The Colossus of Arcadia

E. Phillips Oppenheim

This late novel of E. Phillips Oppenheim begins as the Train Bleu pulls into the railroad station in Monaco. Its a leisurely spy fiction tale set in Monaco as various members of aristocracy from different countries plus one vacationing American woman find themselves involved with international intrigue. The bulk of the book consists of members of the leisure class drinking cocktails, playing baccarat, and generally spending time in Monacos elite clubs. Oppenheims work often reflected the current political and social events he was living through. In the late 1930s, Oppenheim was living in the South of France, near Monaco, as that playground of the wealthy slowly emptied out it wealthy and royal clientele in advance of the coming war.

Le Ventre de Paris

Émile Zola

Le Ventre de Paris le monde du marché central, le monde de la nourriture et la fete de lestomac. Emil Zola a peint de maniere colorée et détaillée tous les magasins et boutiques de ce coin de la ville, représentant de maniere colorée les vendeurs, leurs intérets et leurs interconnexions. Ici, les gens naissent, grandissent, tombent amoureux et meurent. Il y a des intrigues et des complots que le palais royal lui-meme envie. Le principal conflit du travail est la confrontation de personnes épaisses et minces, de personnes entierement satisfaites de la vie bien remplie et de personnes souhaitant changer quelque chose, meme a un prix défiant

The Gambler

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

Inspired by Dostoevskys own gambling addiction and written under pressure in order to pay off his creditors and retain his rights to his literary legacy, The Gambler is set in the casino of the fictional German spa town of Roulettenburg and follows the misfortunes of the young tutor Alexei Ivanovich working in the household of an imperious Russian general. He begins gambling to win enough money to become a rich man and therefore win the favor of the woman that he loves. In the disastrous love affairs and gambling adventures of Alexei Ivanovich, Dostoevsky explores the irresistible temptation to look into the abyss of ultimate risk that he believed was an essential part of the Russian national character. In The Gambler, Dostoevsky reaches the heights of drama with this stunning psychological portrait

Vingt ans apres

Alexandre Dumas pere

Vingt ans apres cest imposant volume et une suite du premier opus Les trois mousquetaires et le dernier chapitre de cette grande fresque littéraire est Le vicomte de Bragelonne. Vingt ans ont passé et les temps ont bien changé. Paris est secoué par les soubresauts de la Fronde. Si DArtagnan parvient retrouver et rallier ses quatre amis, nul doute que la Fronde entiere sera forcée de plier le genou devant eux...

The Velvet Hand

Hulbert Footner

Madame Rosika Storey was one of the most celebrated fictional female private investigators during the Golden Age of the mystery (1920-40). She is a beautiful detecative who solves four cases for you in a manner most effecative, arriving at conclusions by processes subliminal, since intuition is her guide in locating the criminal. See what happen in each case, both dangerous and difficult. And since her intuition is so perfectly reliable, and backed up by ingenious proof whose force is undeniable all of which of course is written in a manner most enjoyable were sure that youll agree no crook could ever catch Rosika out, and if you ever need a dick we hope that you will seek her out.

Słówka

Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński

Błyskotliwe i zabawne krótkie formy poetyckie Boya-Żeleńskiego celnie komentują ludzkie zwyczaje. Boy nie kryguje się w wyborze tematu sięga do różnych sfer, z każdej potrafi zakpić i zadrwić, wytykając obłudę. Czytelników zachwyca lekkość tonu i trafność spostrzeżeń. Tom Słówka stał się na dekady skarbnicą złotych myśli i skrzydlatych słów, które do dziś z lubością powtarzamy.

The Closed Book. Concerning the Secret of the Borgias

William Le Queux

These strange facts would never have been placed on record, nor would this exciting chapter of an eventful life have been written, except for two reasons: first, because the discovery I made has been declared to be of considerable importance to scientists, bibliophiles, and the world at large; and, secondly, because it is my dear wifes wish that in order to clear her in the eyes of both friends and foes nothing should be concealed, misrepresented, or withheld.

