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First published in 1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Rainbow Valley” is the seventh novel chronologically in the “Anne of Green Gables” saga, though it was published fifth. This installment of the timeless series finds Anne Shirley happily married to Gilbert Blythe for 15 years, busy raising their six children. Soon the family has an unusual neighbor when the new Presbyterian minister John Meredith, a widower, moves into an old mansion nearby with his four children. Most of the community views the Meredith children as wild and unmannered and question John’s ability to raise them on his own and thus be a good minister to the village. The Blythe family is the only one to see another side of this misunderstood family and witness their kindness and generosity. Soon all the children work together to solve problems both big and small, from finding a home for a starving orphan, helping John find love again, to saving a favored rooster from death. “Rainbow Valley” is an enjoyable and heartwarming addition to the popular and well-loved saga of Anne and her family. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published anonymously in 1678, Madame de Lafayette is generally believed to be the author behind “The Princess of Cleves”. Set between October 1558 and November 1559 at the royal court of Henry II of France, the novel is concerned with Mademoiselle de Chartres, a sheltered heiress who is brought to the court by her mother to find her a proper husband. This soon to be princess will find herself caught between her duty as a wife and her untimely love for another man. “The Princess of Cleves” is one of the great classics of French literature, known for its remarkable historical accuracy. The novel which is not only highly evocative of a past era marked a major turning point in world literature. Up to then novels had been highly romanticized whereas “The Princess of Cleves” is noted for having a highly realistic plot with deeply introspective characters.

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First published in 1869, “An Old-Fashioned Girl” is the charming novel of a young country girl learning to navigate sophisticated city-life by celebrated American author Louisa May Alcott. Appearing a year after the publication of her most famous work, “Little Women”, Alcott’s “An Old-Fashioned Girl” centers around the contrast between the title character, the country girl Polly Milton, and her wealthy friend from the city, Fanny Shaw. Polly goes to visit the Shaw family for the first time at age 14 and is shocked by their fancy clothes, urban lifestyle, and questionable morals. They, in turn, are amused by Polly’s simple dress and seemingly strange behavior. Before long however, the Shaw family is won over by her warmth, kindness, and wholesome values. Polly continues her visits for many years and is able to help Fanny, her brother Tom, and the rest of the Shaw family to become better people and to recognize what truly matters in life. “An Old-Fashioned Girl” is a warm-hearted and satisfying novel featuring interesting and sympathetic characters that readers both young and old will enjoy getting to know. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Harriet E. Wilson is the first female African American to publish a novel in North America. Her first and only work, “Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black” was first published in 1859. Considered lost until 1982 when it was rediscovered by scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., the novel is largely autobiographical, tracking the life of a free black women in the Antebellum North. At the age of three, the protagonist Frado is abandoned by her parents and left at the house of the Bellmonts, a wealthy New England family. Her life as a free black woman in the North is filled with hardship and suffering. This realistic tale sugar coats nothing, and the reader witnesses Frado’s difficult life as a servant to the family. A groundbreaking work of gender and race identity, Wilson creates a tremendous narrative central to African American history which helped to begin a tradition of African American literature in America.

