The Fruit of the Tree

Edith Wharton

Published in 1907, this little novel by the author of The Age of Innocence was considered controversial for its frank treatment of labor and industrial conditions, drug addiction, mercy killing, divorce, and second marriages. Clever, idealistic and poor John Amherst, the assistant manager of the cotton mill, is fed up with the deplorable working and living conditions of the workers in his charge. While visiting a worker in hospital he encounters a young nurse, Justine, compassionate and principled, a woman who shares his dreams and aims. But Amherst is fatally distracted when he meets a wealthy and charming widow Bessy who is a new owner of the mill. The lives of all three become strangely interwoven as Amherst is forced to choose between sense and sentiment, between his care for the working classes and his infatuation with Bessy a woman made for passion, but not for its aftermath.

The Whispering Outlaw

George Owen Baxter

Renowned Western writer Max Brand does it again in the eminently enjoyable Western "The Whispering Outlaw". The Whisperer, a mysterious frontier bandit who never shows his face or speaks in his own voice, recruits a ragtag band of outlaws to assist him in a series of daring robberies designed to make them all rich. Who was this whispering outlaw who could so easily slip through the hand of the lawmen Kenworthy and even baffle the seasoned and brutal gunman Lew Borgen, whom he drew to his ranks? What dark vengeance choreographed the far-flung criminal schemes of such a mysterious and evil genius? Find out in Max Brands masterful classic Western "The Whispering Outlaw".

The Usurper

William J. Locke

The Usurper is an affair with two heroes and two heroines. The double plot of love and ambition, in which fate. four intersect each other. The romance of the poet who dies young, loved by all men and women, is very cute. moving. But a greater interest in the book is to find out the life and character of Jasper Wellacot: a millionaire who is so amazingly flabbergasted in his wealth, a philanthropist who is almost ashamed of his good deeds.

Under His Shirt

Max Brand

If you enjoy a fast moving Western dealing with vengeance and well-deserved payback, youll like "Under His Shirt" by Max Brand (1923). Fascinating characters, action-packed adventure, skillful literary description, and a plot that keeps you guessing - Max Brands "Under His Shirt" offers something to appeal to every reader, whether youre a confirmed fan of the genre or someone who is dipping into Western for the first time. Faust wrote more than 500 novels and over 400 short stories & novellas using twenty pseudonyms, including George Owen Baxter, George Challis, Evan Evans, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning & Peter Morland.

Selected Short Works

Zane Grey

Ambers Mirage (1929, For thirty years old, Jim has spent the search for the mythical Ambers Mirage without finding him. Tsu is a sad story about how his young teammate left the house, loved a woman and went to look for a bright rock over a source that is full of gold. But perhaps this is a mirage...)Bernardos Revenge (An exciting story of love and the interaction of man with nature in the jungle, namely tigers.) (1912)California Red (1926, For years Ben Ide had chased and tried to capture the great stallion, California Red, probably the noblest of all the fifteen thousand horses who roamed the northern California plains. But he had always been unsuccessful. Now his chance had come--and he had to make the devils bargain with a band of cattle rustlers in order to realize his greatest ambition.)The Camp Robber (1928, An interesting cowboy story about the mysterious robber of the camp who kidnaps strange things.)Death Valley (1920, Of the five hundred and fifty-seven thousand square miles of desert land in the Southwest, Death Valley is the lowest below sea level, the most arid and desolate. It derives its felicitous name from the earliest days of the gold strike in California, when a caravan of Mormons, numbering about seventy, struck out from Salt Lake, to cross the Mojave Desert and make a short cut to the gold fields. All but two of these prospectors perished in the deep, iron-walled, ghastly sinkholes, which from that time became known as Death Valley.)Don: The Story of a Lion Dog (1925, This essay tells about the love of animals to Zane Gray and his understanding of how much a person can know the animal and how an animal can get closer to a person. Zane Gray met Don when she first went to the Grand Canyon. He met many people on this trip, which turned into the heroes of his novels.)The Great Slave (1920, Siena young leader of the disappearing tribe. White invaders take them into slavery, but give a gun, thanks to this miracle of the fiery stick Sienna becomes famous among the tribes and, according to the prophecy, must become a great leader.)Lightning (1910, Lee and Cuth Stewart were tall, lean Mormons, as bronzed as desert Navajos, cool, silent, gray-eyed, still-faced. Both wore crude homespun garments much the worse for wear; boots that long before had given the best in them; laced leather wristbands thin and shiny from contact with lassoes; and old gray slouch hats that would have disgraced cowboys.)Lure of the River (1923, Iquitos was a magnet for wanderers and a safe hiding place for men who must turn their faces from civilization. Rubber drew adventurers and criminals to this Peruvian frontier town as gold lured them to the Klondike. Monty Prices Nightingale (1924, Monty Price had its secret. Several times each year he scored a nicotyled salary and disappeared for several months. Then, when returning, nobody knew where he was all this time and what he was doing. But when the forest fire happened, he discovered courage in his soul and this event changed his life forever.)Nonnezoshe, the Rainbow Bridge (1915, The book describes the journey to Nonnezoshe, the most beautiful and wonderful natural phenomenon in the world. This is the only such special place Ive ever visited, but Im not sure if I could find it myself without a guide again.)The Ranger (1929, In this book, the narrative is from the first person of the American Marshal Marshal, who helps the legendary Texas Ranger Texas Hold Wall to release Fairfield from the criminals.)

