With the backdrop of the French Revolution, this classic book of love, terror and political cruelty reveals the true conditions of London and Paris during the last-half of the Eighteenth century. Stimulating and emotional, this book strikes at the heart.

One of America’s most beloved novelists says, “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I’m afraid of them.” Perhaps this paradox between intellect and emotion spawned this perplexing, but fascinating story. When the man of the house disappears, it can’t be because of a ghost—or can it? Leave it to Wharton to create the extraordinary out of the ordinary as she laces intrigue with doubt over fear and common sense.

This Russian classic is perhaps the best book ever written, certainly the best of Leo Tolstoy's work. Anna, a sensuous and rebellious woman, scraps her marriage for a young officer, Count Vronsky hoping to find love. Its chilling ending assures the reader that this is a book never to be forgotten.

Phileas Fogg made a bet. Together with his servant hot-blooded Passepartout, they travel by train, steamship, sled and even an elephant in an attempt to win that bet. Exploration, adventure and suspense make this crazy novel an all-time classic.

Enter the world of Beatrix Potter and her endearing anthropomorphic animals. These treasured characters have become every child’s playmates and have found a home in every child’s heart. Say hello to Nutkin the Squirrel and Benjamin Bunny, along with their many friends.

The story is told in the first person (or "first horse") as an autobiographical memoir told by a highbred horse named Black Beauty—beginning with his carefree days as a foal on an English farm, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, to his happy retirement in the country. Along the way, he meets with many hardships and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness.

This compilation includes three books: Bluebonnet of the Hill Country, Bluebonnet at the Alamo and Bluebonnet at the State Fair. Join this nosy, Texas armadillo as she explores the wonders of her native state.

In Cry, The Beloved Country a Zulu pastor travels in search of his son throughout a troubled and dangerous South Africa in the early 1940’s. Compassionate, empathetic and deeply moving, this tale of love and concern captures the imagination and brings to life the cost of conviction and the price of sacrifice.

With a heart as big as his nose, the poet-swordsman lends his words and wit to the handsome but tongue-tied Christian to win the hand of the fair Roxane. Spurned by love due to his enlarged nose, Cyrano transfers his love and poetic words for Roxane to Christian in order for him to win her love.

The Velveteen Rabbit, Dulce Domum (From The Wind in the Willows), and The Little Mermaid. These three stories for young people are some of the most memorable and beloved of all children’s stories. Every child should know these by heart, as they will remember them for a lifetime.

Frankenstein is the story most people believe they have read, but have not. Others believe they know the story, but do not. It is the most notorious of “gothic novels” of all time – ageless in its style and format and timeless in its delivery of horror, brooding and suspense. An immortal tale about love, hate, justice, and science at its best – or worst.

Oh, to be a child again and listen to the beloved fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen; for when we do, it is Christmas all year long. His classic tales The Fir Tree, The Little Match Girl, The Red Shoes and The Emperor’s New Clothes charm and warm the hearts of young and old alike.

Three short stories: My Old Man, Up in Michigan and Out of Season are the first works ever published by Ernest Hemingway. Published in 1923 in Paris, France, they are the precursor of this famous author’s literary masterpieces. Each story, distinctively different, demonstrates the versatility of his craftsmanship and the measure of his prodigious mind.

Mary Stewart was crowned Queen when she was just nine months old. As a young girl, she was sent to Paris to marry the sickly King of France. After his death she returned to Scotland to fight for her right to be Queen. Unfortunately, ill-fated love affairs, political intrigue and murder led her to a tragic end.

"I first met Antonia on what seemed to be an interminable journey across the great midland plain of North America." These are the first words, spoken by Jim, who leads us into Willa Cather’s masterpiece about a spirited girl, who down trodden by neglect and hard work never "lost the fire of life." Every American must know Antonia, for once they do, they can never forget her.

