And if heroic figures, in days that never were, seem to startle out from their surroundings in fashion unbecoming to a Forsyte of the Victorian era, we may be sure that tribal instinct was even then the prime force, and that family and the sense of home and property counted as they do to this day, for all the recent efforts to talk them out.

Dead Souls, a seminal work in Russian literature, offers a vivid portrayal of provincial Russian life. It is celebrated for its realistic depiction as well as for its exaggerated narrative, serving both as a tribute to the Russian spirit and a scathing satire of the imperial Russian flaws of venality, vulgarity, and pomp. At the heart of the story is Gogol's cunning antihero, Chichikov, who traverses the countryside engaging in transactions for "dead souls" - deceased serfs who still represent value to those astute enough to trade in them. This journey introduces us to a cast reminiscent of Dickens, filled with peasants, landowners, and scheming officials, all drawn into Chichikov's elaborate scheme. Through this narrative, Gogol masterfully explores themes of human oddity and error, making Dead Souls a masterpiece of both humor and insight.

Os Maias é uma das obras mais conhecidas do escritor português Eça de Queiroz. O livro foi publicado no Porto em 1888. A ação de Os Maias passa-se em Lisboa, na segunda metade do século XIX, e apresenta-nos a história de três gerações da família Maia. A ação inicia-se no Outono de 1875, quando Afonso da Maia, nobre e pobre proprietário, se instala no Ramalhete com o neto recém formado em Medicina. Neste momento faz-se uma longa descrição da casa - "O Ramalhete," cujo nome tem origem num painel de azulejos com um ramo de girassóis, e não em algo fresco ou campestre, tal como o nome nos remete a pensar.

Afonso da Maia era o personagem mais simpático do romance e aquele que o autor mais valorizou, pois não se lhe conhecem defeitos. É um homem de carácter, culto e requintado nos gostos. Em jovem aderiu aos ideais do Liberalismo e foi obrigado, por seu pai, a sair de casa e a instalar-se em Inglaterra. Após o pai falecer regressa a Lisboa para casar com Maria Eduarda Runa, mas pouco tempo depois escolhe o exílio por razões de ordem política.

Há em Os Maias um retrato da Lisboa da época. Carlos, que mora na Rua das Janelas Verdes, caminha com frequência até ao Rossio (embora, por vezes, vá a cavalo ou de carruagem). Algumas das lojas citadas no livro ainda existem - a Casa Havaneza, no Chiado, por exemplo. É possível seguir os diferentes percursos de Carlos ou do Ega pelas suas da Baixa lisboeta, ainda que algumas tenham mudado de nome. No final do livro, quando Carlos volta a Lisboa muitos anos depois, somos levados a ver as novidades - a Avenida da Liberdade, que substituiu o Passeio Público, e que é descrita como uma coisa nova, e feia pela sua novidade, exactamente como nos anos 70 se falava das casas de emigrante.

O romance veicula sobre o país uma perspectiva muito derrotista, muito pessimista. Tirando a natureza (o Tejo, Sintra, Santa Olávia...), é tudo uma choldra ignóbil. Predomina uma visão de estrangeirado, de quem só valoriza as civilizações superiores - da França e Inglaterra, principalmente. Os políticos são mesquinhos, ignorantes ou corruptos; os homens das Letras são boémios e dissolutos, retrógrados ou distantes da realidade concreta; os jornalistas boémios e venais; os homens do desporto não conseguem organizar uma corrida de cavalos, pois não há hipódromo à altura, nem cavalos, nem cavaleiros, as pessoas não vestem como o evento exigia, as senhoras traziam vestidos de missa. Para cúmulo de tudo isto, os protagonistas acabam vencidos da vida. Apesar de ser isto referido no fim do livro, pode-se ver que ainda há alguma esperança implícita, nas passagens em que Carlos da Maia e João da Ega dizem que o apetite humano é a causa de todos os seus problemas e que portanto nunca mais terão apetites, mas logo a seguir dizem que lhes está a apetecer um prato de paio com ervilhas, ou quando dizem que a pressa não leva a nada e que a vida deve ser levada com calma mas começam a correr para apanhar o americano (eléctrico). Mais do que crítica de costumes, o romance mostra-nos um país - sobretudo Lisboa - que se dissolve, incapaz de se regenerar. Quando o autor escreve mais tarde A Cidade e as Serras, expõe uma atitude muito mais construtiva: o protagonista regenera-se pela descoberta das raízes rurais ancestrais não atingidas pela degradação da civilização, num movimento inverso ao que predomina n'Os Maias.

