Beyond Good and Evil. Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future

Friedrich Nietzsche

Beyond Good and Evil is one of the most scathing and powerful critiques of philosophy, religion, science, politics and ethics ever written. This work rejects the tradition of Western thought with its notions of truth and God, good and evil and demonstrates that the Christian world is steeped in a false piety and infected with a slave morality. It promotes a philosophy that celebrates the present and demands that the individual imposes their own will to power upon the world. The nine parts of the book are designed to give the reader a comprehensive idea of Nietzsches thought and style: they span The Prejudices of Philosophers, The Free Spirit, religion, morals, scholarship, Our Virtues, Peoples and Fatherlands, and What is Noble, as well as chapter of epigrams and a concluding poem.

A Child of the Jago

Arthur Morrison

A Child of the Jago is London-born journalist Arthur Morrisons best known novel. It was first published in November 1896 and is set in a fictional East End slum known as the Jago, which Morrison based a real district called the Old Nichol. The novel recounts the brief life of Dicky Perrott, who is at heart full of humane instinct but his environment ensures his down fall. The Perrott family, and their friends and enemies, must struggle for their very survival in the harsh environment they live within. Tension and desperation amid the crime and roughness is constant in the overcrowded slums of the East End, with fortune hard to come by and danger ever present. The author, who rejected the label realist, doesnt minimize the violence of the community and A Child of the Jago is an exciting tale indeed.

The Cats Eye

R. Austin Freeman

Narrated by Robert Anstey, who is acting as Thorndykes counsel as Jervis is away in America. He walks right into a murder scene, attracted by the screams of a beautiful young woman. The dead man is a harmless old bachelor who collects objects of arcane appeal. Several pieces of inscribed jewelry are missing. Its a strange sort of burglary perpetrated by clumsy amateurs who nonetheless got clean away. Dr. Thorndyke takes on the case and enlists Anstey as his sidekick. Anstey makes a perfect foil for the great forensics expert, since he misses the significance of everything. There is murder, love, and a form of code to be deciphered to prove an inheritance. The plot, which is ingenious and complex, includes a contested inheritance with a fascinating history. And the reader is treated to plenty of scientific and analytic exploits by Dr. Thorndyke. We watch him test for poison; take impressions of fingerprints, handprints and footprints; detect secret chambers; and interpret coded messages.

The Thief in the Night

Edgar Wallace

Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a publishing phenomenon in his day, his name being synonymous with the word thriller, a genre some would credit him with inventing. His popularity at the time was comparable to that of Charles Dickens one of Wallaces publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him. The Thief in the Night is an enjoyable easy going, fast moving mystery novella, set in England during the 1928s. Diamond plaques are being stolen from wealthy girls and poison pen letters are being delivered Inspector Jack Danton is puzzled... Wonderful entertainment and highly entertaining. If you havent discovered the joys of Wallaces thrillers there is a good place to start. Highly recommended.

Brief an den Vater

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafkas Brief an den Vater wurde nie abgeschickt und fand erst nach seinem Tod Leser. Zeit seines Lebens litt Franz Kafka unter der tyrannischen und manipulativen Art seines Vaters. In dem erst postum veröffentlichten Brief an den Vater versucht er, die komplizierte Beziehung zu verarbeiten. Der Text ermöglicht einen einzigartigen Einblick in die Beziehung Kafkas zu seinem Vater und wurde bereits vielfach als Grundlage für psychoanalytische und biografische Studien über den Autor zurate gezogen. Anklage und Selbstanalyse zugleich, vermittelt es dem Leser Einblick in das komplizierte Seelenleben des Autors. Brief an den Vater ist vielleicht der beste Einstieg in die beunruhigende wie inspirierende Welt eines Schriftstellers, ohne den die Geschichte der Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts anders verlaufen wäre.

Cabin Fever

B.M. Bower

A classic tale of the Old West by B.M. Bower. This one is one of her earliest (1918). This was an interesting story about a man who quarrels with his young wife and goes out into the world to try to forget her. Cabin Fever gets Bud Moore into a peck of trouble now and then. Bud is a bit too trustful of strangers and before he knows it, he has injected himself into a situation that could prove to be disastrous. Bud then heads for the hills and meets up with another stranger. Then, one day, Bud finds a child who has been stolen by an Indian squaw and takes him in. How will the childs presence change the two hardened men? The surprise ending is a nice touch, by the author.

The Knave of Diamonds

Ethel M. Dell

1912. Ethel May Dell (1881-1939), British writer, began writing at a young age. Most of her stories were stories of passion and love set in India and other British colonial possessions. American Nap Errol is in love with reserved Englishwoman, Lady Anne. Lady Anne is unhappily married to an unpleasant, wealthy drunk, who is twice her age. Nap is, in his own and most others opinion, a knave and a bounder. Lady Anne, miserable in her situation, is honor bound to her husband and marriage vows. Nap is soon equally miserable, as Anne refuses to enter into an adulterous liason. Fast paced, involving romance written early in the Twentieth century, The Knave of Diamonds novel stands up well to the test of time.

The Ivory Child

H. Rider Haggard

Another compelling and well-written story by H. Rider Haggard! It all starts quite gradually, in England, where the great hunter Allan Quatermain is making one of his rare trips outside of Africa. The story returns to Africa, and Quatermain talks about the unsuccessful speculation at the gold mine. Meanwhile, events that began many years ago in England are developing, and other heroes arrive in Africa for further adventures.