Humoreski z teki Worszyłły

Henryk Sienkiewicz

Humoreski z teki Worszyłły to zbiór nowel Henryka Sienkiewicza, składający się z dwóch utworów zatytułowanych Nikt nie jest prorokiem między swymi oraz Dwie drogi. Uchodzą za klasyczny przykład piśmiennictwa tendencyjnego. Jest to jednak cenne świadectwo powszechnej praktyki pisarskiej tamtej epoki.

The Devils Paw

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Julian Orden, son of a British aristocrat attends a dinner party and meets Catherine, a young woman of mixed antecedents British and Russian. She is entrusted with important documents. When she is suspected of being a spy and arrested, she saves herself by giving the papers into the keeping of young Orden. A beautiful, intelligent young woman is she a traitorous spy or a patriot? These two characters become caught up in a plan by the leaders of the working people of Germany and England to force a premature end to World War I. Secret agents, an international conspiracy, and the threat of war make The Devils Paw a thrilling tale of romance and adventure!

Jaszczur

Honoriusz Balzak

Powieść Jaszczur Honoriusza Balzaka należy do Studiów filozoficznych cyklu Komedia Ludzka. Akcja powieści rozgrywa się bezpośrednio po rewolucji lipcowej, kiedy to na tron wstąpił Ludwik Filip I. Główny bohater utworu, dwudziestopięcioletni Rafael de Valentin, postanawia wówczas popełnić samobójstwo. Przegrał bowiem w kasynie ostatnie posiadane pieniądze. Przypadkiem trafia do sklepu z dziełami sztuki. Właściciel sklepu pokazuje Rafaelowi kawałek jaszczuru z inskrypcją w sanskrycie. Mówi ona, że właściciel jaszczura będzie mógł spełnić każde swoje marzenie, jednak równocześnie skóra będzie się kurczyć. Kiedy zniknie całkowicie, jej posiadacz umrze...

The Heritage of the Desert

Zane Grey

The novel begins in the desert of southern Utah. It is the 1870s. John Hare is a young cowboy who was rescued from sure death by a Mormon rancher by the name of August Naab. Naab puts him to work with an adopted daughter, Mescal, who tends his herd of sheep. Out in the open air, Hare not only recovers his health; he falls for Mescal in a big way. The greatest danger Hare faces though, is over Mescal, a half-Navajo shepherdess who is already promised in marriage to Naabs first-born son. The Mormon religion, however, demands that the girl shall become the second wife of one of the Mormons. Well, thats the problem of this great story.

Little Dorrit

Charles Dickens

Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens, is the story of Amy Dorrit, a kind and compassionate young woman who is born impoverished and becomes wealthy, but retains her goodness and strength of character throughout. Little Dorrit is a novel of family loyalty. The story of a girl who is taking care of a large family and her love for the rich young man, and at the same time sarcastic description of English society the debtors prison of the Marshalsea, financial practice and corruption. We follow the paths of three families, and rub shoulders with a few others as well.

Les Possédés

Fiodor M. Dostoevski

Dans le roman, lauteur effectue une analyse extremement complexe de la foi, de la volonté et de lexistence en général, et montre ce que la vacuité spirituelle peut faire de la nature humaine. Le roman a aussi une forte connotation politique. Dostoievski nous montre tout le terrible degré de stratification et de dégradation de la société de cette époque, ou lon na rien a nourrir les enfants, tandis que dautres meurent dennui, baignés dans leur luxe fatigué.

Valley Thieves

Max Brand

The outlaws chasing Silvertip were the deadliest in the West. They wanted the famous man - and the six-shooters they carried always got them what they wanted. The story relates Jim Silvers continuing battle of wills and wits with his arch-enemy Barry Christian, in the process of which Silvers wolf Frosty and his powerful horse Parade are abducted. Now, with guns drawn, Silvertip and Christian faced each other to settle their old feud once and for all! We also meet the enigmatic Harry Clonmel, another bigger-than-life character. One of the greatest Western authors of all time. Max Brand leads the reader on a very authentic tale of the old west the way it was.

The Joker

Edgar Wallace

Mr. Stratford Harlow, the colossus of British Finance, was a gentleman with no particular call to hurry. By every standard he was a member of the leisured classes, and to his opportunities for lingering, he added the desire of one who was pertinently curious. The most commonplace phenomena interested Mr. Harlow. He had all the requisite qualities of an observer; his enjoyment was without the handicap of sentimentality, a weakness which is fatal to accurate judgement. Between Stratford Harlow and James Carlton, whom Harlow described as Scotland Yards most unscrupulous man, there was never open warfare until the murder of Mrs. Gibbons...

