The Gentle Grafter

O. Henry

O. Henry (whose real name is William Sydney Porter) is famous for his many short stories of everyday-life America, full of wit, charm, and inventiveness. This collection of classic tales set on the wrong side of the law showcases a master craftsman at the top of his form. The Gentle Grafter is a collection of 14 short stories about grafters who travel, peddle and swindle in the South. Those grafters have different business ethics and moral senses, and their artistic plots lead them to an unsuspected but comic ending. Each chapter is either told by an anonymous narrator or by Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker, two other con men. All of the con work was done somewhere within the United States. With the surprising twists and turns, not to mention the wit and humor throughout the book, The Gentle Grafter will leave the reader smiling and asking for more.

Humor żydowski

Praca zbiorowa

Esencja humoru żydowskiego w najczystszej postaci. Zbiór dowcipów i humorystycznych opowiastek cieszących się ogromną popularnością. Dowcipy nie tylko bawią czytelnika, lecz także są źródłem informacji o tradycji, obyczajach i nakazach religijnych braci starszych w wierze. Wiele humorystycznych obrazków traktuje o sprawach dnia codziennego: miłości, szkole, handlu, pieniądzach, biedzie czy skąpstwie. Humor żydowski to humor, który się nie starzeje, nie traci uniwersalnej wymowy i bawi do dzisiaj.

Biltmore Oswald. The Diary of a Hapless Recruit

Thorne Smith

A comic diary about entering life in the Navy. Published in 1918 and written for the Naval Reservist journal The Broadside while the author Thorne Smith was in the Navy, it is a series of short vignettes poking fun at the culture of the time in general and the military in particular. Its the diary of Biltmore Oswald, a hapless naval recruit with no appreciable talents besides befriending animals and getting into trouble, and his day to day adventures during World War I. Oswald, a naive innocent young gentleman growing up in the early 1900s, finds himself in many a compromising situation: showering in the hotel room of the wife of a murderous, jealous man; observing French men greeting each other with kisses, and being pursued by beautiful women, much to the displeasure of his sweetie, Polly. Biltmore Oswald: The Diary of a Hapless Recruit is a must-read for anyone in need for a dose of entertaining, worthwhile writing.

Plain Tales from the Hills

Rudyard Kipling

A wonderful book written in beautiful language, with love for the native land and its history. Despite the fact that all sorts of wars, illnesses and deprivations often flash in the stories, in general the atmosphere is very pleasant, and the book gives a feeling of warmth and tranquility. English guys Dan and Una, brother and sister, meet Elf Pak. He tells them once brought to England, the god Wiland, who once forged a magic sword. Further stories are told already by the direct participants in the events: the knight, the centurion, and so on.

The Richest Widow

Hulbert Footner

After a minimal education in Canada, Footner emigrated to New York in 1898 and worked at a variety of jobs, including an unsuccessful stint as an actor. He turned to journalism and worked for a time as a freelancer, contributing articles to periodicals such as Field and Stream. His first works were primarily travelogues of various river trips in Canada and the U.S., although he did produce some adventure novels. He is also credited with introducing the first American female investigator in Madame Storey. So we are introduced to the fascinating Madame Rosika Storey, fearless and intelligent, who plays cat-and-mouse with killers, goes undercover to break up criminal gangs, and unravels deadly mysteries.

Das Schloss

Franz Kafka

Das Schloß, der letzte große Roman von Franz Kafka, erzählt vom Kampf des Landvermessers K. gegen die allgegenwärtige, groteske Bürokratie einer geheimnisvollen Schloßverwaltung. Je mehr der Landvermesser K. versucht, ins Schloss zu gelangen, desto weiter entfernt er sich von seinem Ziel. Doch K.s Versuche, ins Schloß zu gelangen, scheitern ebenso wie sein Bemühen, im Dorf seinen Platz zu finden; und sein Kampf gegen die allgegenwärtige, anonyme und undurchdringliche Bürokratie der Schloßverwaltung endet für ihn in einem Dickicht aus Geheimnissen und Erniedrigungen. Eine unsichtbare Macht scheint ihn davon abzuhalten, in dessen Schloss zu gelangen.

Nero

Jacob Abbott

This book takes you inside the life and times of one of the most notoriously monstrous emperors of history. This story helps to expand your knowledge of history. Easy-to-read story about an ominous leader. We all hear some of the horror stories about Nero, but this provided a better look in the situations around him at the time.