The Day of the Locust is a novel about Hollywood and its corrupting touch, about the American dream turned into a sun-drenched California nightmare.

Nathanael West's Hollywood is not the glamorous "home of the stars" but a seedy world of little people, some hopeful, some despairing, all twisted by their own desires. From the ironically romantic artist narrator, to a macho movie cowboy, a middle-aged innocent from America's heartland, and the hard-as-nails call girl would-be-star whom they all lust after.

An unforgettable portrayal of a world that mocks the real and rewards the sham, turns its back on love to plunge into empty sex, and breeds a savage violence that is its own undoing, this novel stands as a classic indictment of all that is most extravagant and uncontrolled in American life.

The Valley of Fear is the last novel by Arthur Conan Doyle where the reader meets Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective. He and Doctor Watson arrive at a country manor to investigate a possible murder. After receiving a coded message, Holmes links the murder to the name in the message.

Clue by clue, our friends get closer to Holmes’ arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty. It is a brilliantly executed mystery, riddled with sufficient evidence and compelling, plot-driven structure. Detective fiction enthusiasts will not be disappointed.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was born in Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After his studies, he worked as a ship’s surgeon on various boats. During the Second Boer War, he was an army doctor in South Africa. When he came back to the United Kingdom, he opened his own practice and started writing crime books. He is best known for his thrilling stories about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. He published four novels and more than 50 short stories starring the detective and Dr. Watson, and they play an important role in the history of crime fiction. Other than the Sherlock Holmes series, Doyle wrote around thirty more books, in genres such as science fiction, fantasy, historical novels, but also poetry, plays, and non-fiction.

As one of the many installments in Jules Verne’s Voyage Extraordinaire series, Journey to the Center of the Earth promises high stakes and thrilling adventure. When Professor Otto Lidenbrock bought an ancient runic manuscript, which chronicles the lives of Norwegian Kings, he did not expect to learn of anything but the history of Icelandic leaders. However, upon further inspection, Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel, find that the manuscript includes a coded message written by a 16th century alchemist.

After rigorous translating and decoding, Axel and Lidenbrock discover the content of the note, in which the author reveals that it is possible to travel to the center of the Earth through volcanic passages. When Lidenbrock heard the news, he immediately started preparations to start the journey, though Axel was skeptical. When Lidenbrock’s will proves to be more powerful than his nephew’s doubt, the two decide to make the journey, recruiting an Icelandic tour guide named Hans on the way.

As the three men make their way to inactive volcanic tubes, they embark on a high-stake adventure, facing dangers of cave-ins, subpolar tornados, an underground ocean and prehistoric creatures. The three men stay strong in their adventure, knowing the risky journey promises superior knowledge and acclaim, granted that they make it out alive.

With the combination of science fiction and the adventure genre, Jules Verne created a novel that captures the attention of his audience. Originally published in 1864, Journey to the Center of the Earth still provides modern readers with entertainment and insight with its detailed and imaginative prose. Journey to the Center of the Earth can be read independently or as a companion to the other titles of Jules Verne’s critically acclaimed series, Voyage Extraordinaire. This edition of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne now features an eye-catching cover design and is printed in a stylish and readable font, crafting an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass are the timeless tales that have enchanted readers young and old alike. Follow Alice as she falls down a rabbit hole into a world full of fantastical characters where nothing is quite as it seems.