The Adventures of Mr. Joseph P. Gray

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Joseph P. Cray is an American manufacturer who has just completed a year serving coffee to the troops in France during World War 1. He is motivated by good will, and also to escape his American second wife who is the head of a temperance organization. With sybaritic glee, he returns to London, dons civilian garb, and enjoys his first cocktail. He is soon joined by his daughter, the beautiful Lady Sara Sittingbourne, who lives in London. Together the two seek adventure in the form of crimes foiled, jewels recovered, spies uncovered, and plots smashed. Edward Phillips Oppenheim was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers.

The Missing Million

Edgar Wallace

When millionaire Rex Walton mysteriously vanishes on the eve of his wedding, a chain of strange, violent events is set in motion. Intrepid Joan Walton assists Inspector Dicker in the search for her brother. The main suspect is notorious criminal The Panda (The Prince of Blackmailers). You quickly find out that Rex has his own connection to the blackmailer. This is a great example of The Golden Age of Detection. It has many more characters than the typical mystery from this era making it difficult, if not impossible, to simply eliminate the Hero Detective, the Heroine Love Interest, and the Obvious Suspect to figure out who the bad guy is. The Missing Million is a mystery novel from the prolific author of detective fiction Edgar Wallace.

Hawk of the Hills

Robert E. Howard

This early work by Robert E. Howard was originally published. Hawk of the Hills is a story in the El Borak series where El Borak leads a tribe to war in Afganistan. I recommend this book

Le Fantôme de lOpéra

Gaston Leroux

Le fantôme de lOpéra a réellement existé! Oui, il a existé, en chair et en os, bien quil se donnât toutes les apparences dun vrai fantôme, cest--dire dune ombre... La tension afflue de la premiere la derniere page et ne donne pas le temps pour prendre un peu de souffle. Accidents et disparitions, pendaison du machiniste, chute dun lustre dans le public, enlevements et séquestration... Quest-ce que cest? Ce roman gothique tres envotant.

Kai Lungs Golden Hours

Ernest Bramah

The second volume of amusing Chinese fantasies. A captivating collection thats ripe for rediscovery, Kai Lungs Golden Hours stands as the very best of these beguiling books. As with other Kai Lung novels, the main plot serves primarily as a vehicle for the presentation of the gem-like, aphorism-laden stories told by the protagonist Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China. With the help of beautiful Hwa Mei, who has the attention of evil Ming Shu, Kai tries to regain his freedom by spinning a series of entertaining tales that intrigue his captor. In a unique defense, Kai Lung recites his beguiling tales to the Mandarin, successfully postponing his conviction time after time until he is finally set free. Laced with romance and adventure, spiced with fantasy and the supernatural, these stories will transport readers to a mandarins court in ancient China. Kai Lungs Golden Hours is a frame story or frame novel, that is, the narrative provides a frame for different stories.

Śluby panieńskie, czyli Magnetyzm serca. Komedia w 5 aktach wierszem

Aleksander Fredro

Dwie młode damy Aniela i Klara postanawiają nie wychodzić nigdy za mąż i igrać z męskimi uczuciami. Jak w tej sytuacji odnajdą się starający się o ich względy panowie? Czy miłość rzeczywiście przyciąga nieodwołalnie jak magnes? Aleksander Fredro stworzył komedię obfitującą w zabawne intrygi i dowcipne dialogi, a jednocześnie dowodzą wielkiej siły miłosnych uczuć.