When Carruthers Laughed

H.C. McNeile

A nice collection of short stories from Sapper. Sapper is a master narrator, he has many wonderful stories. One of the fun moments is when Major Dacres shoots himself a finger. Really unusual story, with good humor, for easy reading.

The Sheriff Rides

Max Brand

Ernest Pontifex, son of a clergyman, leads a life of disarray. Ernest struggles with orthodoxy, lives in the slums, is thrown into prison, and eventually marries Ellen. Saved by the discovery that Ellen is already married, Ernest received an inheritance, and is able to devote his life to literature, finally winning self-respect and success. One of many recommended Westerns by this prolific author. Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944) was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns under the pen name Max Brand. Experience the West as only Max Brand could write it!

All Hallows Eve

Charles Williams

The novels of Charles Williams are fascinating. The novels are strange behind the plot. For example, All Hallows Eve is about a couple in love who are in danger. Strange things happen to lovers.

Andy Blakes Comet Coaster

Leo Edwards

Andy was an industrious young entrepreneur who grew increasingly rich from book to book, working as he did in advertising, in his airplane, the Comet Coaster, and looking for gold and helping erect profitable buildings. Blake meets new friends, three young men struggling to save an old carriage business from going to the wall. Will advertising help? Andy is enthusiastically hopeful. The later trickery of a junior employer puts the young advertising man in a bad hole. Things seem darker than ever for the tottering business. Then comes the idea of dropping carriages for coaster wagons.

César Cascabel

Jules Verne

Dans le roman César Cascabel, il est décrit les dangers complets liés au voyage de la famille dun artiste itinérant travers les États occidentaux dAmérique, le Canada, lAlaska, la Sibérie, la Russie européenne dans leur pays dorigine, la Normandie française. Le roman parle de la famille Cascabel et de son chef, César, qui ont décidé de se rendre dAmérique en France en passant par lAlaska et la Russie. Le lecteur se familiarisera avec la morale des peuples habitant ces pays et sera ravi de la débrouillardise des héros qui se débrouillent dans des situations difficiles.

Przedwiośnie

Stefan Żeromski

Cezary Baryka mieszka wraz z rodzicami w Baku w Imperium Rosyjskim. Chce być inżynierem naftowym. Wybuch pierwszej wojny światowej powoduje powołanie jego ojca do wojska. Do Baku dociera rewolucja. Cezary jest w pierwszym okresie zafascynowany rewolucją i manifestacjami. Wkrótce giną jednak jego przyjaciele i dziewczyna. Matka z trudem zdobywa środki do życia. Niedługo potem zostaje aresztowana i umiera. Cezary cudem odnajduje ojca, wraz z którym udaje się w długą i trudną podróż do Polski. Ojciec umiera w drodze. Cezary dociera do Warszawy i odnajduje Szymona Gajowca, dawną miłość swej matki. Bohater książki Przedwiośnie jest zdziwiony widokiem biedy i ubóstwa zamiast szklanych domów, o których opowiadał mu ojciec, gdy wyruszyli w podróż do Polski.

Whispering Death

Aidan de Brune

Whispering Death (1931) is the third adventure in the Dr. Night trilogy by Aidan De Brune, (1874-1946). This third story is gaudy crime yarns, which steadily veers into fantasy by the end and features a very unlikely Asian villain who is as different from Fu Manchu as you can imagine: a small, colorless man of uncertain central Asian origin whose principal obsession is raising money by any means possible to recreate a long-dead central Asian kingdom of which his distant ancestors were kings. Most of the stories in the Dr. Night trilogy take place in and around Sydney, although the earliest known is set in Perth Western Australia and one of the novelettes in north Queenslan. Aidan de Brune was a big name in Australian literature but is forgotten today. He was a prolific author who wrote in a variety of genres.

The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

In this work you can see the obsession with money, vindictiveness and even nationalism. There are two Venetian merchants, Bassanio and Antonio, in an extremely difficult financial situation. Bassanio, as a way out of this situation, decides to go to woo the rich heiress Portia, but he has no money for it. Antonio also has no money, but he borrows a large amount from a Jew Shylock under his honest name.

Blood of the Gods

Robert E. Howard

I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Croms realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimers Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.