Best Friends Forever

There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a new family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough, they do—a little girl named Tacy. And from the moment they meet at Betsy's fifth birthday party, Betsy and Tacy become such good friends that everyone starts to think of them as one person—Betsy-Tacy.

Betsy and Tacy have lots of fun together. They make a playhouse from a piano box, have a sand store, and dress up and go calling. And one day, they come home to a wonderful surprise—a new friend named Tib.

Ever since their first publication in the 1940's, the Betsy-Tacy stories have been loved by each generation of young readers.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a witty and fantastical satire about aging, authored by the renowned F. Scott Fitzgerald. This strange and haunting story embodies the sharp social insight that has made Fitzgerald one of the great voices in the history of American literature.

In 1860, Benjamin Button is born an old man and mysteriously begins aging backward. At the beginning of his life, he is withered and worn, but as he continues to grow younger, he embraces life. He goes to war, runs a business, falls in love, has children, goes to college and prep school, and, as his mind begins to devolve, he attends kindergarten and eventually returns to the care of his nurse.

This imaginative tale challenges our perceptions of time and age, offering a unique perspective on the human experience.

Persuasion, Jane Austen's last completed novel, is a tale of love, regret, and second chances. Anne Elliot, the protagonist, is an intelligent and thoughtful woman who is persuaded by a trusted family friend to break off her engagement with Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval officer with uncertain prospects.

Eight years later, Wentworth returns, now a successful man, while Anne's family is on the brink of financial ruin. The novel explores the themes of social standing, persuasion, and the constancy of love. As the narrative unfolds, Anne and Wentworth's paths cross again, and they must navigate the complexities of their renewed acquaintance. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars' aftermath, Persuasion offers a poignant examination of the enduring power of love and the human capacity for change.

One of George Bernard Shaw's best-known plays, Pygmalion was a rousing success on the London and New York stages, an entertaining motion picture and a great hit with its musical version, My Fair Lady. An updated and considerably revised version of the ancient Greek legend of Pygmalion and Galatea, the 20th-century story pokes fun at the antiquated British class system.

In Shaw's clever adaptation, Professor Henry Higgins, a linguistic expert, takes on a bet that he can transform an awkward cockney flower seller into a refined young lady simply by polishing her manners and changing the way she speaks. In the process of convincing society that his creation is a mysterious royal figure, the Professor also falls in love with his elegant handiwork.

The irresistible theme of the emerging butterfly, together with Shaw's brilliant dialogue and splendid skills as a playwright, have made Pygmalion one of the most popular comedies in the English language. A staple of college drama courses, it is still widely performed.

"This is a book about Heaven," says Jayber Crow, "but I must say too that . . . I have wondered sometimes if it would not finally turn out to be a book about Hell." It is 1932 and he has returned to his native Port William to become the town's barber. Orphaned at age ten, Jayber Crow's acquaintance with loneliness and want have made him a patient observer of the human animal, in both its goodness and frailty.

He began his search as a "pre-ministerial student" at Pigeonville College. There, freedom met with new burdens and a young man needed more than a mirror to find himself. But the beginning of that finding was a short conversation with "Old Grit," his profound professor of New Testament Greek. "You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out--perhaps a little at a time." "And how long is that going to take?" "I don't know. As long as you live, perhaps." "That could be a long time." "I will tell you a further mystery," he said. "It may take longer."

Wendell Berry's clear-sighted depiction of humanity's gifts--love and loss, joy and despair--is seen though his intimate knowledge of the Port William Membership.

Titus Groan starts with the birth and ends with the first birthday celebrations of the heir to the grand, tradition-bound castle of Gormenghast. A grand miasma of doom and foreboding weaves over the sterile rituals of the castle. Villainous Steerpike seeks to exploit the gaps between the formal rituals and the emotional needs of the ruling family for his own profit.

On his 11th birthday, Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs of Light that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark. This Newbery Honor Book is the first title of Cooper's Dark Is Rising sequence.

True to the Game is considered a street classic and for over twenty years has captivated its readers with a story like no other. Gena, the main character, finds herself in true blue love with Quadir, a millionaire associated with the cartel.

Quadir is faced with combating the art of extortion and interception masterminded by the notorious Junior Mafia, which reigns from the inner city streets of Philadelphia. Both Gena and Quadir find themselves caught up in the vicious, yet seductive, world of drugs and money, only to find that success in this Game is no easy win.

