The Shields of the Empire: Eastern Roman Military Elites during the Reigns of the Emperors Theodosius II, Marcian and Leo I. Byzantina Lodziensia XLVII

Łukasz Pigoński

When the emperor Valentinian III murdered the general Flavius Aetius, it has been observed that he had 'cut his right hand with his left', and the story of the fall of the 'last Roman' has been put in the greater context of the subsequent dissolution of the Roman Empire in the West. However, a similar deed committed by the emperor Leo in the East in 471, when he ordered the killing of the general Aspar, certainly did not gain such a legendary status. The underappreciated story of the survival of the Eastern Roman Empire in the turmoil of the fifth century is however no less dramatic, and the role that powerful military leaders played in those events was certainly paramount. This publication aims to reconstruct the involvement of the Eastern Roman military elite in various matters of the state on the wider background of political history marked by the reigns of the emperors Theodosius II (408-450), Marcian (450-457), and Leo I (457-474). On its pages, the author presents the history of the numerous wars in which the Empire found itself entangled in during that uneasy time, as well as the periods of conflict and cooperation between the generals and the emperors. The focus is not only on the military elite as a group, but also on outstanding individuals, such as generals Plintha, Flavius Zeno, Aspar or Zeno-Tarasikodissa, the aforementioned emperors and their civilian advisors. The result is a comprehensive study and a novel interpretation of the nearly seven decades of turmoil that, contrary to what happened in the West, curiously did not result in the collapse of the Eastern Roman state; perhaps, as the author argues, in no small part due to those military leaders, who were serving and protecting it.

The Ship of Ishtar

A. Merritt

The goddess of love and beauty was adrift on an enchanted ocean in a magic world. The myriad forces of satanic evil plagued the vessel of the red-haired, passionate goddess. Only one man, John Kenton, the American adventurer, WWI vet and archaeologist, could save Ishtars priestess from the black magic which divides her world from ours. Written in 1924, The Ship of Ishtar is a universally hailed classic of the fantasy novel by A. Merritt and is, on surface at least, an obvious early product of Pulps Golden Age. Merritt was influential upon the science fiction and fantasy world primarily through the imaginative power he displayed in the creation of desirable alternative worlds and realities.

The Short Stop

Zane Grey

This is a small baseball story about a good young man who does his best to make a living. He has a widow and brother with disabilities. An interesting understanding of the history of early baseball. A bit of romance, a bit of an intrigue, basically a baseball and a pure search for a place in life. It was first published in 1909.

The Shoulders of Atlas

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

A slow paced story of love and self-sacrifice with thoughtful character development. In this novel, the heroine Sylvia is on the verge of receiving a large and unexpected inheritance. But soon an unexpected discovery leads to unexpected consequences as Sylvia dives deeper into family secrets.

The Shrieking Pit

Arthur J. Rees

Another classic book of murder mystery and mayhem skillfully written with an in depth journey to find out who really did the evil deed and why. The Shrieking Pit is one of Arthur Reess earlier works. American private detective Grant Colwyn is on a leisurely holiday in a fashionable seaside hotel in Norfolk when one morning during breakfast the strange behavior of one of the other guests catches his attention. The young man later leaves the hotel without paying his bill, and turns up in a nearby hamlet in the Norfolk marshes where he takes lodgings at the village inn. The next day, another guest at the inn is found dead, and the young man is missing. Can Colwyn sort out the mystery and prove the young mans innocence one way or the other?

The Shy Plutocrat

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Young Maurice Teyl, just turned 21, shy, non-drinker, non-smoker and the richest man in America, has been raised by his rigid Grandmother on a remote ranch in California but he shuns the limelight. So when a world tour is arranged by his guardian he is none too keen. He misses his train to begin the jaunt and meets up with a young English actress, Lucy Compston, and so begins a friendship and the slight deception, as he does not want her to know exactly who he is. He then goes undercover and forgoes his millionaire status in order to try and win her favor. Love, transatlantic voyages, Paris, and London ensue. A 1941 novel by Edward Phillips Oppenheim, with touches of humor, and consistent characters.