The Iliad

Homer

One of the greatest stories ever told, "The Iliad" has survived for thousands of years because of its insightful portrayal of man and its epic story of war, duty, honor, and revenge. The poem itself centers on the figure of Achilles the Greek warrior, his quarrel with King Agamemnon the Greek leader, the death of Achilles friend Patroclus, and Achilles ultimate defeat of the Trojan warrior Hector. In the course of relating this core story, the main events of the whole war are covered. Revenge and meddling gods weave through this epic of a seemingly endless war. Seven Greek cities claim the honor of being the birthplace of Homer, the poet to whom the composition of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" are attributed. "The Iliad" is one of the foremost achievements in Western literature, but the identity or even the existence of Homer himself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived.

Anna Karenina. Roman

Lew N. Tolstoi

Lew Tolstois Roman Anna Karenina spielt abwechselnd in Moskau, auf einem Landgut und in St. Petersburg und bietet eine ausgezeichnete Schilderung der russischen Gesellschaft in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Glücklos mit einem hohen Beamten verheiratet, verfällt die bezaubernde, kluge und sanftmütige Anna dem jungen Offizier Graf Wronski in unwiderstehlicher Liebe. Anna Karenina ist bereit, dieser Liebe alles zu opfern. Doch ihre Liebe scheitert und endet in Eifersucht, Hass und Verzweiflung. Schließlich richtet Anna sich selbst, aber auch ihren Mann und den Geliebten zugrunde. In der anderen großen Figur des Romans, dem Gutsbesitzer Lewin, hatte sich Tolstoi selbst verewigt.

The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton

Daniel Defoe

With a page-length title promising thrilling adventures in exotic locations, Captain Singleton is often viewed as an attempt by Defoe to capitalize upon the success achieved by Robinson Crusoe, which had been published a year earlier and had already merited a sequel. Defoe here offers a searching exploration of society from the point of view of its outcasts. The narrative describes the life of an Englishman, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies who eventually makes his way to sea. The novel comprises two distinct halves. The first one is set in an east-west journey across central Africa, with a lot of not surprisingly dubious details of the wildlife, natives and scenery encountered. The second half involves piracies in diverse locations around the globe, including Brazil, the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific. Originally was published in 1720, The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton is an absorbing and delightful tale.

Before Adam

Jack London

Before Adam is a striking story about our distant Neanderthal ancestors, who are just starting to become aware of themselves as people. According to the plot of the story, the protagonist has dreams in which he watches a movie about his adventures in prehistoric times in the person of the Big Tooth boy living with his mother in a nest in a big tree... The author tried to diversify the heros dreams with various adventures: problems with his mother, constantly changing husbands; complex relationships between different subspecies of modern people; cruel relationships between people and so on.

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...

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe, syn kupca w mieście Hull nie chce wieść nudnego żywota jak jego ojciec. Jako 17-latek ucieka z domu i płynie do Londynu. Pierwszy statek, którym płynie, rozbija się. Robinson trafia na drugi okręt i tam uczy się sztuki żeglarskiej. Po pewnym czasie, chce wracać do domu, ale kapitan Smith namawia go, by popłynął z nim do Gwinei, a gdy tam dorobi się majątku, zostanie łaskawiej przyjęty przez ojca. Podczas kolejnej podróży statek zostaje napadnięty, a Robinson, wraz z innymi, wzięty do niewoli mauretańskiej, z której po dwóch latach ucieka. Płynie do Brazylii, gdzie staje się plantatorem. 30 września 1659, podczas wyprawy po niewolników, statek rozbija się. Robinson jest jedynym ocalałym. Trafia na bezludną wyspę, gdzie przyjdzie mu spędzić następne 28 lat. Postać Robinsona Crusoe była wzorowana na prawdziwych losach Aleksandra Selkirka, szkockiego żeglarza, który w latach 1704-1709 spędził cztery lata na wyspie Más a Tierra (obecnie wyspa Robinson Crusoe), u wybrzeży Chile.

The Riddle of the Frozen Flame

Thomas W. Hanshew

This is another classic of golden-age detective fiction featuring Detective Hamilton Cleek who was introduced in Cleek: The Man of the Forty Faces first published in 1913. This super sleuth and master of disguise will bedazzle you once more as he ingeniously solves a new case. Without the logical mind and condescending manners of Doyles Sherlock Holmes, Hamilton Cleek worms into your heart through your eyes and via your brain. In this tale, Cleek investigates the sinister disappearance of people and the mysterious appearance of flames at night in the desolate Fens, and his friend Superintendent Narkom of Scotland Yard tries to solve some tricky cases of bank robberies in London. Using disguises, clues, and his brain he solves several mysteries in one.