There's no way out once you're in, and everyone in stays forever...TRUE.

Inherit the Wind is a classic work of American theatre, based on the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, which pitted Clarence Darrow against William Jennings Bryan in defense of a schoolteacher accused of teaching the theory of evolution. The accused was a slight, frightened man who had deliberately broken the law. His trial was a Roman circus. The chief gladiators were two great legal giants of the century. Like two bull elephants locked in mortal combat, they bellowed and roared imprecations and abuse. The spectators sat uneasily in the sweltering heat with murder in their hearts, barely able to restrain themselves. At stake was the freedom of every American. One of the most moving and meaningful plays of our generation.

Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor's astonishing and haunting first novel, is a classic of twentieth-century literature. Focused on the story of Hazel Motes, a twenty-two-year-old caught in an unending struggle against his innate, desperate fate, this tale of redemption, retribution, false prophets, blindness, blindings, and wisdoms gives us one of the most riveting characters in twentieth-century American fiction.

Carmen Laforet’s "Nada" ranks among the most important literary works of post-Civil War Spain. Loosely based on the author’s own life, it is the story of an orphaned young woman named Andrea who leaves her small town to attend university in war-ravaged Barcelona.

Residing amid genteel poverty in a mysterious house on Calle de Aribau, young Andrea falls in with a wealthy band of schoolmates who provide a rich counterpoint to the squalor of her home life. As experience overtakes innocence, Andrea gradually learns the disquieting truth about the people she shares her life with: her overbearing and superstitious aunt Angustias; her nihilistic yet artistically gifted uncle Román and his violent brother Juan; and Juan’s disturbingly beautiful wife, Gloria, who secretly supports the clan with her gambling.

From existential crisis to a growing maturity and resolve, Andrea’s passionate inner journey leaves her wiser, stronger, and filled with hope for the future.

The incomparable Edith Grossman’s vital new translation captures the feverish energy of Laforet’s magnificent story, showcasing its dark, powerful imagery, and its subtle humor.

Good Wives is the second story about the beloved March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and their friend Laurie. Set three years after Little Women, this tale follows the sisters as they grow from childhood into adulthood.

Life promises adventures, fulfillment, and painful trials along the way, including marriage, disappointment in love, and a tragedy that touches them all. Each sister finds happiness, though not always in the way they expect.

This novel continues the dynamic life and character development of the March sisters, beloved by readers worldwide. It is a heartwarming exploration of family, love, and the unexpected paths we take in life.

A Princess of Mars is the first of eleven thrilling novels that comprise Edgar Rice Burroughs' most exciting saga, known as The Martian Series. It's the beginning of an incredible odyssey in which John Carter, a gentleman from Virginia and a Civil War veteran, unexpectedly finds himself on the red planet, scene of continuing combat among rival tribes.

Captured by a band of six-limbed, green-skinned savage giants called Tharks, Carter soon is accorded all the honor of a chieftain after it's discovered that his muscles, accustomed to Earth's greater gravity, now give him a decided advantage in strength. And when his captors take as prisoner Dejah Thoris, the lovely human-looking princess of the city of Helium, Carter must call upon every ounce of strength, courage, and ingenuity to rescue her—before Dejah becomes the slave of the depraved Thark leader, Tal Hajus!

Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley are young, in love… and flat broke. Just after the Great War, there are few jobs available, and the couple is desperately short of money. Restless for excitement, they decide to embark on a daring business scheme: Young Adventurers Ltd.—willing to do anything, go anywhere.

Hiring themselves out proves to be a smart move for the couple. In their first assignment for the mysterious Mr. Whittington, all Tuppence has to do is take an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris and pose as an American named Jane Finn. But with the assignment comes a bribe to keep quiet, a threat to her life, and the disappearance of her new employer.

Now, their newest job is playing detective. Where is the real Jane Finn? The mere mention of her name produces a very strange reaction all over London. So strange, in fact, that they decide to find this mysterious missing lady. She has been missing for five years. Neither her body nor the secret documents she was carrying have ever been found.

Now, post-war England's economic recovery depends on finding her and getting the papers back. But the two young adventurers, working undercover for the British ministry, know only her name and that the only photo of her is in the hands of her rich American cousin. It isn’t long before they find themselves plunged into more danger than they ever could have imagined—a danger that could put an abrupt end to their business… and their lives.