This memorable and laughable story, first published in the "Atlantic Monthly", was the catalyst that spiraled Hale into becoming one of America’s most famous writers. Naturally, when two Frederic Ingham-s showed up in a small parish in Maine the inevitable twist and turns of deceit could lead only to disaster.

The cast of characters says it all: Nicholas II, the last great Tsar of Russia; Alexandra, the self-willed wife; their son, Alexis, stricken with hemophilia; and the wild-man Rasputin - fight for their lives during the Revolution.

A Chaparral Christmas Gift, Christmas by Injunction and The Gift of the Magi. O. Henry loved Christmas. These three stories are representative of how diverse in time, place and characters his love for Christmas takes him. Both the well-known and the little known stories capture the hearts of all others who also love Christmas.

Love can be found anywhere. Aboard a steamer headed for New York, a young man falls in love with a married woman; but fate trumps hope, and leaves only bittersweet memories.

Jane Austen's last novel "Persuasion" was written in 1816 and was published posthumously in 1818. The title was not chosen by Jane Austen; some have said she meant to call this The Elliot's. Her brother chose this title. In the novel, Anne Elliot, the heroine Austen called 'almost too good for me,' has let herself be persuaded not to marry Frederick Wentworth, a fine and attractive man without means. Eight years later, Captain Wentworth returns from the Napoleonic Wars with a triumphant naval career behind him, a substantial fortune to his name, and an eagerness to wed. Austen explores the complexities of human relationships as they change over time.

Pulitzer Prize Winner. Cast between the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries, this gigantic novel is as large as the man himself. Peter the Great was an extraordinary ruler – impulsive and stubborn, cruel yet generous, tender and forgiving.

When Charles Bingley, a rich single man, moves to the Netherfield estate, the neighborhood residents are thrilled, especially Mrs. Bennet who intends to marry him to one of her girls. But who can anticipate the effect of his friend, Mr. Darcy, on Elizabeth Bennet, and how his pride and her prejudice are eventually overcome for the good of all.

Quo Vadis is a monumental saga of love and courage. Set during the time of Nero and the fall of the Roman Empire, this epic story reveals both the agony and the glory of the struggling new movement called Christianity.

The New York World said that RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE has ‘episodes of bravery, scoundrelism, chivalry, horsemanship and ready shooting’; and indeed it has all this and more when Gunman Lassiter shows up to help a female rancher protect her cattle from rustlers and the demands from authorities of the Church. Highly dramatic, poignant, yet tender, this acclaimed western writer corrals the listener into this captivating story.

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are two sisters with contrasting personalities. After being left impoverished by the death of their father and greed of their elder brother, John, the sisters move into a new cottage where they struggle through trials of love and loss before eventually finding happiness.

A village recluse, miserly and lonely, is robbed of all his worldly goods but discovers in a young orphan girl that love is more valuable than money.

Sherlock Holmes is at his best when he uncovers the mystery of the horse that has disappeared: Silver Blaze. At least four or five clues are clearly exposed, but only Holmes, with his logical mind, picks up on them.

The Remarkable Rocket, The Selfish Giant, and The Happy Prince. The world-renowned Irish playwright, novelist and poet is also the author of charming, and thought provoking children’s stories. These three stories represent the best of Wilde’s love of fairy tales and mythical writings.

Edna Ferber, a prolific and popular novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner, was one of the first to portray women as aggressive, assertive and successful. However, Terry Sheehan, in her pursuit of self-fulfillment, discovered marriage to be a two way street with pot holes along the way.

A tidewater dog named Buck, is stolen from his original owner and catapulted into an arena of bad men and dogs during the gold rush in northern Alaska. “Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing,” and thus the story begins of hardship, mistreatment and the will to survive. Toughening, maddening and overcoming are the hallmarks of this great classic. Don’t miss it.

Only Sherlock Holmes can put the pieces back together after a murder; especially one with no motive, clues or keys. And what about that crooked man with a mysterious pet?

“Never have I beheld any spectacle which so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to man as a total eclipse of the sun.” So said the author in this sensitive story of death and rebirth when humans come face to face with nature.