From the frantic White Rabbit to the enigmatic Cheshire Cat and the manic Mad Hatter, Alice's journey is filled with wonder, wit, and whimsy. These stories by Lewis Carroll are not only a delightful romp through a magical land but also a satire of the rigid Victorian society of Carroll's time.

Embark on an extraordinary adventure to a place where the impossible becomes possible, the unreal becomes real, and the heights of imagination know no bounds. The combined volume of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass is a masterpiece of literature that continues to inspire and intrigue readers to this day.

As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever. But will the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected—a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she'll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind.

Anne is not like anyone else, the Cuthberts agree; she is special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.

The Scarlet Letter, a profound work of American literature, delves into the rigid Puritan society of 17th-century Boston to tell a tale of sin, guilt, and redemption. The narrative centers on Hester Prynne, a woman who endures public scorn for bearing an illegitimate child while wrestling with her own complex feelings of penitence and dignity.

Through Hester's story, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the human condition, examining themes of legalism, sin, and guilt. Hester's resilience and strength in the face of adversity make her a timeless character, whose struggles and triumphs continue to resonate with readers today.

Hawthorne's rich language and psychological insight imbue the novel with a timeless quality, ensuring its place as a classic in American literature and a reflective mirror into the societal norms and moral dilemmas of its time.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer revolves around the youthful adventures of the novel's schoolboy protagonist, Thomas Sawyer, whose reputation precedes him for causing mischief and strife. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, half-brother Sid, and cousin Mary in the quaint town of St. Petersburg, just off the shore of the Mississippi River. St. Petersburg is described as a typical small-town atmosphere where the Christian faith is predominant, the social network is close-knit, and familiarity resides.

Unlike his brother Sid, Tom receives "lickings" from his Aunt Polly; ever the mischief-maker, would rather play hooky than attend school and often sneaks out his bedroom window at night to adventure with his friend, Huckleberry Finn — the town's social outcast. Tom, despite his dread of schooling, is extremely clever and would normally get away with his pranks if Sid were not such a "tattle-tale."

As punishment for skipping school to go swimming, Aunt Polly assigns Tom the chore of whitewashing the fence surrounding the house. In a brilliant scheme, Tom is able to con the neighborhood boys into completing the chore for him, managing to convince them of the joys of whitewashing. At school, Tom is equally as flamboyant, and attracts attention by chasing other boys, yelling, and running around.

With his usual antics, Tom attempts to catch the eye of Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get "engaged" by kissing him. But their romance collapses when she learns Tom has been "engaged" previously to Amy Lawrence. Shortly after Becky shuns him, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn to the graveyard at night, where they witness the murder of Dr. Robinson.

The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, is a poignant exploration of New York society in the 1870s. Following the end of the First World War, Wharton delves into the intricacies of the world she was born into and sought to escape from throughout her life.

The protagonist, Newland Archer, embodies the charm, tact, and enlightenment of his society. Fully integrated into its standards and rules, Archer's engagement to the impeccable May Welland signifies a future of safety and conventionality. However, the arrival of May's cousin, Ellen Olenska, disrupts his well-laid plans. Ellen, independent and free-thinking, separated from her husband, challenges Archer to reassess the values and assumptions of his insular world. As their love grows, Archer faces a critical decision about where his ultimate loyalty lies.

Set in English society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centers on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries, a new step-sister enters Molly's quiet life – loveable, but worldly and troubling, Cynthia. The narrative traces the development of the two girls into womanhood within the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford.

Wives and Daughters is far more than a nostalgic evocation of village life; it offers an ironic critique of mid-Victorian society. This novel demonstrates an intelligent and compassionate understanding of human relationships, and offers a witty, ironic critique of mid-Victorian society, exploring themes of Englishness, Darwinism, and the Victorian male assumption of moral authority.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of eleven detective stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Silver Blaze, The Yellow Face, The Stockbroker's Clerk, The Gloria Scott, The Musgrave Ritual, The Reigate Squire, The Crooked Man, The Resident Patient, The Greek Interpreter, The Naval Treaty, and The Final Problem are the fascinating narratives that comprise this anthology.