Of Human Bondage is a moving exploration of loneliness, obsessive love, and a young man's search for meaning and direction in life. Written in the third person, it tells the story of Philip Carey, a self-conscious orphan with a club-foot who learns medicine. Not only is this a significant work in the Bildungsroman tradition, but its largely autobiographical basis gives it a special interest in view of the exceptional public success that Somerset Maugham was to enjoy over several decades.

Growing up on his family's farm in New York, Almanzo Wilder wishes for just one thing — his very own horse. But Father doesn't yet trust him with such a big responsibility. Almanzo needs to prove himself — but how?

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter, there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

This is Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of how her husband Almanzo grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived.

The Romans have abandoned Britain, leaving it open to the twin threats of civil war and Saxon invasion. When his home and all he loves are destroyed, Aquila endures years of torment before deciding to put some meaning back into his life.

Instead of leaving with the last of the Roman legions, Aquila, a young officer, decides that his loyalties lie with Britain, and he eventually joins the forces of the Roman-British leader Ambrosius to fight against the Saxon hordes.

Years of hardship and fighting follow and in the end, there is only one thing left in Aquila's life - his thirst for revenge. Rosemary Sutcliff writes with such passion and attention to detail that the Roman age is instantly brought to life and stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.

Shirley Jackson's The Lottery is a memorable and terrifying masterpiece, fueled by a tension that creeps up on you slowly without any clear indication of why. This is just a townful of people, after all, choosing their numbers for the annual lottery. What's there to be scared of?

In this seemingly ordinary village, a yearly lottery determines a sacrificial victim, revealing the tragic results of following tradition blindly. Jackson masterfully portrays how eeriness lurks beneath the surface of everyday life.

'The Monk' became a succès de scandale when it was published in 1796 – not least because its author was a member of parliament and only twenty years old. It recounts the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a Capuchin superior, who succumbs first to temptations offered by a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy, and continues his descent with increasingly depraved acts of sorcery, murder, incest and torture.

Combining sensationalism with acute psychological insight, this masterpiece of Gothic fiction is a powerful exploration of how violent and erotic impulses can break through the barriers of social and moral restraint. This edition is based on the first edition of 1796, which appeared before Lewis's revisions to avoid charges of blasphemy.

He was named Sham for the sun, this golden red stallion born in the Sultan of Morocco's stone stables. Upon his heel was a small white spot, the symbol of speed. But on his chest was the symbol of misfortune. Although he was as swift as the desert winds, Sham's proud pedigree would be scorned all his life by cruel masters and owners.

This is the classic story of Sham and his friend, the stable boy Agba. Their adventures take them from the sands of the Sahara to the royal courts of France and, finally, to the green pastures and stately homes of England. For Sham was the renowned "Godolphin Arabian" whose blood flows through the veins of almost every superior Thoroughbred. Sham's speed—like his story—has become legendary.

"You'll never catch the Phantom," says Grandpa. "That horse is fast as the wind. She's escaped from every roundup on the island!"

But Paul and Maureen want the beautiful wild mare for their very own. "I'm going to capture her myself," says Paul.

When Paul finally overtakes the Phantom, he makes a surprising discovery. Running at her side is a brand-new, silvery-gray colt - Misty!

When it appeared in 1924, this work launched into the international spotlight a young and unknown poet whose writings would ignite a generation. W. S. Merwin's incomparable translation faces the original Spanish text. Now in a black-spine Classics edition with an introduction by Cristina Garcia, this book stands as an essential collection that continues to inspire lovers and poets around the world.

The most popular work by Chile's Nobel Prize-winning poet, and the subject of Pablo Larraín's acclaimed feature film Neruda starring Gael García Bernal.

His Last Bow, the title story of this collection, tells how Sherlock Holmes is brought out of retirement to help the Government fight the German threat at the approach of the First World War. The Prime Minister himself requests Holmes's services to hunt down the remarkable German agent, Von Bork.

Several of the detective's earlier cases complete the volume, including 'Wisteria Lodge', 'The Bruce-Partington Plans', and 'The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax'. In 'The Dying Detective', Dr. Watson is horrified to discover Holmes at death's door from a mysterious tropical disease as his friend lays a trap for a murderer.

