LITMIR.BIZ

An important work of Spain’s Golden Age of literature as well as the first known picaresque novel, “Lazarillo de Tormes” portrays the clever ploys of a young Salamancan boy determined to outsmart his long string of masters. This Spanish novella was first published in 1554, during the Spanish Inquisition, by an author who wished to remain anonymous due to the work’s heretical content. Young Lazarillo is an improbable hero of his time, for he comes from a poor and multiracial family who desperately apprentice him to a blind beggar after committing a crime. Lazarillo soon proves himself to be resourceful and resistant to the corrupt clergymen he must serve. Banned for heresy due to its highly critical portrayal of both the aristocracy and Catholic Church of the 16th century, this work came to provide a model for Cervantes and many future authors, like Twain, who explored the picaresque genre. Though originally published at great risk to the author, “Lazarillo de Tormes” is today an entertaining story of a boy who ingenuously survives his own childhood and makes something of himself despite the corruption that he must continually overcome. This edition follows the translation of Clements Markham.

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“Ragged Dick is a well-told story of street-life in New York, that will, we should judge, be well received by the boy-readers, for whom it is intended. The Hero is a boot-black, who, by sharpness, industry, and honesty, makes his way in the world, and is, perhaps, somewhat more immaculate in character and manners than could naturally have been expected from his origin and training. We find in this, as in many books for boys, a certain monotony in the inculcation of the principle that honesty is the best policy, a proposition that, as far as mere temporal success is concerned, we believe to be only partially true. However, the book is very readable, and we should consider it a much more valuable addition to the Sunday-school library than the tales of inebriates and treatises on the nature of sin, that so often find place there.”—Putnam’s Magazine, July, 1868.