These tales present a variety of intriguing cases, showcasing Holmes's legendary prowess in observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning. Notably, this volume includes the climactic battle of wits between Holmes and his arch-nemesis, the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, which is widely considered to solidify Holmes' immortality as a literary figure.

This book is meant to be a companion to Heretics, and to put the positive side in addition to the negative. Many critics complained of the book because it merely criticised current philosophies without offering any alternative philosophy. This book is an attempt to answer the challenge. It is the purpose of the writer to attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it.

The book is therefore arranged upon the positive principle of a riddle and its answer. It deals first with all the writer's own solitary and sincere speculations and then with the startling style in which they were all suddenly satisfied by the Christian Theology. The writer regards it as amounting to a convincing creed. But if it is not that it is at least a repeated and surprising coincidence.

Lawrence Durrell's series of four novels set in Alexandria, Egypt during the 1940s. The lush and sensuous series consists of Justine(1957) Balthazar(1958) Mountolive(1958) Clea(1960).Justine, Balthazar and Mountolive use varied viewpoints to relate a series of events in Alexandria before World War II. In Clea, the story continues into the years during the war. One L.G. Darley is the primary observer of the events, which include events in the lives of those he loves, and those he knows. In Justine, Darley attempts to recover from and put into perspective his recently ended affair with a woman. Balthazar reinterprets the romantic perspective he placed on the affair and its aftermath in Justine, in more philosophical and intellectual terms. Mountolive tells a story minus interpretation, and Clea reveals Darley's healing, and coming to love another woman.

Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure.

Stuart's greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure aplenty. But will he find his friend?

The Gay Science, often considered the most personal of all Nietzsche's works, presents a rich tapestry of philosophical reflections and poetic expressions. In this book, Nietzsche proclaims the death of God and introduces readers to his doctrine of eternal recurrence.

Walter Kaufmann's commentary, enriched with many quotations from previously untranslated letters, brings to life Nietzsche as a human being and illuminates his philosophy. This work contains some of Nietzsche's most sustained discussions on art and morality, knowledge and truth, the intellectual conscience, and the origin of logic.

Written just before Thus Spoke Zarathustra and finalized five years later, after Beyond Good and Evil, this book captures many of Nietzsche's most interesting philosophical ideas and the largest collection of his poetry that he ever published himself.

Engage with Nietzsche's thought and explore themes of art, science, morality, and human existence with a spirit of joy and inquiry.

Nana is a captivating novel by the French naturalist author Émile Zola. It is the ninth installment in the 20-volume Les Rougon-Macquart series, which presents "The Natural and Social History of a Family under the Second Empire."

The story follows Nana Coupeau, who rises from the grimy streets of Paris to become a high-class escort. Born to drunken parents in the slums, Nana's journey to the top of society is both mesmerizing and destructive. She uses her charm and sensual skills to captivate and eventually ruin the lives of the men who fall for her allure.

Nana becomes a symbol of a corrupt society, and her hedonistic appetite for luxury and pleasure knows no bounds. The novel vividly portrays the opulence and decadence of her world, making Nana a mythical figure in French realism.

Émile Zola masterfully captures the essence of the Second Empire's society, presenting a compelling narrative that explores themes of power, desire, and downfall.

Handsome would-be poet Lucien Chardon is poor and naive, but highly ambitious. Failing to make his name in his dull provincial hometown, he is taken up by a patroness, the captivating married woman Madame de Bargeton, and prepares to forge his way in the glamorous beau monde of Paris.

But Lucien has entered a world far more dangerous than he realized, as Madame de Bargeton's reputation becomes compromised and the fickle, venomous denizens of the courts and salons conspire to keep him out of their ranks. Lucien eventually learns that, wherever he goes, talent counts for nothing in comparison to money, intrigue, and unscrupulousness.