The Sign of the Black Ace

Edgar Wallace

The Companions of the Ace High are a group of aviators, each of whom has his own reason to hate Germans. The groups founder, Dexter, whose wife was driven mad when a German submarine attacked a liner on which she was travelling, dedicates himself to the destruction of Germany. He uses his wealth to establish a base of operations in the small republic of San Romino on the northern border of Italy. From this base the Companions of the Ace High pursue and kill Germans, their spies and sympathizers. Another breathtaking work by the master of mystery Edgar Wallace. As the novel is rather short and quite fast-paced with a lot of scenery-changes and adventures, this nice.

The Sign of the Four

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of the Four -  is a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, a British writer and medical doctor. He created the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.   The Sign of the Four is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Set in 1888, The Sign of the Four has a complex plot involving service in India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards. It presents Holmes's drug habit and humanizes him in a way that had not been done in the preceding novel. It also introduces Dr. Watson's future wife, Mary Morstan.  

The Sign of the Four. Illustrated Edition

Arthur Conan Doyle

Illustrated edition with original illustrations by Richard Gutschmidt, a famous German painter, book illustrator and graphic artist. The Sign of the Four is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sign of the Four is an incredible story of greed and revenge in which the worlds most famous detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson accompany a beautiful young woman Mary Morstan on a mission that leads to a terrifying, one-legged man in the dark heart of London. A thrilling experience for legions of Sherlock Holmes fans.

The Significance of the High D

J.U. Giesy, Junius B Smith

The story begins at the Central Police Department. Where led Sheldon for the fourth time. The prisoner asked to speak with the detective, saying that he has a lead on the case, which the detective is so interested in. But is he not lying? And would a detective believe this? After all, what the prisoner will say will affect many of the detectives decisions.

The Silent Bullet

Arthur B. Reeve

Enter an American Sherlock Holmes solving crimes in the early twentieth century. Craig Kennedy is a Columbia University chemistry professor by day and New Yorks premier sleuth by night. With the help of his roommate and partner in detection, newspaper reporter Walter Jameson, Kennedy uses his mastery of technology to solve the most puzzling of mysteries. It is interesting to see the different cases they take on and how they solve them. Originally published in 1910, these twelve short stories are as follows: The Scientific Cracksman, The Bacteriological Detective, The Deadly Tube, The Seismograph Adventure and others. The Silent Bullet is a first volume in the Arthur B. Reeve Detective Series.

The Silver Horde

Rex Beach

A former American football star, Boyd Emerson has failed in several businesses. He did all this in order to get the hand of his rich lover, but failure seems to haunt him at every turn. Now he is trying his hand at salmon fishing in Alaska.

The Silver Stream. An Idyl of the Wye

Fred M. White

A story about two guys who defended the honor of their university in rowing. There were only two men in the narrow craft; and as they were double sculling, with long clean sweep, making a musical click of oars in the rowlocks, there was not much opportunity for conversation They moved with a regular rapid rhythm, until they were almost in the shadow of the bridge. But can they get to their goal? After all, many obstacles will be in their way.

The Silver Thorn. A Book of Stories

Hugh Walpole

This is an exciting collection of 15 stories. Indeed, there are some who are very good there is a sad and exciting Silly old fool about a canon who believes that a woman cares for him, and Engraving sees how an obsessed husband goes against his wifes desires, collecting engravings. Other great stories are Little Donkeys with Raspberry Saddles, gentle Chinese Horses about two women and a man, and Major Wilbraham sees a World War I major go crazy. This is a wide genre collection, including sad and tender to the point of horror.

The Singing Bone

R. Austin Freeman

In this collection of short stories, the reader learns the killers identity long before the brilliant medical detective takes the stage. These are brilliant early examples of open secrets where the question is not who, but how will they be caught?

The Sinister Man

Edgar Wallace

A mystery novel classic by Edgar Wallace with so many twists and turns it becomes utterly baffling by the end. Superintendent Wills investigates the murder of a man found floating in the River Thames, it appears the victim was a archeology Oxford professor, murdered over three small fragments of an ancient text, working on the deciphering of some very rare tablets which if they fall into the wrong hands could cause major problems for one Asian country. He had previously been studying an archeological artefact known as the Kytang Wafers, and this is now missing. Highly recommended for people who like to treat a mystery story as a solvable riddle!