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…
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…