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During her prolific career, popular English children’s writer Edith Nesbit wrote or collaborated on over sixty books of fiction for children in her illustrious literary career. In “Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare” first published as “The Children's Shakespeare” in 1897, she turns her attention to a series of interpretations of several of William Shakespeare’s best-known comedies and dramas. These retellings of many of Shakespeare’s plays are written in a way that can be easily understood by and entertaining to young readers. Rather than being unintelligible and strange to young, modern audiences, Nesbit uses her prodigious storytelling skills to make these iconic stories relatable and interesting. “Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare” includes a short biography of Shakespeare, a list of famous quotations, and the retellings of these famous plays. Included are such classics as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “The Tempest”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, “Macbeth”, “The Merchant of Venice”, and many more. This accessible and engaging introduction to some of the world’s greatest literature is an important addition to any young reader’s growing book collection. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in London in 1858, “Phantastes” by Scottish author George MacDonald is a classic work of 19th century fantasy. The story follows Anodos, a young man who finds a fairy lady in a desk inherited from his late father and wakes the next day to find his room transformed into a magical, dream-like forest. Anodos, while fleeing from evil forces, finds his ideal of female beauty in a magical statue who he can never quite catch. Anodos has many adventures and faces many temptations in this fairyland, from tree spirit confrontations to a long trek to the palace of the fairy queen, where he eventually meets his perfect Marble Lady. MacDonald’s writings would later astonish and influence writers such as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and W. H. Auden, who saw in this work the successful embodiment of the depth and meaning of our inner, spiritual world. The poignancy and timelessness of “Phantastes” lies in its representation of a spiritual quest, one which we all must make as we become older, when our notion of the ideal becomes challenged by the wisdom of time, and the ultimate surrender of the self brings both overflowing joy and profound sadness. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Originally published serially in 1880 and named for the upscale area in New York where the novel is set, “Washington Square” is Henry James’s classic story of familial conflicts and social class in mid-19th century America. It is the tale of Catherine Sloper, a naïve, kind, and plain heiress who has lived a sheltered life, raised by her stubborn and wealthy father and flighty aunt in a grand house. Much to her father’s disapproval, she is wooed by Morris Townsend, a handsome and sophisticated gentleman, who is more interested in Catherine's inheritance than he is in her. When the two get engaged against the wishes of her father, Catherine must make a choice between the only man she will ever love and the wealth that she will inherit. Much-loved for its simple and beautiful prose and its detailed and intimate portraits of its complicated and layered characters, the novel captures the complexity of love and family. In a bittersweet turn of events, Catherine is changed by heartbreak and disappointment and matures into a wiser woman. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1917 and the fifth novel in the “Anne of Green Gables” saga by Lucy M. Montgomery, “Anne’s House of Dreams” begins with Anne’s wedding to her childhood sweetheart Gilbert Blythe and chronicles the early days of their married life together. Shortly following their marriage in the Green Gables orchard at the beginning of the novel, the couple moves into their “house of dreams” at Four Winds Point and Gilbert begins to take over his uncle’s medical practice. As the happy young couple settle into their new life together they meet many interesting characters, such as Captain Jim, an old sailor who maintains the lighthouse, Ms. Cornelia Bryant, an aging spinster who never hesitates to speak her mind, and the lonely and bitter Leslie, whose cruel husband, Dick Moore, returned brain damaged and helpless from a long voyage at sea. The novel follows Anne, Gilbert and their new friends and neighbors for two years through heartbreak, tragedy, unexpected surprises, and eventually happiness and triumph. “Anne’s House of Dreams” is a beautiful and touching installment in the treasured saga of Lucy M. Montgomery’s most popular and well-loved character. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in eight installments from 1851 to 1853, Elizabeth Gaskell’s “Cranford”, one of her most popular works, is a gentle and humorous picture of an English country village. Based on the village of Gaskell’s childhood, the novel is narrated by a young woman visiting the town who describes the genteel poverty of the town’s female inhabitants and centers on the lives of two middle-aged spinster sisters, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah. The ladies work hard to conserve their appearances, habits, and social standards of propriety even in their reduced circumstances. Told in a series of graceful and loosely related sketches, the residents of Cranford are challenged when the poor and socially awkward Captain Brown moves to town with his two daughters. He rejects their rules of politeness and openly discusses his poverty and difficulties. Many of the novel’s tales concern the love lives, tragedies, and family dramas of the small town’s colorful characters. In a changing and modernizing world, the endearing stories and sympathetic struggles of the villagers of Cranford are captured in this compassionate and hopeful portrayal of small-town English life. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Zane Grey’s debut novel, which he self-published in 1905, “Betty Zane” is the first book in Grey’s “Frontier Trilogy” and tells the true biographical story of Elizabeth “Betty” Zane, a hero of the American Revolutionary War and direct ancestor of the author. While under siege at Fort Henry by American Indian allies of the British Army and faced with dwindling supplies, the lovely and sixteen-year-old Betty bravely volunteers to venture out of the fort to retrieve what is needed for the battle. The British soldiers underestimate her because she is a woman and they allow her to leave and return to the fort, unaware that she is carrying gun powder left at her family’s cabin. Betty’s audacious act gives the American revolutionaries the firepower they need to end the siege. Her heroism provides a needed morale boost and was critical to the American victory in the war. “Betty Zane” is an exciting tale of an unlikely hero and helped launch Zane Grey’s career as one of the most famous and celebrated authors of the American West. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1915, Willa Cather’s “The Song of the Lark” is the second novel in Cather’s “Prairie Trilogy”. The novel tells the remarkable story of Thea Kronborg, a talented young pianist, who leaves her small hometown of Moonstone, Colorado, to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional musician. Setting off on her own, her ambition takes her to Chicago at a young age where she works tirelessly on her music. It is there that a teacher hears Thea’s gift for singing and helps her refine her talent. While Thea misses her Colorado home and family, she will not give up on her dream and follows opportunities to New York and eventually Germany, where her beautiful singing is more appreciated. Thea’s relentless drive for success is not without its sacrifices and disappointments, but Thea is strong, resilient, and earns her success on her own terms. As is typical with much of Cather’s work, “The Song of the Lark” is a portrayal of an independent-minded woman far ahead of her time, who will not allow anything or anyone to get in the way of her own personal achievement. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Apuleius was a student of Platonist philosophy and Latin prose writer who produced the novel “Metamorphoses”, more popularly known as “The Golden Ass”. This work is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. Adapted from an earlier Greek story, “The Golden Ass” tells of the adventures of Lucius, a young man who is obsessed with magic. In attempting to perform a spell, Lucius inadvertently transforms himself into an ass. His long and arduous journey is ornately illustrated by Apuleius’ witty, imaginative, and often explicit language, in a series of subplots that carry the reader through to Lucius’ salvation by the goddess Isis. These include the stories of Cupid and Psyche, Aristomenes, Thelyphron, and others. The novel reflects Apuleius’ own fascination with magic and the occult, and although comical at times, contains very serious messages about impiety towards the gods, and the risks of tampering with the supernatural. This edition follows the translation of Thomas Taylor.

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