Roderick Usher, the last tenant of the House of Usher line, summons his friend to come to him in his darkest need. The friend finds Usher terrified of life and his impending doom. When his sister dies, the two place her in a temporary tomb and Roderick experiences the horror he had so long anticipated. Poe, in his genius, develops one of the greatest macabre stories ever written, complete with a chilling and eerie conclusion.

This is the story, set in 1891, that introduces Holmes' greatest opponent, the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty. As is well known, "The Final Problem" was intended to be exactly what its name says. Conan Doyle meant to stop writing about his famous detective with this short story -- equally well-known, this device failed in its purpose; only the few free, surviving members of Moriarty’s organization, and Holmes’s brother Mycroft know that Sherlock Holmes is still alive.

It is the same old story of the struggle between the old and the new. This story, portrayed in the dark detail of the eighth-century, tells of old foresters, who desire to cling to the past, and a bright, young Christian who comes to teach them about the birth of Christ.

William Sidney Porter, or O. Henry as he is better known, spent his formative years in Texas. No wonder, one of America’s best-loved story tellers picked a vagabond like “Curly” to understand, the hard way, what the law of the West really means.

Does love always find a way? Follow the ‘youngish girl’ sitting next to a ‘traveling salesman’ on the train, while on her way to meet a ‘secret love’, uncertain as to what she might find.

“No hand—just an empty sleeve. Lord! I thought that a deformity.” H.G. Wells, at his best, creates this psychological portrayal of a young scientist, who, caught up in his own scientific experiments, believes he has discovered the secret of invisibility. This masterpiece of terror and murder plays upon the personal dichotomy of desires when the young scientist fights for sanity when he fails to reverse his experiment.

Edith Wharton’s ironic stories won her numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. This story of conflict between individual and social fulfillment wins her the admiration of readers and writers of all ages. With tongue in cheek, she mocks the phoniness of the pretentious, while sympathizing with the pitiful and ends up with a story that cries for equity.

“I am on the hilltop and must go down into the valley; and when Uncas follows in my footsteps there will no longer be any of the blood of the Sagamores, for my boy is the last of the Mohicans.” Thus, James Fennimore Cooper writes in the beautiful but disturbing and memorable book of war, courage, and love.

Everyone has heard of Ichabod Crane, few have read the real story of his adventures in Sleepy Hollow. Set in the village of Terry Town, New York, the commoners are beset by superstitions and wild visions. Ichabod, the priggish schoolmaster, when competing for the hand of the Hollow’s fair damsel, is pursued by the village specter, the Headless Horseman.

The agony of uncertainty. Lizzie West falls in love but her future hangs delicately on a thin string of hope so purposefully constructed in ‘the letters’.

From the author of Peter Pan – Set in the fictional Scottish town of Thrums, a young minister finds himself caught between loyalty and love -- the parish members’ criticism and his love for a young Gypsy girl who turns out to be an educated and benevolent woman.

This is a tale of an early Christmas. It is also a story of the healing power of divine knowledge. Only a clergyman of the caliber of Rev. Henry Van Dyke could bring a story of Christmas and a profound lesson of life in one delightful piece of fiction.

The story of Philip Nolan, exiled on a ship for fifty-five years after being convicted of treason whiplashes the reader between scorn and sympathy, as he is doomed never to see his native land. The portrait of a patriot.

The Miracle Worker demonstrates the true miracle of love, compassion and determination. Helen Keller, a young woman blind and deaf as a young child, finds the secret out of her prison walls of silence and darkness through the love and determination of Anne Sullivan.

Three wishes – as if out of Arabian Nights – come to a man and his wife. Too fascinating to turn down, they fall victim to the ruse and make their wishes, unmindful of the enormously devastating consequences.

Somerset Maugham, the author of Of Human Bondage, traveled to the South Pacific in order to write this memorable story based on the life of artist Paul Gauguin, a man who leaves his wife and children for the passion of art. This is a fascinating story of pride, self-serving and questionable intentions. One of Maugham’s best.

