By: Charles Dickens Coldhearted Ebenezer Scrooge has no use for Christmas cheer. He rejects a dinner invitation from his jolly nephew, scolds charity workers, and very begrudgingly allows his clerk a day off. All the warmth and joy of the holiday are humbug to Scrooge until Jacob Marley, his long-dead business partner, pays a call. Marley's spirit is the first in a series…
By: Charles Dickens, Arthur Rackham Rich in the imagery of nineteenth-century England, this literary classic celebrates a return to old-fashioned Christmas festivities while examining the crisis in one man's personal life. One of the most famous characters in literary history, Ebenezer Scrooge is the "grasping old sinner" who finds redemption after witnessing scenes from his life in which his greed, self-interest, and…
By: R. K. Gordon One of the most universally studied of the English classics, Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem in Old English. Written ten centuries ago, it celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of the Geats, a people of southern Sweden. Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters, then returns…
By: Thomas Bulfinch First published in 1855, Bulfinch's Mythology has introduced generations of readers to the great myths of Greece and Rome, as well as time-honored legends of Norse mythology, medieval, and chivalric tales, Oriental fables, and more. Readers have long admired Bulfinch's versions for the skill with which he wove various versions of a tale into a coherent whole, the vigor of…
By: Thomas Bulfinch Here, in a dazzling panoply, are the legendary figures from the age of chivalry: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood, Richard the Lionhearted and his crusaders, and a host of other famous and lesser-known characters. This collection includes tales from Camelot, dramatic narratives from The Mabinogion, and stories of the noble warriors of English…
By: Rudyard Kipling At the start of Captains Courageous, one of literature's most beloved stories of the sea, a spoiled rich boy is literally swept away — dashed overboard from an ocean liner. Luckily, young Harvey Cheyne is rescued by a passing fishing vessel. As it turns out, Harvey's apparent misfortune in tumbling from a life of pampered luxury into the humble company…
Author Lanaya Gore and illustrator Twila Farmer have brought the story of Charlotte Mason and her educational ideas to life in this vibrant, beautiful picture book. The seemingly ordinary teacher living in Victorian England inspired an extraordinary movement in education, first in her own time, and now in ours. Untold numbers of children around the world are learning according to…
by Hans Christian Andersen By: Hans Christian Andersen, Harry Clarke This beautifully designed treasury gathers Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved fairy tales in a gilt-stamped, hardcover volume, abundantly illustrated by full-color and black-and-white images by Golden Age master Harry Clarke. Offering such classics as "The Snow Queen," "The Nightingale," and "The Wild Swan," this masterful collection showcases Clarke's peerless artistry…
By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Throughout the annals of literature there is one detective who reigns supreme — Mr. Sherlock Holmes of 221B Baker Street, London. From that celebrated address, Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson set out to solve the most difficult cases and bring to justice the master criminals of Victorian England. Now readers can enjoy the crime-solving exploits…
By: Rudyard Kipling The son of an Irish soldier, Kim doesn’t really fit in with the other residents of his native Lahore or among India's British transplants. The 13-year-old orphan struggles to find an identity for himself, while living hand-to-mouth in the streets. When he's befriended by a Tibetan monk, Kim becomes the elderly lama's disciple and joins the quest to…
Jo March, the tomboy heroine of Little Women, has grown up! She returns in this beloved sequel as a young woman with a family of her own. Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer, open their hearts (and their home) to educate and care for a handful of rowdy yet well-meaning youngsters. Plumfield, the school where the boys learn "how to help themselves…
This American classic is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when it was first written in the 19th century. Largely based on the author's own childhood, Little Women is a timeless tale of the four young March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — who grow to maturity in their mother's tender but strong care. As different in their…
By: J. Meade Falkner This rollicking tale of smugglers, hidden treasure, and a wandering ghost casts the same kind of gripping spell as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and other adventure classics. Set in an English village during the 1750s, it tells of an orphan boy who discovers a dangerous secret down in a church crypt, which results in a series of perilous encounters on…