This collection is a thrilling journey through some of the most intriguing cases of the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903-1904, by Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories mark the astonishing return of the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, who reappears to his faithful friend Dr. Watson after being presumed dead for three years. This momentous event takes London by storm as Holmes resumes his exceptional service in solving baffling mysteries.

The collection includes memorable adventures such as:

• The Adventure of the Empty House
• The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
• The Adventure of the Dancing Men
• The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
• The Adventure of the Priory School
• The Adventure of Black Peter
• The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
• The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
• The Adventure of the Three Students
• The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
• The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
• The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
• The Adventure of the Second Stain

Sherlock Holmes' remarkable intellect and astute powers of deduction are on full display as he faces a variety of challengers and puzzles in these thrilling stories.

The Pillow Book is a fascinating, detailed account of Japanese court life in the eleventh century. Written by a lady of the court at the height of Heian culture, this book enthralls with its lively gossip, witty observations, and subtle impressions. Lady Shonagon was an erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, fictionalized the elite world Lady Shonagon so eloquently relates.

Featuring reflections on royal and religious ceremonies, nature, conversation, poetry, and many other subjects, The Pillow Book is an intimate look at the experiences and outlook of the Heian upper class, further enriched by Ivan Morris's extensive notes and critical contextualization.

With two sons of her own, and twelve rescued orphan boys filling the informal school at Plumfield, Jo March—now Jo Bhaer—couldn't be happier.

Despite the warm and affectionate help of the whole March family, boys have a habit of getting into scrapes, and there are plenty of troubles and adventures in store.

The characters from Little Women grow up and begin new adventures at Plumfield, a progressive school founded by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. This story follows the adventures of Jo March and her husband as they try to make their school for boys a happy, comfortable, and stimulating place.

The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The protagonist, George Amberson Minafer, is the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the family's founder. Eclipsed by a new breed of developers, financiers, and manufacturers, this pampered scion begins his gradual descent from the midwestern aristocracy to the working class.

This novel is best known through the 1942 Orson Welles movie, but it stands confidently in its own right. "The Magnificent Ambersons" is perhaps Tarkington's best novel, a typical story of an American family and town—the great family that locally ruled the roost and vanished virtually in a day as the town spread and darkened into a city.

This novel is a permanent page in the social history of the United States, so admirably conceived and written was the tale of the Ambersons, their house, their fate, and the growth of the community in which they were submerged in the end.

Embark on an enchanting journey into the heart of the jungle with Rudyard Kipling's timeless classic, The Second Jungle Book. Join Kipling as he returns to the wilds of India to spin a collection of captivating tales filled with adventure, danger, and the timeless wisdom of the jungle.

Step once more into the shoes of Mowgli, the young boy raised by wolves, as he navigates the dangers and wonders of the jungle alongside his animal friends. From encounters with cunning adversaries to tests of courage and loyalty, Mowgli's adventures will transport readers to a world where the laws of nature reign supreme.

Experience the thrill of exploration as Kipling introduces readers to a cast of unforgettable characters, from the wise old Baloo to the fearsome Shere Khan. Through their eyes, readers will witness the beauty and brutality of the jungle, and come to understand the delicate balance that exists between predator and prey.

Delve into the deeper themes and messages woven throughout The Second Jungle Book, from the importance of friendship and loyalty to the timeless struggle between civilization and the wild. With its rich symbolism and allegory, Kipling's stories offer readers a profound meditation on the nature of humanity and our place in the natural world.

The overall tone of The Second Jungle Book is one of adventure, wonder, and reverence for the untamed beauty of the jungle. With its vivid descriptions and evocative imagery, the book captures the imagination and transports readers to a world where danger and discovery await around every corner.

Since its publication, The Second Jungle Book has enchanted readers of all ages with its timeless tales of adventure and intrigue. Its enduring popularity is a testament to Kipling's masterful storytelling and his ability to capture the imagination of readers around the world.

In this shocking novel of a young girl alone on the streets, Goines delves into yet another facet of the ghetto experience—the dark, despair-ridden world of a black girl's soul!

Sandra took to the streets when she was eight years old and tried to fight off the hunger pangs by shoplifting and moving into the profits of drug pushing. Then she met Chink and discovered love and affection...and rape and murder!

Gravity's Rainbow is a postmodern epic, a work as exhaustively significant to the second half of the 20th century as Joyce's Ulysses was to the first. Its sprawling, encyclopedic narrative, and penetrating analysis of the impact of technology on society make it an intellectual tour de force.