After a shipwreck, four men drift in a dingy upon the ocean, combating the power of waves, tides and storms in order to survive. Stephen Crane, the author of The Red Badge of Courage, vividly describes this true, two-day nightmare of struggle, bravery and mental anguish.

A young boy was reported missing from school. Was he kidnapped? If so, who was the kidnapper? Only Sherlock Holmes could sleuth out the answer through a maze of unscrupulous characters, a web of deceit and the labyrinth of misleading clues.

Only Mark Twain, with his wry humor, would weigh in on a military campaign’s failure and delight his listeners with a different take on the evils of war and the damage it can cause.

Poe is considered one of the best horror story writers ever. In this carefully crafted novel, Poe sets up a foundation for an ironic detective story that pits mind over matter and stumps the office police in their work. Through logic, detective C. Auguste Dupin comes to the rescue and pulls off a stunning coup that sabotages a blackmail plot against the Royal Family. This is a story you will never forget.

Noted as one of the highest literary achievements of the modern age, this impressionistic novel moves with boldness and pathos into the motivation and experience of a young soldier during the Civil War.

Sherlock Holmes is at it again. Mrs. Warren, a London lodging-house keeper, comes to Holmes with a curious story of a reclusive and eccentric tenant. Mrs. Warren's husband has been abducted and then quickly released again, perhaps a case of mistaken identity. Holmes decides the case is more important than it appears.

A story set in Bethlehem during the time of the first Christmas. A lonely, sad shepherd, asleep when the angels sang their triumphant song, missed his chance of seeing the new baby. In time and through hardships, the memory of the baby’s mother led him to the child.

Hester Prynne, a social outcast, defies the narrow Boston Puritans’ call for her head when she refuses to disclose the name of the father of her out-of-wedlock baby. Forced to wear the A for Adultery on her chest, Hester bears it as a badge of honor and snubs her nose at hypocrisy.

The Prime Minister, and Trelawney Hope, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, come to Holmes in the matter of a document stolen from Hope's despatch box, which he kept at home in Whitehall Terrace when not at work. If divulged, this document could bring about very dire consequences for all Europe, even war!

Van Dyke wrote, “I would tell the tale as I have heard fragments of it in the Hall of Dreams; in the palace of the Heart of Man.” This tale is of the other wise man, who also saw the star and after his wanderings and hardships found the Christ Child in a very strange way.

This disturbing, yet intriguing story reveals the nightmare of living a double life, the conflict over good and evil and the arrogance of power. A novella about a dual personality -- a kind and intelligent physician who turns into a psychopathic monster after partaking of a drug intended to separate good from evil in a personality. It is enough to make your hair stand on end!

How surprising that a woman of Edith Wharton’s literary stature not only believes in, but writes about, ghosts. This short story is a result of her haunting fascination and fear of both spirits and supernatural phenomena, and as "Ms." magazine says is ‘flawlessly eerie.’ In The Triumph of Night, she pushes one to finally decide if ghosts are real or imaginary. That is if one can.

Amory Blaine, spoiled and misguided, arrogant and prideful, comes of age when, as a student at Princeton University he weighs in on the more profound aspects of life such as love and war and is found wanting. Fitzgerald’s debut novel.

The irony of the mind is the psychological twist that propels an old man to persuade a young woman to wait for his son, whom he is convinced will return To-morrow.

War and Peace is one of those books that you always wanted to read, but never did. Now is your chance to listen with your ears rather than read with your eyes, the haunting story of the complex and timeless human struggle for peace during war, ecstasy during anguish and love wherever it can be found.

Only James Barrie, the famous author of Peter Pan, could twist this story set in Scotland into an ironic tale. Maggie Wylie’s brothers thought she would never marry so they enticed a young scholar into a marriage contract in exchange for funds for his education. What happens, of course, every woman knows, but is not telling.