Lost Illusions is one of the greatest novels in the rich procession of the Comédie Humaine, Balzac's panoramic social and moral history of his times.

Adam Bede is a hardy young carpenter who cares for his aging mother. His one weakness is the woman he loves blindly: the trifling town beauty, Hetty Sorrel, whose only delights are her baubles—and the delusion that the careless Captain Donnithorne may ask for her hand.

Betrayed by their innocence, both Adam and Hetty allow their foolish hearts to trap them in a triangle of seduction, murder, and retribution.

The novel follows four characters' rural lives in the fictional community of Hayslope—a pastoral and close-knit community in 1799. It revolves around a love "rectangle" between the beautiful but self-absorbed Hetty Sorrel; Captain Arthur Donnithorne, the young squire who seduces her; Adam Bede, her unacknowledged suitor; and Dinah Morris, Hetty's cousin, a fervent, virtuous, and beautiful Methodist lay preacher.

Set in the English Midlands of farmers and village craftsmen at the turn of the eighteenth century, this book relates a story of seduction issuing in "the inward suffering which is the worst form of Nemesis".

Princess Irene lives in a castle in a wild and lonely mountainous region. One day she discovers a steep and winding stairway leading to a bewildering labyrinth of unused passages with closed doors - and a further stairway. What lies at the top?

At the same time, Curdie, a miner's son, overhears a fiendish plot by the goblins who live below the mountain. But it will take all their wit and courage, and the help of Irene's magic ring, to make sense of their separate knowledge and foil the goblins' schemes.

This classic story is about courage and overcoming evil, intended for children but captivating for readers of all ages. From the mind that influenced C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L’Engle, it is a tale that transcends time.

De jonge Tiuri verbreekt de regels die bepalen dat hij met niemand mag praten in de nacht voordat hij tot ridder zal worden geslagen. Hij opent de deur en het verzoek dat hem wordt gedaan blijkt een heel gevaarlijke opdracht.

Tiuri wordt achtervolgd door boosaardige Rode Ruiters, die hem met de dood bedreigen. Maar hij is vast van plan de uiterst belangrijke brief bij koning Unauwen te bezorgen. De Zwarte Ridder met het Witte Schild heeft niet voor niets zijn leven gegeven...

Ostap Bender is an unemployed con artist living by his wits in post-revolutionary Soviet Russia. He joins forces with Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov, a former nobleman who has returned to his hometown to find a cache of missing jewels hidden in some chairs appropriated by the Soviet authorities.

The search for the bejeweled chairs takes these unlikely heroes from the provinces to Moscow and into the wilds of Soviet Georgia and the Trans-Caucasus mountains. On their quest, they encounter a wide variety of characters: from opportunistic Soviet bureaucrats to aging survivors of the pre-revolutionary propertied classes, each one more selfish, venal, and ineffective than the one before.

Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits is a remarkable collection of almost 1,400 aphorisms penned by the renowned philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. This collection was first published in three installments, with the first volume appearing in 1878, just before Nietzsche left academic life due to health issues. It was later republished in a two-volume edition in 1886.

This work marks a significant shift in Nietzsche's philosophical approach, showcasing his new "positivism" and skepticism. Here, Nietzsche challenges his earlier metaphysical and psychological assumptions with characteristic perceptiveness and honesty, not to mention suspicion and irony.

In this wide-ranging work, Nietzsche first employed his celebrated aphoristic style, perfectly suited to his iconoclastic, penetrating, and multi-faceted thought. Many themes of his later works make their initial appearance here, expressed with unforgettable liveliness and subtlety. This book well deserves its subtitle, "A Book for Free Spirits," and its original dedication to Voltaire, whose project of radical enlightenment found a new champion in Nietzsche.