The Descent of Man and Other Stories

Edith Wharton

The Descent of Man and Other Stories is the third collection of ten short fiction from Edith Wharton, first published in 1904. It includes the title piece Descent of Man, as well as The Other Two, Expiation, The Ladys Maids Bell, The Mission of Jane, The Reckoning, The Letter, The Dilettante, The Quicksand, and A Venetian Nights Entertainment. Wharton dissecting some of the customs, habits and vagaries of courtship and marriage, particularly as practiced in the upper reaches of New York society at the turn of the twentieth century. Fidelity is only one problem; others may arise from the machinations and emotions of the protagonists or outsiders. Wharton handles the questions with her usual gentle irony and curiosity about human behavior.

The Mystery of Room 75

Fred M. White

Wendover is a journalist with Fleet Streets Daily Herald. He, like any other journalist, is at the epicenter of events. On the day in question his mind is occupied with a criminal conspirator and a slim blonde beauty. Not knowing what he will face, but he sets off on the most important journey of his life, with the hope of uncovering a crime.

Bleak House

Charles Dickens

Money often changes peoples lives. If you inherited a substantial amount of money would it change yours? Would you work or quit your job? Would you feel entitled to various privileges because of your wealth? Would you behave differently? These and other issues are the subject of the English novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Bleak House, like many of Dickens writings, is about various social issues. Bleak House is a satirical story about Dickens view of the British judiciary system. Both Esther Summerson, one of the characters in the story, and a separate third person narrator, tell the story. Esther speaks about the experiences of her life, and the third person narrator speaks about the experiences of some of the people of the town.

The Frontier

Maurice Leblanc

If you think Maurice Leblancs literary output begins and ends with his series of mysteries featuring criminal mastermind Arsene Lupin, check out this tense thriller set in the years leading up to World War I. The Frontier is a classic war story and is that old idea of the conflict between the old and the new, between fathers and sons, and between the intense convictions of yesterday and tomorrow. The father is a rugged old French patriot who fought in the war with Germany, whose heart is still bitter, and whose hate flames quickly at the thought of Alsace and Lorraine. The son is a professor of history whose studies have taught him how vain are bloodshed and violence. Probing questions of patriotism and nationalism, its a treat for lovers of well-wrought historical fiction.

Claudius Bombarnac

Jules Verne

Claudius Bombarnak, journaliste au journal Twentieth Century, a pour mission de décrire un voyage le long du grand chemin de fer transasiatique qui commence Uzun-Ada, traverse le Turkestan russe et chinois et se termine Beijing. En chemin, il rencontre des personnes intéressantes de différentes nationalités, comme le baron allemand Weisschitzerdurfer, qui tente de battre le record du monde de vitesse en 39 jours, et le roumain Kinko qui voyage dans une boîte amoureuse, qui sauve plus tard tous les passagers et léquipage du train.

The Angel of Pain

E.F. Benson

This early work is a novel by Edward Frederick Benson. The author focuses on an unusual landscape. Sometimes it refuses to reality and we can see really something fantastic. In this story, only well-provided people will be able to survive in the conditions in which the author put them. And what about those who are just trying to stand up? Many questions, but as always few answers.

The Duel and Other Stories

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

The center of attention was a small group of people, but everything was spinning around Ivan Laevsky, self-confident and selfish 28-year-old. He escaped with the wife of another man and lived in sin. Perhaps there is not even a duel in the literal sense, but a duel with the contradiction of the main character. He realized that love was not so, and did not know what to do, what to say.

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!

Der Scout

Karl May

Der Ich-Erzähler, ein Greenhorn, arbeitet als Mitglied des bekannten Privatdetective-Corps von Josy Tailor in New York und verfolgt von dort aus einen Verbrecher namens Gibson, der den geistig verwirrten Sohn des bekannten Bankiers Ohlert entführt hat, um an dessen Vermögen zu kommen. Die Verfolgung führt ihn von La Grange über Mexiko nach Chihuahua. Auf diesem Weg geraten sie zwischen die Fronten der französischen Intervention in Mexiko, erleben Abenteuer u.a. mit Mitgliedern des Ku-Klux-Klans, treffen Winnetou, retten einen alten Apatschen-Häuptling und geraten in die Auseinandersetzungen zwischen den Komantschen und den Apatschen Winnetous. Dem Ich-Erzähler gelingt es schließlich, William Ohlert aus den Händen Gibsons zu befreien und ihn, durch einen berühmten Arzt von seinem Wahnsinn geheilt, in Chihuahua wieder mit seinem Vater zusammen zu bringen. Der Scout gehört zu besten Abenteuererzählungen von Karl May.