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“The Princess and Curdie” is Scottish author George MacDonald’s 1883 sequel to his classic children’s fairy tale “The Princess and the Goblin”. In this beautiful and exciting tale, the reader finds Princess Irene and Curdie a year or two older. Life has returned to normal for Irene and Curdie until they must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene’s father, the king. When Curdie finally meets Irene’s mysterious and magical Grandmother, he is sent off on a quest with a strange dog-like creature named Lina, who was once human, to help save Irene’s father and the kingdom. Curdie is at first wary of this odd and ugly creature, but he soon finds that Lina is the most loyal friend he could have wished for on this dangerous adventure as the creature saves his life numerous times. Curdie once again shows his bravery and loyalty, and with help from Irene’s powerful grandmother, he risks his own life to save Irene and her sickly father from the evil plot. A classic tale of fantasy, “The Princess and Curdie” is one of George MacDonald’s most magical and exciting children’s tales. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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“At the Back of the North Wind” is a classic children’s story first serialized in England in 1868 and published into a book in 1871 by the Scottish author George MacDonald. This enchanting fairy tale follows Diamond, a sweet, innocent, and joyful young stable boy in Victorian London who goes on adventures with the majestic North Wind. The North Wind is personified as a lovely and mysterious woman, both severe and kind, who teaches young Diamond about herself on their journeys. The perceptive Diamond is caught up by this powerful entity on her nightly adventures, and the kind child acts as the perfect character for the author to highlight social injustice, explore the place of death in the lives of human beings, and acknowledge the deep need all humans have for love and forgiveness. While the North Wind sometimes brings death and destruction to the human world, good things always follow and balance is brought to the world. Engaging and filled with exciting adventures, “At the Back of the North Wind” tackles difficult and complicated issues in a language accessible to all ages. MacDonald poignantly addresses questions and fears that all humankind must face in this beautiful and insightful landmark of children's literature. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1852, “The Blithedale Romance” is the third of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic novels. Set in the utopian communal farm called Blithedale in the 1840’s, the novel tells the story of four inhabitants of the commune: Hollingsworth, a misogynist philanthropist obsessed with turning Blithedale into a colony for the reformation of criminals; Zenobia, a passionate feminist; Priscilla, a mysterious lady with a hidden agenda who turns out to be Zenobia’s half-sister; and Miles Coverdale, the protagonist and narrator of the story. The story concerns the relationships and friendships between the four at the commune, which starts out intensely during the spring and summer but as autumn approaches begins to disintegrate towards a tragic end. The characters are united at the beginning by their optimism and belief in a better, more equal and benevolent community. However, their lies, betrayals, jealousies and desires eventually break them apart and cast doubt on the success of the experimental Blithedale community. In the end, their human pettiness and flaws are their undoing. A classic of American literature, “The Blithedale Romance” is a compelling and nuanced narrative that Henry James called “the lightest, the brightest, the liveliest” of Hawthorne’s dramatic novels. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1688, “Oroonoko” follows the tragic love story of Oroonoko, an African prince, and his beloved Imoinda. When the king hears of Imoinda’s beauty he demands that she become one of his wives, giving her a sacred veil, thus forcing her to become a member of his harem. Oroonoko, believing that the king is too old to consummate their marriage, secretly plans a romantic rendezvous with Imoinda, an action which consequently results in the two being sold into slavery. After travelling to Surinam, an English colony at the time, Oroonoko is surprisingly reunited with Imoinda. The two live together as husband and wife under their slave names of Caesar and Clemene. Imoinda becomes pregnant and the two petition their master to be returned to their homeland. When their request is denied, Oroonoko plans a slave revolt, an action when ultimately leads to the novel’s tragic conclusion. A compelling and sympathetic novel, “Oroonoko” is regarded as one of the earliest of English novels, which was immensely popular in its time and shone an important light on the brutality of slavery in the English colonies.

