The premier Russian dramatist before Chekov, Alexander Ostrovsky was one of the first masters of realistic theatre. A typical example of his approach to drama, A Protégée of the Mistress is almost cinematic in its presentation. The action is represented by a series of vivid snapshots, in which Ostro...
A philosopher and pioneer of the New Thought movement, James Allen (1864-1912) has become something of an icon in the self-help industry of today. Many life coaches and motivational mentors have drawn material liberally, if selectively, from his writings, and his suggestion of a straightforward path...
A young Confederate soldier is given a solid gold locket before he heads to war. He and the woman who gave it to him are passionately in love and long for the time when they can be together. The locket is noticed by some of the other soldiers and plays an important part in what transpires as battle...
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871), written by Lewis Carroll, the pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Charles Lutwidge Dodson, a professor of mathematics at Magdalen (Maudlin) College, Oxford, originally wrote these charming children's stories for young A...
December 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of Emma by Jane Austen. It was first published on December 23, 1815. Emma is the delightful classic about a financially independent young woman with a "happy disposition" who does not consider marriage for herself. She does, however, find amusement in playin...
The Devil and Tom Walker is a classic short story by Washington Irving. When you make a deal with the devil you have to shake his hand. At the time Tom made his deal, it seemed like a good idea, but as Tom aged and death approached, he became very pious and even carried two Bibles with him. But a de...
Elizabeth is utterly alone in her Montana cabin, shocked by the sudden, brutal death of her brother, the last of her family. His killer has threatened to return and claim her, and she has only one thought: to flee across country to the East and search for relatives she has never known. With the vill...
Dark Kensington had been dead for 25 years. It was a fact; everyone knew it. Then suddenly he reappeared, youthful, brilliant, ready to take over the Phoenix, the rebel group that worked to overthrow the tyranny that gripped the settlers on Mars.The Phoenix had been destroyed not once, not twice, bu...
Twenty four classic fairy tales compiled in 1905 by Hamilton Wright Mabie, this enchanting book isn't your Disney classic. Little Red Riding Hood does get eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, but in most cases the princes and princesses go on to live long and happy lives and the wicked step mothers get their...
This short story first appeared in science fiction magazine Amazing Stories and tells of a meteorite crash in rural Massachusetts...and of the horrific results. It was one of HP Lovecraft's most popular works for its combination of science fiction and horror, and it was the author's personal favorit...
Among the monuments of world literature, few works have been as influential as the Divine Comedy. Dante's compendious allegory of a journey through the world of the afterlife is significant on many levels. It established Italian as a literary language, and consolidated the position of Florentine Ita...
