The CopyCat and Other Stories

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

This is an excellent collection of softly written short stories set in early 20th century New England. In all the first stories of the collection, the main characters are children. Many of these stories are about ordinary peoples lives and the ways they find a way out of a difficult life.

The Corner House

Fred M. White

This is a mysterious story about The Corner House, where there are many secrets and various rumors about it. Some time ago, the Corner House was the center of what could be an exciting tragedy. Some of the neighbors could hear about the night cry, how to stamp their feet, about a beautiful woman with poison in her hand. No one ever revealed her secret, no one crossed her threshold. However, there is always someone brave who will do it.

The Corsican Brothers

Alexandre Dumas

The bonds that tie family together are among the strongest on earth. But what of those between two brothers born as Siamese twins? The Corsican Brothers is a richly drawn tale of fraternal love and revenge. Alexandre Dumas weaves the compelling story of Siamese twins who are separated physically but never in spirit. They have a truly remarkable psychic link, and can feel each others pains and triumphs. When one of the brothers is murdered, the other leaves Corsica for Paris to avenge the killing. Dumas, a master storyteller, brings this thrilling tale to life with his fascinating descriptions of Italy and France and his powerful portrayal of the undying love of brother for brother. One of Dumas earliest novels, and set in the present (1841), the book falls outside of Dumas historical canon.

The Cossacks. A Tale of 1852

Leo Tolstoy

The main character of the story, Dmitry Olenin, is close to the author both in spiritual experience and in moral aspirations. Like Tolstoy, he finds himself in the Caucasus in an attempt to start a new life, "in which there will be no more mistakes, there will be no remorse, and probably there will be only happiness." But instead of imagining paintings on the way to the Caucasus in the spirit of Russian romantic literature, the hero of the story had to see real life and feel like a stranger in a world untouched by civilization.

The Council of Justice

Edgar Wallace

The Council of Justice is the sequel to much-lauded The Four Just Men, a novel which caused a sensation way back in 1905 by encouraging readers to guess the mystery ending. The Four Just Men, in this second of Wallaces ingenious series of thrillers, pit themselves against The Red Hundred, an organization dedicated to international anarchy, led by the charismatic and beautiful assassin, the Woman of Gratz. As always, the avengers methods are meticulously planned and ruthlessly executed. Edgar Wallaces prolific pen was never more successful than with the creation of these timeless stories which remain relevant in every way. Edgar Wallace provides a thrill of another sort!

The Council of Lithuanian Jews 1623-1764

Anna Michałowska-Mycielska

The Council of Lithuanian Jews (Lithuanian Vaad) was the central representative organ of the Jews in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It operated for nearly one and a half centuries (1623-1764), touching all spheres of the Jewish community's life. It undertook important initiatives for the benefit of its constituency at diets and dietines (legislative assemblies of the nobility), at the courts of the King and important magnates, and in non-Jewish courts of law. This book discusses the Council's activities in the context of processes and phenomena present in Jewish society of the time, illustrating the life of Lithuanian Jewry as a separate estate guided by a common sense of identity transcending local affiliation.

The Councillors of Falconhoe

Fred M. White

The Councillors of Falconhoe, the new serial story, written by Mr. Fred. M. White. The story begins in the London club Mars and Jupiter, where several diplomats enjoy a quiet place, and the interest of the reader from the very beginning is maintained in an atmosphere of excitement. Hilary Gelicors, a central figure in the story, after an exciting adventure in the war, is unable to adapt to the relatively peaceful routine of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He prefers to work through other channels for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in the book he is fascinating to resist the machinations of those who would throw Europe further into the abyss.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas

Set against the turbulent years of the Napoleonic era, Alexandre Dumass thrilling adventure story is one of the most widely read romantic novels of all time, along with The Three Musketeers. The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book, an adventure story primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It centers on Edmond Dantes who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune, and sets about exacting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. Acting as destinys agent, Dantes must face not only his enemies, but also the moral dilemmas raised by his ruthless quest for justice. His plans have devastating consequences for both the innocent and the guilty. Can the man who once had so much to live for, complete his mission and find peace, or will fate thwart his plan at the very last? Dumas novel presents a powerful conflict between good and evil embodied in an epic saga of rich diversity that is complicated by the heros ultimate discomfort with the hubristic implication of his own actions.