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Set in the Limberlost Swamp area of Indiana, “Freckles” is American writer and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter’s 1904 novel about the titular character, a one-handed adult orphan who takes a job guarding timber in the swamp. Freckles has lived all his life in a Chicago orphanage and has been missing his right hand as long as he can remember. Now an adult, he is hired on by the Grand Rapids lumber company to guard their valuable timber in the Limberlost Swamp. Freckles has lived his whole life in the city and is at first frightened and intimidated by this strange and wild place. Yet, he is eager to learn about his new home and he soon becomes enchanted by the beauty of the wildlife and plants in the swamp. Freckles also falls in love with a nameless young woman that he meets in the Limberlost and whom the reader knows only as “The Swamp Angel”. Freckles is challenged by the mystery of his past and parentage and feels he is not worthy of love, but he proves himself to be an honorable and kind man. In this heart-warming and charming novel, Freckles finds his true home and learns the priceless value of courage and kindness. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Written in the style of traditional Arthurian legends, “Otto of the Silver Hand” is a scathing tale of the realities behind the chivalric ideal. During the course of his studies of medieval society, in preparation to write a magnificent series on King Arthur’s Court, Howard Pyle shockingly discovered a mentality of cruelty and vengefulness among the legendary knights, which he brings to light in this work. However, these criticisms cannot overshadow the high sense of adventure in the story and illustrations of Otto, the gentle-natured son of a German warlord who, reclaimed from a monastery at age 12, suffers under the hands of a vengeful family rival, Baron Henry. While being held prisoner he falls in love with Baron Henry’s daughter, Pauline, until he’s rescued by his father and escapes his captor’s grasp. The chase ensues in this epic tale of a young man overcoming hatred and strife with goodness and love. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1921, “Rilla of Ingleside” is the sixth book written in the “Anne of Green Gables” saga by Lucy Maud Montgomery. While it was published sixth, “Rilla of Ingleside” is the eighth book chronologically in the series and focuses on Anne’s youngest daughter, fifteen-year-old Bertha Marilla “Rilla” Blythe. Set against the back drop of the First World War, Rilla begins the book carefree with little interest or concern for anything other than having fun. However, soon the war begins and Rilla finds herself left anxiously home alone with her parents while her sisters are away at college and her brothers are off fighting the war. Rilla matures quickly and begins to organize the junior Red Cross in her village and takes on the responsibility of mothering a newborn baby whose mother has died while the father is away at war. More serious in tone than many of the other “Anne of Green Gables” books, Rilla’s story is a realistic and insightful saga of what life was like for those left at home trying to maintain normalcy and stability during wartime. “Rilla of Ingleside” is a touching and emotionally satisfying volume in Montgomery’s popular and well-loved series. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Written in Greek in the 3rd century BC, “Jason and the Golden Fleece” or “The Argonautica” is the epic of Apollonius of Rhodes. It is the only surviving Hellenistic epic and recounts the timeless tale of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Based upon sources such as Homer and Pindar and written during the age of the famous Library of Alexandria, Apollonius was the first to include in his retelling of the already famous tale information about the geography, ethnography, and comparative religions of the places and people Jason encountered on his voyage. Apollonius revolutionized this ancient dramatic form and developed narrative techniques such as the interior monologue so that the audience could truly understand and identify with the character’s thoughts and feelings. “The Argonautica” explored in detail the love between Jason and the foreign princess and sorceress Medea in a much more expansive and emotional way than had Homer. Apollonius is often credited with beginning the tradition of the romantic novel. “The Argonautica” influenced such ancient writers as Catullus, Ovid, and Virgil and remains widely studied and adapted for modern audiences. This edition follows the prose translation of R. C. Seaton.

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First published in 1796, “The Monk” is the popular and controversial Gothic novel by Matthew G. Lewis, the English novelist and dramatist. Written when Lewis was only nineteen, it is the tale of a monk who is tempted by carnal desire and led down a ruinous path of ungodliness. Ambrosio, a pious, well-respected monk in Spain, is lustfully tempted by his pupil, Matilda, a woman who has disguised herself as a young boy and initiate monk. Having first been seduced by Matilda, he is soon overcome with carnal desire for the young and innocent Antonia, a sheltered and timid girl. With the help of Matilda, who is actually Satan in disguise, Ambrosio seduces Antonia, a seduction that would ultimately lead to Antonia’s death and his own downfall. “The Monk” was immensely popular upon its publication and was widely censored for its scandalous depictions of murder, sexual gratification, and violent rape. Recognized as one of the first novels of the gothic genre, “The Monk” is a classic tale of the tragic ruin that may befall one tempted by evil and lustful desire.

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James Hogg was a Scottish author known primarily for his poetry, short stories, ballads, songs and historical narratives. Raised by a tenant farmer in the Ettrick hills of Scotland, Hogg was mostly self-educated, teaching himself to read with only the Bible, and developing an early interest in literature through his mother’s recitation of Scottish ballads, songs, and fairy tales. Although his 1824 novel, “The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner”, was released to disappointing sales, it was “rediscovered” in 1924 by André Gide and is now recognized as a masterpiece of prose fiction. The “Justified Sinner” of the title is the novel’s protagonist, Robert Colwan-Wringham, who as an Antinomian Calvinist is convinced of his own divine salvation, regardless of sin. This complex novel features elements of the Gothic and supernatural, a duel narrative, and has been praised for its sophisticated technique, psychological complexity, and elements of irony.

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