Le Château des Désertes

George Sand

Nous sommes transportés vers une campagne idéalisée, o tout le monde se connaît, o lair est pur et les actions naturelles. Lintrigue est la fois simple et sans complications. Comme une comédie derreurs, il est construit sur les illusions des personnages: ils pensent tous que ce nest pas ce que cest. Et dans le mme temps, dans la pratique, tout est tres simple, les intrigues complexes se déroulent sans difficulté, ce qui est fourni par le narrateur le vieil avocat Chantebel.

Children of the Wind

M.P. Shiel

M.P. Shiel is a British writer of West Indian descent. He is remembered mostly for supernatural and scientific romances, published as serials, novels, and as short stories. Children of the Wind adventure set in South Central Africa. A lost race novel. An English scientist learns that the White Queen of the Wa-Ngwanyas is his own cousin and heiress to a fortune of which she is being kept in ignorance. There are tribal warfare including biological warfare, lesbianism, and vibrant plotting a full-blooded story done in Shiel s fabulously refreshing style written after a ten-year hiatus. Highly recommended!

Na jedną kartę. Dramat w pięciu aktach

Henryk Sienkiewicz

Henryk Sienkiewicz to nie tylko autor niezapomnianych powieści i nowel, lecz także twórca sztuk scenicznych. Laureat literackiej Nagrody Nobla był także świetnym dramaturgiem. Na jedną kartę to sztuka społeczno-obyczajowa. Jej premiera odbyła się we Lwowie 14 marca 1879 r. W dwa lata później dramat wystawiono w warszawskim Teatrze Rozmaitości. Bohaterem dramatu Na jedną kartę jest człowiek z nizin społecznych, doktor Józwowicz, wychowanek i lekarz księcia Starogrodzkiego, a zarazem działacz polityczny ugrupowania demokratycznego. Prowadzi on grę polityczną i wyborczą jako kandydat na posła demokratów. Jednocześnie stara się zdobyć rękę córki księcia Starogrodzkiego, Stelli. Na drodze do szczęści stoi jednak narzeczony Stelli, Jerzy Pretwic. Józwowicz postanawia usunąć z drogi rywala. Knuje intrygę, którą doprowadza do pojedynku narzeczonego Stelli z Karolem hrabią Drahomirem...

Jungle Jest. A Tale of India

Talbot Mundy

And then a dark figure came out of the shadow between two tents. This other man was probably a policeman, Patan, and by contrast between these two people, even in the dark, one could even say that one of them was white. The white man ducked, escaped from capture and retreated to his tent. The color was born and danced through millions of prisms, the wind intensified, and the camp slowly woke up.

Sam Steeles Adventures in Panama

L. Frank Baum

Sam Steele is now captain of a ship an old and battered craft, but his own command. He is sailing it around South America to California. A storm forces Sams ship to the Panamanian coast. There, the travelers encounter the Techla Indians, descendants of the Aztecs. The Techlas are hostile to outsiders; Sam and his crew are tempted by the Indians abundant gold and gems. Traveling ashore in Moits amphibious auto, the Americans attempt to manipulate the Techla, without success. Sam Steeles Adventures in Panama is a boys adventure novel written by L. Frank Baum, and published in 1907 under the pseudonym Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald. The book was a sequel to the first Sam Steele novel, Sam Steeles Adventures on Land and Sea. The book was reprinted two years later, in 1908, with the alternative title The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska.

Old Surehand. Band IIII

Karl May

Die Trilogie Old Surehand ist ein paradigmatisches Werk des Übergangs und der Wandlung Karl Mays. Mit der Hilfe von Old Wabble, dem König der Cowboys, will Old Shatterhand den geheimnisvollen Westmann Old Surehand aus den Händen feindlicher Indianer befreien. Später gesellt sich Winnetou zu ihnen. Im Llano Estacado kommt es dann zu einer schicksalhaften Begegnung. Nach Überwindung vieler Gefahren lichtet sich nun das Dunkel um Old Surehands Vergangenheit. Old Shatterhand und Winnetou ziehen mit ihren Begleitern, unter ihnen die Verkehrten Toasts Dick Hammerdull und Pitt Holbers, hinauf ins Felsengebirge, wo alle Fäden zusammenlaufen. Der ruhelose Held des Wilden Westens, Old Surehand, erlebt zahlreiche Abenteuer, wie einen Indianeraufstand und die Verfolgung einer verfeindeten Bande. Ein ereignisreicher Wild-West-Epos voller Spannung und Abenteuer.