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) is one of Japan’s foremost stylists - a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty, and wild humour.

‘Rashōmon’ and ‘In a Bamboo Grove’ inspired Kurosawa’s magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as ‘The Nose’, ‘O-Gin’, and ‘Loyalty’ paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants, and peasants.

In later works such as ‘Death Register’, ‘The Life of a Stupid Man’, and ‘Spinning Gears’, Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories.

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cap mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead...

Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

Little orphan Heidi goes to live high in the Alps with her gruff grandfather and brings happiness to all who know her on the mountain. When Heidi goes to Frankfurt to work in a wealthy household, she dreams of returning to the mountains and meadows, her friend Peter, and her beloved grandfather.

The Sun Also Rises is a quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, one of Ernest Hemingway's masterpieces and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style. It provides a poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation.

The novel introduces two of Hemingway's most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates.

Set against an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions, the narrative captures the essence of a generation trying to find meaning in a world turned upside down. First published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises helped to establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

The novel evolved and expanded from an 1849 short story or sketch entitled Oblomov's Dream. The novel focuses on the midlife crisis of the main character, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, an upper middle class son of a member of Russia's nineteenth century landed gentry. Oblomov's distinguishing characteristic is his slothful attitude towards life. While a common negative characteristic, Oblomov raises this trait to an art form, conducting his little daily business apathetically from his bed.

While clearly comedic, the novel also seriously examines many critical issues that faced Russian society in the nineteenth century. Some of these problems included the uselessness of landowners and gentry in a feudal society that did not encourage innovation or reform, the complex relations between members of different classes of society such as Oblomov's relationship with his servant Zakhar, and courtship and matrimony by the elite.

Nancy Drew has been solving mysteries, and delighting fans, for over 75 years. Now, for the first time, you can purchase all sixty-four classic Nancy Drew titles in one complete set!

Join Nancy Drew on her thrilling adventures as she unravels mysteries and uncovers secrets. From The Secret of the Old Clock to The Kachina Doll Mystery, each story is packed with suspense and excitement. Whether it's discovering hidden staircases or decoding cryptic messages, Nancy's adventures are a must-read for mystery lovers of all ages.

In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned.

Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions—affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.

One dollar and eighty-seven cents is all the money Della has in the world to buy her beloved husband a Christmas present. She has nothing to sell except her only treasure -- her long, beautiful brown hair. Set in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, this classic piece of American literature tells the story of a young couple and the sacrifices each must make to buy the other a gift. Beautiful, delicate watercolors by award-winning illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger add new poignancy and charm to this simple tale about the rewards of unselfish love.

From the Earth to the Moon is Jules Verne's imaginative tale of a daring journey to the moon. Written in 1865, this classic adventure story is filled with satirical humor and scientific acumen. The story revolves around the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, who embark on an ambitious project to launch a rocket to the moon.

Their president, Impey Barbicane, proposes the construction of a massive cannon named the Columbiad, designed to propel a projectile to the moon. With a three-person crew aboard, including the daring French scientist Michel Ardan, the group faces numerous challenges and adventures along the way.

Verne's narrative is not only a thrilling adventure but also a visionary exploration of space travel. The similarities between Verne's fictional journey and the real-life Apollo 11 mission are uncanny, making this novel a timeless masterpiece that continues to inspire.

Join the adventure and discover how Verne's vision of space exploration was both ahead of its time and remarkably accurate in many ways. The story concludes in the sequel, Around the Moon, where the fate of the brave explorers is further explored.

Wonderland is a compelling narrative and the final novel in Joyce Carol Oates’s Wonderland Quartet. This remarkable series explores social class in America and delves into the inner lives of young Americans.

Spanning from the Great Depression to the turbulent Vietnam War era, Wonderland is the epic account of Jesse Vogel, a boy who emerges from a family tragedy with his life spared but his world torn apart. Orphaned after witnessing his father murder his entire family, Jesse embarks on a personal odyssey from a Dickensian foster home to college and graduate school, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the medical profession.

As an adult, Jesse must summon the strength to bridge the "generation gap" and rescue his endangered teenage daughter, who has fallen into the drug-infused 1960s counterculture.

This novel plunges beneath the glossy surface of American life, offering an introspective look at the challenges and triumphs of its characters.

