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One of the most powerful accounts of trench warfare from the WWI era, “Under Fire” recounts the experiences of the men of the French Sixth Battalion on the front lines after the German invasion. While a fictional narrative, “Under Fire” is based upon diaries Barbusse had written on the front from 1914-1915, and completed in the hospital while recovering from injuries. Barbusse published his work in both serial and book form in late 1916. By the end of the war it was a world-wide bestseller, having sold over a quarter of a million copies. The narrative received mixed reviews at first because of Barbusse’s gritty and brutal realism, which some war critics saw as validation for their protests, while others felt it fictionalized and exaggerated the war. Since then, “Under Fire” has been ranked with such classics as “A Farewell to Arms” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” as one of the most powerful, realistic portrayals of the horrors of war. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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“The Adolescent” is Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1875 novel which tells the story of the life of a 19-year-old intellectual, Arkady Dolgoruky, and his conflict with his father. Arkady is the illegitimate child of the controversial and womanizing landowner Versilov and was raised by one of Versilov’s serf, the pious Makar Dolgoruky. The novel’s primary tension arises between Arkady and Versilov, when Arkady becomes an adult and joins Versilov’s family in St. Petersburg. Arkady has been away at boarding school for many years and hardly knows this wealthy and dysfunctional family. As he comes to learn more about them, his dreams of an easy, wealthy life are tested and he becomes embroiled in the scandalous affairs of his father. Arkady rebels against his father’s expectations and soon becomes entangled with social agitators and a mysterious young lady. Rich with the depictions of the complex psychological, emotional, and moral conflicts that plague the human condition and are so common to the characters of Dostoyevsky’s work, “The Adolescent” is a classic and thought-provoking work by one of the world’s greatest authors. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in four volumes in 1794, Ann Radcliffe’s “The Mysteries of Udolpho” is an unparalleled example of Gothic romance and was wildly popular upon its first appearance. Often cited as the archetypal Gothic novel, the story portrays the multitude of misfortunes heaped upon the admirable French heroine, Emily St. Aubert. Losing first her mother, then her beloved father, the orphaned Emily must be separated from her newfound love Valancourt to live with her aunt and new guardian, Madame Cheron. Emily then faces the evil machinations of her aunt’s husband, the Italian brigand Signor Montoni, who imprisons the two women in the dismal, degenerate, and isolated castle Udolpho. It is here where Emily must overcome persecution from an unwelcome suitor, the threats of Montoni, and, most frightening of all, the psychological terror of apparently supernatural occurrences and her own riotous, horrified imagination. Radcliffe expertly transitions from the striking mountain landscapes of France and Italy to the illusory and fantastical terrain of the heroine’s mind and creates an enthralling tale that explores the farthest reaches of a young woman’s experiences of outer and inner life.

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Regarded by Charles Dickens as his best novel upon publication, “Martin Chuzzlewit” relates a tale of familial selfishness and eventual moral redemption. First published serially from 1842 to 1844, it is the story of young Martin Chuzzlewit, who has been raised by his grandfather. He has fallen in love with his grandfather’s ward and caretaker, the young orphan Mary Graham. Martin’s grandfather does not approve and young Martin alienates himself from his grandfather and begins working for the corrupt and dishonest Seth Pecksniff. Though he meets the kind Tom Pinch during this apprenticeship, Martin is fired and decides to travel to the United States to find his fortune. However, this new and wild land is a much harsher place than Martin was prepared for and he nearly dies of malaria. The experience matures and improves him though, and upon his return he reconciles with his grandfather and reveals the crimes of other characters in Dickens’s exceptional cast of characters, particularly those of Pecksniff and the arch-villain Jonas Chuzzlewit. A dark comedy, full of greed, manipulation, and duplicity intertwined with humility and generosity, “Martin Chuzzlewit” is an exemplary story that carries a timeless message of selfless kindness for others. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Charles Dickens was an English short story writer, dramatist, essayist, and the most popular novelist to come out of the Victorian era. Many of his novels, with their frequent concern for social reform, were first published in magazines in serial form under the pseudonym, Boz. Unlike authors who completed entire novels before serialization, Dickens often created the episodes as they were being serialized. The continuing popularity of his novels and short stories is such that they have never gone out of print. In “Dombey and Son”, the title character, Mr. Dombey, is a wealthy shipping merchant whose wife dies giving birth to their second child, a long-hoped for son and heir, Paul. The elder child, Florence, being female, is neglected by her father. Paul's health is broken by the rigors of boarding school, which leads to the demise of Mr. Dombey. The Dombey family experiences a series of trials and tribulations and ultimately the family’s reconciliation concludes the book in a typically Dickensian fashion. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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An early work by the Marquis de Sade, “Justine, Or, The Misfortunes of Virtue” was originally written during a two week period in 1787 while the author was imprisoned in the Bastille. The story is concerned with the titular character, a twelve year old maiden who sets off, to make her way in France, and follows her through age twenty-six in her quest for virtue. In the search for work and shelter Justine continuously falls prey to a series of scoundrels who subject her to sexual torture and abuse. Having been numerously revised by the author and published in varying censored and unexpurgated editions there exists no definitive edition of this work. Presented here in this volume is the expurgated edition originally published by the Risus Press in 1931.