"Niebla" es una de las obras más representativas de Miguel de Unamuno y un ejemplo clásico de la novela moderna. En esta obra, la ficción deja de ser un mero vehículo narrativo para convertirse en un universo textual lleno de sugerencias fecundas.

El título, Niebla, refleja el propósito de desdibujar lo visible y materializar lo impalpable. En este ambiente, encontramos a Augusto Pérez, un hombre esencialmente frustrado, cuya muerte nos obliga a reflexionar profundamente.

Esta edición, facilitada por Germán Gullón, ofrece una pauta de lectura que conduce a una comprensión más profunda de la novela y su importancia en la narrativa española.

Set amid Indiana's vast Limberlost Swamp, this treasured children's classic mixes astute observations on nature with the struggles of growing up in the early 20th century. Harassed by her mother and scorned by her peers, Elnora Comstock finds solace in natural beauty along with friendship, independence, and romance.

Indiana has long been seen as an agricultural plain. To make it a lucrative farming state, much of the land had to be deforested, leaving behind devastated habitats. The Limberlost, a wetland in northern Indiana, was mostly destroyed by drainage, logging, and oil production. Gene Stratton-Porter, an early 20th-century naturalist and novelist, captured the fading beauty of the swamp in books like A Girl of the Limberlost, a novel about a smart, ambitious girl who lives in the dwindling wetland with her mother and pays for school by collecting local moth specimens to sell to naturalists.

The book celebrates the beauty and richness of the swampland, while showing how easily economic forces push landowners to strip it away.

Agnes Grey, written by Anne Brontë, draws heavily from personal experience to represent the many 19th Century women who worked as governesses and suffered daily abuse as a result of their position.

After losing the family savings, Richard Grey withdraws from family life, leaving his youngest daughter, Agnes, feeling helpless and frustrated. Determined to take control and gain freedom, Agnes applies for a job as a governess to the children of a wealthy English family. Arriving at the Bloomfield mansion armed with confidence and purpose, she soon faces the harsh reality of her position.

The cruelty of the family slowly strips Agnes of her dignity and belief in humanity. This tale of female bravery in the face of isolation and subjugation is a masterpiece, with a simple prosaic style that propels the narrative forward in a gentle yet rhythmic manner.

Anne Brontë, the somewhat lesser-known Brontë sister, was the first to publish her work under the pseudonym Acton Bell. Her brave voice resonates during one of the most prejudiced and patriarchal times of English history.

Alice Walker's iconic modern classic, The Color Purple, is a powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature that depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance, and silence.

Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery, and Sofia and their experiences. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery.

Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a semi-autobiographical novel by Robert Tressell, following the struggle of a house painter to find employment in the fictional town of Mugsborough, based on Hastings. Originally published after Tressell's death, the novel tells a compelling tale of a working-class family trying to avoid the workhouse.

The book captures the desperation and misery of a twelve-month struggle to survive, offering a unique insight into the lives of the working poor during the early 20th century. A remarkable and poignant work of social commentary that remains relevant to this day.

Through its emblematic characters, the novel argues for a socialist politics as the only hope for a civilized and humane life for all. It is a timeless work whose political message is as relevant today as it was in Tressell's time.

One of E. M. Forster's most celebrated novels, A Room With a View is the story of a young English middle-class girl, Lucy Honeychurch. While vacationing in Italy, Lucy meets and is wooed by two gentlemen, George Emerson and Cecil Vyse. After turning down Cecil Vyse's marriage proposals twice, Lucy finally accepts. Upon hearing of the engagement, George protests and confesses his true love for Lucy.

Lucy is torn between the choice of marrying Cecil, who is a more socially acceptable mate, and George, who she knows will bring her true happiness. A Room With a View is a tale of classic human struggles such as the choice between social acceptance or true love.

Oscar Wilde's tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family -- which refuses to believe in him -- is in Wilde's way a commentary on the British nobility of the day -- and on the Americans, too. The tale, like many of Wilde's, is rich with allusion, but ends as sentimental romance...