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First published serially in 1897, Henry James’s novel “What Maisie Knew” is the story of Beale and Ida Farange and their young daughter, Maisie. When Maisie is very young, Beale and Ida divorce and the court orders that the custody of Maisie be split between the two. Spending six months with each, Maisie finds herself in an unstable position as her immoral and frivolous parents use Maisie to intensify their animosity for each other. The novel follows Maisie from her earliest years through her adolescence and early adulthood. Throughout this time, there are no adults who are willing to truly take responsibility for Maisie and she is often forgotten in their romantic dramas and childish feuds. However, Maisie matures into a thoughtful and intelligent young lady, despite the instability of her upbringing. James’s novel was a harsh indictment of an English society that he felt was becoming morally corrupt and decadent, with children paying the price for the lack of adult responsibility. A critical success and one of James’s most appreciated novels, “What Maisie Knew” is the tragic tale of the consequences of a child caught between two unloving and irresponsible parents. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1899, this graphic depiction of urban American life centers around its title character, McTeague, a dentist practicing in San Francisco at the turn of the century. While at first content with his life and friendship with an ambitious man named Marcus, McTeague eventually courts and marries Trina, a frugal young woman who wins a large sum of money in a lottery. The greed of the majority of the characters in the novel creates a chain of events that lead to many painful, gruesome deaths. Norris’ work, so strikingly different from that of his contemporaries, is an admirable example of social realism, which provided America with a shocking reflection of its sordid sense of survival. From the opening description of San Francisco to McTeague’s final desperate flight far from his ‘Dental Parlors’, this novel examines human greed in a way that still causes readers to pause and reflect over one hundred years later. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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“Shirley” is Charlotte Bronte’s second novel and is set against the backdrop of the Luddite uprising against the Yorkshire textile industry in England during the industrial depression that followed the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. First published in 1849, the novel is the story of mill operator Robert Moore, whose business is troubled by the economic climate; his distant cousin Caroline Helstone, for whom Robert has affections; rich heiress and landowner Shirley Keeldar; and Robert’s brother Louis, a poor tutor, whom Shirley has fallen in love with. “Shirley” is a classically romantic tale that deals with the timely themes of industrial unrest in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century and the role of women both at home and in business. The shy and timid Caroline and the independent and headstrong Shirley are both deeply affected by the decisions of the men in their lives and by changing social roles and expectations for women. They both must grapple with whether they are free to marry for love or if money will control yet another aspect of their lives. Bronte’s popular novel is both an insightful social commentary and a mature and touching portrait of women trying to follow their romantic desires in an increasingly complicated world. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Hailed as the world’s first novel, “Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded” by Samuel Richardson is a gripping tale about a beautiful young maidservant in England during the middle of the 18th century. After her employer dies, the employer’s son begins making advances toward her. The virtuous girl tries to stave off his advances, but Mr. B’s desperation eventually causes him to kidnap her in a misguided attempt to try and make her understand how much he loves her. When he realizes that Pamela is truly a chaste and innocent girl, he begins to treat her in a new and more respectful manner. In return, Pamela forgives her oppressor and tries to show him how to lead a more virtuous life. Upon its original publication, “Pamela” shocked audiences with its lurid plot. Richardson used the shock value of Mr. B’s actions to call awareness to the hypocritical differences in expectations society placed on women and men in 18th century England. Also present in the novel are themes of virtuosity, morality, and class differences during the Georgian Era in which the novel is set. Whether one is reading “Pamela” for pure pleasure or as an in-depth look at the public climate of 18th century England, it will most assuredly not be a disappointment. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1931, “Black No More” is a clever and important satirical novel by George S. Schuyler which was written during the creative time of the Harlem Renaissance. This humorous and insightful work explores what would happen if blackness could be erased and black people could choose to become white. The novel begins with the central character Max Disher, a young, intelligent and ambitious black man, finding himself lonely and rejected on New Year’s Eve at a speakeasy in Harlem. He hears about a new scientific procedure called “Black-No-More” that can change black skin to white. Max decides to undergo the transformation and changes his name to Matthew Fisher. Life is not as easy as he has imagined it will be. He ends up joining a white supremacist organization and must continue to hide his true identity in a new and dangerous world. Schuyler’s novel was far ahead of its time and tackled racial issues that continue to plague the modern world. The novel’s cutting social commentary, disguised with humor and satire, criticizes both the politics of black empowerment, white nationalism, and bigotry. “Black No More” continues to be as entertaining and thought-provoking today as when it was first written.

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First published in the “Saturday Evening Post” from December of 1933 to January 1934, “Right Ho, Jeeves” is P. G. Wodehouse’s second full-length novel, following “Thank You, Jeeves”, featuring his beloved characters Bertie Wooster and his highly capable valet, Jeeves. At the outset we find Bertie returning from Cannes to discover that his old friend Gussie Fink-Nottle has been regularly visiting Jeeves to ask his advice in matters of the heart. Gussie, shy and timid, is in love with the silly, young Madeline Bassett, and is intent on courting her. Madeline is a friend of Bertie’s cousin, Angela Travers, and Bertie takes it on himself to help Gussie and refuses any more advice from Jeeves in the matter. As one would expect with Bertie’s involvement, hilarious mistakes and misunderstandings abound. As part of his foolish schemes, Bertie inadvertently gets Gussie drunk when he is due to hand out prizes at a school and the result is a scene hailed as one of the most comical in all of English literature. Before long Bertie admits defeat and Jeeves is implored upon to sort everyone out and fix his mess. “Right Ho, Jeeves” was an immediate critical and commercial success and is considered to this day to be one of the funniest and most entertaining of all English novels. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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