Mr. Polton Explains

R. Austin Freeman

R. Austin Freemans character Dr. Thorndyke is considered the first modern forensic scientist in literature. This is one of the oddities of detective fiction. The first part of this story is an autobiography of Thorrndykes lab assistant Polton. Polton, Dr. Thorndykes lab assistant and a servant has graced every Thorndyke mystery with his mechanical ingenuity, his sumptuous meals and teas, and his crinkly smile. The second part is a mystery tale, which builds on some of the characters we first saw in the earlier portion. Polton and Dr. Thorndyke faced with a mystery involving a mysterious fire in a Soho house filled with supposedly inflammable objects and a body charred beyond recognition by the fire. Poltons understanding of the mechanisms of clocks leads to a breakthrough in the case.

Madame de Treymes

Edith Wharton

Even a short novel like Madame de Treymes shows you what a masterful writer Edith Wharton was. It is a captivating portrait of turn-of-the-century American and French culture. Inspired by Whartons own entré into Parisian society in 1906 and reminiscent of the works of Henry James, it tells the story of two young innocents abroad: Fanny Frisbee of New York, unhappily married to the dissolute Marquis de Malrive, and John Durham, her childhood friend who arrives in Paris intent on convincing Fanny to divorce her husband and marry him instead. In hopes of finding a solution, Durham meets with Fannys sister-in-law, the enigmatic Madame de Treymes, who suggests that she might be willing to appeal to her brother on his behalf if, that is, he will help settle her illicit lovers gambling debts. Such a proposition surely wont have a catch...

Fifty Candles

Earl Derr Biggers

Just as in Biggers first Charlie Chan mystery, The House Without a Key, that romantic link between the Hawaii of a different era and the city of San Francisco is explored and holds the key to the mystery. Henry Drew has cheated young Winthrop out of a partnership in a Hunan mine. Other shady deeds abound in the past of this rich and outwardly respectable old man. Despite his antagonism to Drew, Winthrop accepts the old mans invitation to a birthday dinner, mainly to be near the young woman he loves, companion to Mrs. Drew. Unfortunately Winthrop finds old Drew dead in a pool of blood by the dining room table, and he himself is the likeliest suspect. Or could the murderer be Dr. Parker, illicit admirer of Mrs. Drew? And why are there fifty candles on the birthday cake, when old Drew was pushing seventy?

Kamizelka

Bolesław Prus

Małżeństwo, do którego należała tytułowa kamizelka, przyjechało do warszawskiej kamienicy na początku kwietnia. Ludzie ci wstawali wczesnym rankiem, pili herbatę z blaszanego samowaru, razem wychodzili do pracy. Ona na lekcje do szkoły, on do biura. Byli ludźmi młodymi, spokojnymi. Żona szczupła, lubiła krawiectwo; mąż tęgi i zapracowany. Co niedzielę wychodzili na spacer i wracali wieczorem. W kwietniu mieszkali razem ze służącą, w lipcu zostali sami, a w październiku pozostała tylko pani, gdyż jej mąż zmarł na gruźlicę. Gdy mężczyzna chudł, skracał jedną sprzączkę, aby nie martwić żony, drugą skracała ona, żeby dodać mu otuchy. Tym sposobem nawzajem się oszukiwali w dobrej sprawie.

Agatha Webb

Anna Katharine Green

Celebrated as one of the most important early female writers of detective fiction, Anna Katherine Green was lauded for her meticulous plotting and attention to detail. In this classic mystery novel, a universally beloved woman Agatha Webb and a household servant are found dead. Would her husband do it for money matters? Or would it be the rich and well-connected Mr. Fredrick, who ran away into the woods? Detective Caleb Sweetwater works to untangle the plot that involves blackmail, family secrets, and murder. Written in the 1890s, Agatha Webb story is chock full of twists and turns, lies, love and honor, and compelling characters acting for good or ill.

Zwycięzca

Jerzy Żuławski

Druga część Trylogii księżycowej Jerzego Żuławskiego kontynuuje opowieść o losach księżycowych osadników. Ukazuje stworzoną przez nich kulturę oraz zmagania z zamieszkującymi przed nimi Księżyc kosmitami. Przybycie kosmonauty Marka, uznanego za wyczekiwanego Mesjasza, rozpoczyna rewolucję. Marek pomaga osadnikom w walce z wrogiem oraz usiłuje zreformować społeczeństwo. Jego działalność kończy się jednak wielkim rozczarowaniem...

Septimius Felton. Or, The Elixir of Life

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Septimus Felton talks about the thirst for eternal life. Gothic, and sometimes irresistible, is the last book of this author. He changes the roles of the characters and spreads the story, which becomes mysterious and ambiguous. Inside the novel is a story about a bleeding shadow, like a collection of what is in the book.

The Point of Honor. A Military Tale

Joseph Conrad

Conrad stresses that the narrative clearly shows that the duel really benefited two. Combat competitions made every job and strive a little harder, forced the will to survive and win in a personal fight as seriously as the desire to survive the bloody years of the Napoleonic war. Both are officers in Napoleons army, and both are to the core.