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Originally published in French under the title “À Rebours” in 1884 and translated into English in 1926, “Against Nature”, also known as “Against the Grain”, is a book by Joris-Karl Huysmans and is well described by its subtitle “A Novel Without a Plot”. The premise of the novel is simple and follows the seclusion of Jean des Esseintes, the last member of a once powerful and noble family. Having lived an extremely decadent life in 19th-century bourgeois Parisian society, Des Esseintes finds himself disgusted with the life he once led and retreats to a house in the countryside. He is intent upon spending the rest of his days in an artistic world of his own making, with his days full of intellectual and aesthetic contemplation. During his many and varied artistic and philosophical experiments, he recalls in detail the debauchery and passion of his Paris days. Due to its decadent content, “Against Nature” created quite a sensation when it was first published. It met with great commercial success however, and in breaking from the Naturalist school of literature, Huysman’s work established itself as an important and influential novel of the Symbolist aesthetic.

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First published in 1886, “Jo’s Boys”, is considered the final book in the unofficial “Little Women” trilogy by author Louisa May Alcott. “Jo’s Boys” is chiefly concerned with the lives of the Plumfield boys, who were introduced in Alcott’s “Little Men”. “Jo’s Boys”, which takes place ten years after the events of “Little Men”, is a classic coming of age story for all of the characters and an entertaining glimpse into the different paths their lives end up taking. Alcott’s endearing characters deal with the challenges of growing up, finding careers, and falling in love. Emil becomes a sailor and performs heroic acts to save his fellow shipmates, Dan travels across the country in search of his fortune, Nat becomes a musician and travels abroad, Josie discovers her acting talent, Nan becomes dedicated to her medical career, and Jo herself remains a steadfast source of support and guidance to all she holds dear. A heartwarming and classic tale, “Jo’s Boys” will delight readers of all ages who wish to spend more time with Alcott’s beloved characters. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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“The Tain”, also known as “Tain Bo Cuailnge” or “The Cattle Raid of Cooley”, is a heroic and legendary tale from early Irish literature. Earliest manuscripts of this epic story survive from the 12th century and versions of this ancient tale have been found in Old Irish, Middle Irish, and Modern Irish translations. “The Tain” is set in a pre-Christian age of heroes in Ireland, sometime around the first century, and is the central tale in the Ulster Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology. It is the thrilling saga of the young hero Cuchulain and his single-handed defeat of the invading armies of Medb and Ailill, who have come to try and steal Donn Cuailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley. It is also the tale of the rivalry and discord between King Ailill and his wife and competitor Queen Medb. It is the competition for greatness between husband and wife that inspires her relentless quest to steal the famed bull from Ulster. “The Tain” has everything that a reader may expect from legendary epic tales: impossible tasks, bloody battles, inspiring acts of heroism and strength, treachery, betrayal, love, and magic. Presented here is the translation of Joseph Dunn.

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In this third installment of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom” series, “The Warlord of Mars”, we follow the extraterrestrial adventures of John Carter, an American Civil War veteran transplanted to Mars. The “Barsoom” series began as a four-part serial in “All-Story Magazine” between December 1913 through March 1914. That first story, “A Princess of Mars”, was wildly popular and resulted in numerous sequels. In the series John Carter’s encounters with Martian royalty, fantastic creatures, ancient alien races, and formidable monsters in a dangerous foreign world are chronicled. Lovers of the science fiction genre will enjoy the strange and exciting details woven intricately throughout “The Warlord of Mars”, which begins where the previous novel, “The Gods of Mars”, abruptly left off. Here we find John Carter attempting to free his beloved wife, the princess Dejah Thoris, from the slowly rotating prison in the Temple of the Sun. The exciting adventures of John Carter continue in this thrilling installment of Burroughs’ “Barsoom” series. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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