The Count of the Saxon Shore

Alfred J. Church

So little is known from history about the last years of the Roman occupation that the writer of fiction has almost a free hand. In this story a novel, but, it is hoped, not an improbable, view is taken in an important event the withdrawal of the legions. This is commonly assigned to the year 410, when the Emperor Honorius formally withdrew the Imperial protection from Britain. But the usurper Constantine had actually removed the British army two years before; and, as he was busied with the conquest of Gaul and Spain for a considerable time after, it is not likely that they were ever sent back. Mr. Church is a most excellent writer, keeps the novel moving, the excitement on edge and the heroes and heroin coming alive on page after page after page consequently.

The Countess of Charny. Or, The Execution of King Louis XVI

Alexandre Dumas

This swashbuckling yarn is the continuation of the story in Memoirs of a physician, The Queens necklace, and Six Years Later. The Countess of Charny or, The Execution of King Louis XVI is the seventh in Dumas series on the retelling of the French Revolution. Known as one of the important early figures in the burgeoning genre of historical fiction, Alexandre Dumas spent much of his life chronicling the social and political unrest that utterly transformed France and by extension, the rest of the world -- in the eighteenth century. This sweeping epic focuses on several parallel plot lines, all leading up to the death by beheading of the king in 1793, marking him with the dubious distinction of being the only French king to be executed. Highly recommended for fans of Dumass historical work, and is not to be missed by the discerning collector.

The Countess of Lowndes Square and Other Stories

E.F. Benson

A collection of fourteen short stories. These are stories about blackmail and own experiments. Some stories may seem close. Thus, the stories will be read in one breath. Since the reader will perceive them with interest. A hint is attached to each story, but you will have to solve some problems yourself.

The Country Doctor

Honoré de Balzac

The Country Doctor (Le Médecin de Campagne), by Honoré de Balzac, belongs to the series known as Scenes from Country Life; a part of his great cycle of fiction, The Comedy of Human Life. It is one of Balzacs noblest pieces of fiction, presenting beautiful traits of human nature with sympathy and power. The scene is laid in a village near Grenoble in France, and the story begins with the year 1829. Doctor Benassis is the title character of this novel. He is a compassionate and conscientious physician who ministers to the psychological and spiritual as well as physical needs of the villagers among whom he has chosen to practice medicine. A chance visitor is enchanted with the small, exceedingly well-run village and intrigued by the unparalleled popularity of Doctor Benassis. Slowly he learns the history, not only of the village but of the man himself, including why he buried himself in such a remote area.

The Country of the Knife

Robert E. Howard

This early work by Robert E. Howard was originally published in 1936. Knife Country is a novel from the El Borak series of Texans in the early 20th century in Afghanistan. Very interesting book.

The Counts Chauffeur. Being the Confessions of George Ewart, Chauffeur to Count Bindo Di Ferraris

William Le Queux

When I was fourteen, we moved to London with my father. He became an agent on Wood Street, City, representing a large silk maker in Lyon. At the age of twenty, I worked in an office with dusty books and a large armchair that I did not really like. I was always interested in mechanics, but my father did not perceive her as a profession and wanted me to walk in his footsteps.

The Court of St. Simon

E. Phillips Oppenheim

E. Phillips Oppenheim, writing as Anthony Partridge, in 1912. A curious tale in three parts. The Court of St. Simon, by E. Phillips Oppenheim tells the story of Monsieur Simon with his consort Josephine, who lives in the demi-monde of Paris, consorts with criminals and artists, and exacts contributions from various evil-doers in the Court of St. Simon an underground tribunal of, for, and by, the criminal class. One evening, he brings along with the jaded youth Eugene dArgminac who falls under the spell of blood lust and becomes a criminal himself. Edward Phillips Oppenheim provides a thrill of another sort!

The Courts of the Morning

John Buchan

Although this book was listed in a collection of Richard Hannay stories, Hannay makes only a brief appearance at the beginning. Begins in the pleasant atmosphere of a country house in the Scottish borders, where Richard Hannay is the guest of his old friend, Sandy Arbuthnot. The action is set in Olifa, a fictional country on the west coast of South America. When Sandy Arbuthnots friend John Blenkiron discover that a charismatic industrial tycoon is plotting to rule the world from his base in the small South American country of Olifa, Sandy leads a revolution to scuttle the plot and allow the Olifans to decide their own fate. As it turns out, these events are only the prelude to a dramatic series of adventures which take place against the backdrop of a small South American Republic that has fallen under the spell of a ruthless Dictator.