Uncle Bernac. A Memory of the Empire

Arthur Conan Doyle

This was one of several fictional historical works that Doyle wrote during the last five years of the 19th century, as he tried to find something to replace Sherlock Holmes. First published in 1897, this murder mystery relates the story of a young Frenchman, Louis, who, having grown up in England, returns to France at the false invitation of his Uncle Bernac. Louis quickly finds himself in personal danger as well as involved in a conspiracy against Napoleon. Were soon the realm of high adventure with mysterious meetings in desolate places, but once our hero finally met the Emperor, a vast chunk of the novel was given over to a most vivid portrait of the Napoleonic court with walk on appearances by Talleyrand, Josephine and many others.

Behind That Curtain

Earl Derr Biggers

Biggers third book in the Charlie Chan series involves the detective in a case that spans decades and continents, culminating in the city of San Francisco. This time Charlie pulls aside the curtain that conceals a mystery far in the past. The plot links a present day murder with another murder some year previously, combined with a series of disappearances of young women. Charlie Chan is still trying to leave San Francisco after a vacation that turned into a job of detection. Once again hes kept from leaving by a case: the murder of Sir Frederick Bruce, ex-head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at Scotland Yard. Despite his retirement, Sir Frederick cant resist pursuing certain unsolved cases to their end. His end comes before his success, and its Charlie Chans fate to carry on. How Charlie gets involved is a part of the deliciously complex plot that the reader can look forward to.

Valley of Wild Horses

Zane Grey

This is a classic story of the Wild West, a story of reinvention, of justice, of right makes might. Panhandle Smith develops a wild free life as a cowboy until homesickness and a longing for his childhood sweetheart, Lucy, leads him to find them moved to Marco, a town in New Mexico. His childhood enemy Dick Hardman is ensconced there with his grasping father and their power seems invincible. Smith has a plan. Fighting down his past as a gunman, he prepared to start a new life with only a saloon girl and an itinerant cowboy as his allies. But even the best plans have a way of going awry. Set against the dramatic background of a wild-horse roundup, the plot leads to the inevitable clash between two strong and stubborn men. The action escalates toward the end, but as in most of Zanes novels, the good folk finally win out and the man gets his girl, finally.

Der Weihnachtsabend

Charles Dickens

Der Weihnachtsabend ist das meistgelesene und beliebteste Weihnachtsmärchen. Die Christmas Books gehören zu den meistgelesenen Werken von Charles Dickens. Was wäre Weihnachten ohne Charles Dickens? Die Erzählung über den geizigen alten Ebenezer Scrooge, der in der Weihnachtsnacht Besuch vom Geist seines verstorbenen Teilhabers und von drei weiteren Geistern erhält und danach sein Leben ändert.

Król Maciuś na wyspie bezludnej

Janusz Korczak

Powieść dla dzieci autorstwa Janusza Korczaka, ukazująca dalsze losy małego władcy-reformatora, bohatera powieści Król Maciuś Pierwszy. Maciuś Pierwszy król, który pragnął uczynić szczęśliwymi wszystkie dzieci na świecie cudem uniknął śmierci. Po przegranej wonie zostaje uwięziony i czeka na zesłanie na bezludną wyspę. Zaczyna rozmyślać nad sobą i swoim miejscem w świecie. Nie przestaje też działać. Ucieka z wiozącego go na bezludną wyspę pociągu, ukrywa się pod przybranym imieniem, wreszcie staje przed szansą odzyskania tronu... Opowieść pełna zaskakujących przygód, które nie zawsze kończą się pomyślnie. Znakomite źródło wiedzy o świecie i wartościach, które są ważne w życiu każdego dziecka.

Dave Dashaway, the Young Aviator. Or in the Clouds for Fame and Fortune

Roy Rockwood

In the tradition of the Bobbsey Twins and the Hardy Boys, Dave Dashaways adventures continue with a race around the world! Created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and issued under their popular house name Roy Rockwood from 1913 to 1915, Dave Dashaway is a five volume series of aviation adventure tales for boys. Never was there a more clever young aviator than Dave Dashaway, and all up-to-date lads will surely wish to make his acquaintance. In his very first story we find out how the hero ran away from his miserly and cruel guardian, met, befriended and fell in with a successful airman, and became a young aviator of note. Its a good old fashioned tale about an adventurous boy at the dawn of the aviation age. Theres impossible coincidences, dastardly villains, and a young hero determined to do right.

The Undying Fire. A Contemporary Novel

Herbert George Wells

Dedicated to all schoolmasters and schoolmistresses and every teacher in the world, this re-interpretation of the Book of Job is one of the authors finest discussion novels. Written in 1918, this is the story of Job Huss, the headmaster of a progressive school. It is saturated with the ideas of educational reform and of the teaching of world history as the basis for a common civilization and is one of his most ambitious dialogue narratives. Essentially it is a modernized parody of the book of Job, a prose poem which Wells greatly admired, though not particularly religious, as can be seen from his logical Science Fiction writing. In The Undying Fire, Wells give us an updated Book of Job, focusing on the tribulations of an actual descendant of the biblical Job. The various characters from the Biblical narrative are all there, in updated form.

The Riddle of the Rail

Fred M. White

Infrequently puzzles can be solved. However, the main character, inspector Norcliff, is trying to solve this problem. The inspector had no resemblance to the average detective fiction; Indeed, he represented the exterior much more like a successful middle-aged businessman, than a hunter of his fellow creatures. He was the best in the business. Therefore, he was ready to take on a new business with great enthusiasm.