By: Washington Irving, N.C. Wyeth This charming hardcover collectible will appeal to both admirers of N. C. Wyeth's iconic art and Washington Irving's timeless tale of the Hudson Valley idler who sleeps for 20 years. Wyeth ranks among America's best-known book illustrators, and his nine color plates and numerous other black-and-white illustrations make this a book to treasure. A Calla Edition, originally…
By: Washington Irving Travel back in time to the days before the American Revolution, when Dutch settlers populated the little towns along the Hudson River and ghosts roamed the mountains and river valleys. In "Rip Van Winkle," a henpecked husband escapes his nagging wife by wandering the Catskills, where he encounters some mysterious mountain men and tastes a strange brew with…
By: Howard Pyle, Paul Creswick, N.C. Wyeth Generation after generation, young imaginations find their way to Sherwood Forest to join Robin Hood and his merry men in the fellowship of the greenwood and the fight against injustice. Readers of all ages will delight in this deluxe hardcover volume, which presents the Scribner's Classic edition by Paul Creswick and its brilliant color plates by…
By: Daniel Defoe You would never guess that this novel was published nearly 300 years ago — the exploits of its hero remain fresh and exciting, and even those who have never read the book recognize the name Robinson Crusoe as a synonym for a desert-island castaway. This Evergreen edition offers young readers a chance to get swept away by one of literature's most memorable…
By: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Virginia Sterrett One of 19th-century America's greatest authors recounts timeless tales from Greek mythology in this grand hardcover facsimile. Hawthorne's evocative interpretations of stories about Theseus and the Minotaur, Circe the enchantress, Proserpine's abduction into the underworld, Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece, and other ancient legends are graced by 24 delicate color and black-and-white illustrations by Virginia Frances…
By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Venture back in time to Victorian London to join literature's greatest detective team — the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and his devoted assistant, Dr. Watson — as they investigate a dozen of their best-known cases. Originally published in 1892, this is the first and best collection of stories about the legendary sleuth. It's also the least expensive…
By: G. K. Chesterton Father Brown, an ordinary priest whose unremarkable exterior conceals extraordinary crime-solving ability, is celebrated for his solutions to metaphysical mysteries, a genre perfected by his creator, G. K. Chesterton. More than lighthearted comedies built around puzzling crimes, these superbly written tales contain deeply perceptive philosophical reflections. The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) was the first collection of stories…
The Best Philippine Short Stories Written by: Estrella Alfon, Lilia Pablo Amansec, Francisco Arcellana, et al.An Anthology of Philippine Fiction in English The modern form of the short story is magnificently showcased in this anthology of fifty selections in English written by Filipinos in the last century. Edited by literary critic Isagani R. Cruz, this collection spans from 1925 to 1998.…
By: Andrew Lang It is almost impossible to envision what childhood would be like without the enchanting world of fairyland. Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres — these are the companions who will thrill young boys and girls of all lands and all times, as Andrew Lang's phenomenally successful collections of stories have…
By: Andrew Lang Classic collection of 32 less familiar folk tales narrated in clear, lively prose. Different enough to capture all imaginations, the tales are drawn from many different cultures: the American Indians, Australian Bushmen, African Kaffirs, and from Persia, Lapland, Brazil, and India. Includes all of the original 50 illustrations. Reprint of the first 1904 edition.
By: Thornton W. Burgess "An invaluable companion to any child spending a seashore holiday." — New York Herald Tribune Familiar burgess characters Danny Meadow Mouse, Jimmy Skunk, and Reddy Fox explore every nook and cranny of the shoreline and learn first hand about the habits and habitats of spider crabs, sea cucumbers, sand eels, and that strangest of little fishes — the…
By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "His career has been a long one," Arthur Conan Doyle notes of his immortal creation, Sherlock Holmes. Doyle made his observation in the 1920s, when the detective had already been thrilling readers for 40 years, and he modestly attributed his hero's success to "the patience and loyalty of the British public." Nearly a century later, the fictional sleuth continues…