When Alice Asher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it's one down, twenty-five to go. There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill; then who will Victim C be?

Considered to be one of Agatha Christie's most controversial mysteries, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd breaks all the rules of traditional mystery writing. The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. First, the attractive widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling, complex case involving blackmail, suicide, and violent death, a cast that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his fabled career.

On the eve of his move to a new, more desirable residence, Professor Godfrey St. Peter finds himself in the shabby study of his former home. Surrounded by the comforting, familiar sights of his past, he surveys his life and the people he has loved — his wife Lillian, his daughters, and Tom Outland, his most outstanding student and once, his son-in-law to be.

Enigmatic and courageous — and a tragic victim of the Great War — Tom has remained a source of inspiration to the professor. But he has also left behind him a troubling legacy which has brought betrayal and fracture to the women he loves most.

Willa Cather's "The Professor's House" is a richly layered exploration of discontent and nostalgia set against the backdrop of early 20th-century America. The novel interweaves the life of Professor Godfrey St. Peter with the haunting influence of his past and the changing landscape around him. Cather's exquisite prose balances lyrical description with stark realism, reflecting the tension between the academic world and the natural beauty of the New Mexico landscape.

The narrative structure, oscillating between the present and St. Peter's memories, invites readers to ponder themes of identity, success, and the search for meaning amidst societal expectations.

Mother is a powerful and moving narrative penned by Maxim Gorky, originally published in 1906. This novel tells the story of the radical transformation of an uneducated woman into a revolutionary figure, symbolizing the evolution of Mother Russia itself.

The protagonist, a mother who has endured a life of hardship and oppression, finds herself drawn into the world of revolutionaries through her son, who is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement. As she begins to educate herself and understand the political dynamics around her, she becomes an integral part of the movement, risking everything for a better future for her country.

This seminal work is not only a cornerstone of Socialist Realism but also a testament to the resilience and strength of women, making it a timeless piece that continues to inspire readers worldwide.

Malgudi Days is a collection of stories by the acclaimed Indian writer R. K. Narayan. In this collection, Narayan beautifully describes how in India, "the writer has only to look out of the window to pick up a character and thereby a story."

Composed of powerful, magical portraits of all kinds of people, and comprising stories written over almost forty years, Malgudi Days presents Narayan’s imaginary city in full color, revealing the essence of India and of human experience.

This edition includes an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri.

Twelve Angry Men is a landmark American drama that inspired a classic film and a Broadway revival. It features an introduction by David Mamet and offers a blistering character study and an examination of the American melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check.

At its core, Twelve Angry Men holds a deeply patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play centers on Juror Eight, who is at first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight is determined not to prove the other jurors wrong but to encourage them to view the situation in a clear-eyed way, unaffected by personal prejudices or biases.

Reginald Rose deliberately and carefully peels away the layers of artifice from the men, allowing a fuller picture to form of them—and of America, at its best and worst.

After the critically acclaimed teleplay aired in 1954, this landmark American drama went on to become a cinematic masterpiece in 1957 starring Henry Fonda, for which Rose wrote the adaptation. More recently, Twelve Angry Men had a successful, award-winning run on Broadway.

Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughs (first published under the French title L'Homme qui Rit in April 1869) is a sad and sordid tale -- not the sort of tale of the moment Hugo was known for. It starts on the night of January 29, 1690, a ten-year-old boy abandoned -- the stern men who've kept him since infancy have wearied of him. The boy wanders, barefoot and starving, through a snowstorm to reach a gibbet bearing the corpse of a hanged criminal. Beneath the gibbet is a ragged woman, frozen to death. The boy is about to move onward when he hears a sound within the woman's garments: He discovers an infant girl, barely alive, clutching the woman's breast. A single drop of frozen milk, resembling a pearl, is on the woman's lifeless breast...

This is Goethe's first novel, published in 1774. Written in diary form, it tells the tale of an unhappy, passionate young man hopelessly in love with Charlotte, the wife of a friend - a man who he alternately admires and detests. The Sorrows of Young Werther became an important part of the Sturm und Drang movement, and greatly influenced later Romanticism. The work is semi-autobiographical - in 1772, two years before the novel was published, Goethe had passed through a similar tempestuous period, when he lost his heart to Charlotte Buff, who was at that time engaged to his friend Johann Christian Kestner.