LITMIR.BIZ

In this collection readers will find two of Herman Melville’s most renowned shorter works, “Bartleby: The Scrivener”, and “Benito Cereno”. The first story, “Bartleby”, was first serialized in two issues of “Putnam’s Magazine” in November and December of 1853. It concerns the office of a Wall Street lawyer who due to an increase in business hires a third scrivener named Bartleby to copy legal documents by hand. At first Bartleby proves to be a very productive worker but one day begins acting rather strangely. When asked to proofread a document he replies “I would prefer not to”, an answer he begins repeating perpetually in regards to all the tasks put to him. What follows for Bartleby is a tragic decline into apathy. The second story, “Benito Cereno”, first appeared in “Putnam’s Monthly” over three installments in 1855. It is the story on Don Benito Cereno, the captain of a Spanish Slavery ship, and the revolt that happens aboard his ship. Together “Bartleby” and “Benito Cereno” are widely regarded as two of Melville’s finest compositions. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Winner of the Newbery Medal for 1923, “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” is Hugh Lofting’s follow-up to his popular children’s book “The Story of Doctor Dolittle”. First published in 1922, the book continues the saga of Doctor Dolittle, the man who can talk to animals. At the beginning of the story we find Tommy Stubbins, the young son of the local cobbler, who has found a squirrel that has been injured by a hawk. Wanting to help the squirrel he learns of a man named Doctor Dolittle who can speak the language of animals and may be able to help the injured squirrel. Wanting to learn how to speak to animals, Tommy is taken on by Doctor Dolittle as his assistant after helping the injured squirrel. Together the two set out to find Long Arrow, the greatest naturalist in the world, in an adventure that takes them to the Mediterranean, South America, and even under the sea. Nearly five times the length of its predecessor, “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” exhibits a more mature style of writing than Lofting’s first installment in the series with illustrations that are more sophisticated as well. This edition includes all the original illustrations by the author.

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In Larsen’s second novel, “Passing,” first published in 1929, the author revisits the theme of her first novel “Quicksand”, that being the struggle for racial identity by children of mixed-race. The novel details the lives of two childhood friends, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, both of whom are of mixed African and European ancestry and are “passing” as whites. The novel picks up in the lives of the two as they later reunite in adulthood. An ambiguous relation develops between the two as they share a fascination for how each other’s lives have transpired since they last knew each other. Larsen’s work has been lauded for its exploration of race, gender, class, and sexuality amongst African Americans in early part of the 20th century. Now considered as a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Larsen’s writing gives a firsthand insight into the struggle of African Americans during this era.

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First published in 1851, “The House of the Seven Gables” is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s gothic novel which follows the fates of a New England family and their ancestral home. Inspired by a house in Salem Massachusetts which had belonged to the ancestors of Nathaniel Hawthorne who had played a part in the Salem Witch Trials, “The House of the Seven Gables” is the story of Hepzibah Pyncheon and her brother Clifford who has recently been released from prison after serving a thirty-three year sentence for murder. According to legend the mansion, which is built upon land acquired through unscrupulous circumstances by Hepzibah and Clifford’s ancestor Colonel Pyncheon, carries with it a curse on the Pyncheons, following the family through the many generations that inherit it. Hawthorne brilliantly uses this curse to create a gloomy forbidding atmosphere around the Pyncheons and the house that they inhabit. As the novel draws to its conclusion the reader is filled with the suspenseful question as to whether or not Hepzibah and Clifford will be the final victims of the curse or if it is all just a silly superstition. This edition includes an introduction by George Parsons Lathrop and a biographical afterword.

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On Wild Island a group of lazy animals had captured a baby dragon and put him to work. This little dragon could fly, so they used him to ferry them across the river. He didn’t like it. So went the tale that Elmer Elevator (“my father”) heard from his friend, the cat, long ago. Being a kind-hearted boy, Elmer set out to rescue the dragon. With the advice of the cat, he made elaborate preparations for his secret journey, but he never dreamed what adventures were to befall him once he set foot on Wild Island. How he outwitted the lions, tigers, wild boars and other animals and freed the dragon makes an appealing and delightfully humorous tale.

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First published in 1908, E. M. Forster’s “A Room with a View” is the story of a young English middle-class girl named Lucy Honeychurch. As the novel opens we find Lucy touring Italy with her overbearing older cousin and chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett. The two are upset over the views from their rooms. Having been promised views that overlook the river Arno, the two instead receive views of the courtyard. Their complaints are overheard by Mr. Emerson, who offers to swap rooms with them, citing the fact that he and his son George both have rooms that overlook the Arno. After a brief romantic encounter between George Emerson and Lucy while they are in Florence, the two travel on to Rome where Lucy is wooed by her friend from England Cecil Vyse. When Lucy learns from the vicar that a local cottage has been rented she discovers that the Emersons have arrived in Rome. Again the prospect of romance with George entices Lucy but she is torn between the more acceptable prospect of a union with Cecil. “A Room with a View” is the classic human struggle of choosing a partner who is the most socially acceptable versus the desire for true love. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published serially between 1881 and 1882, “Pinocchio” is the popular story of a wooden puppet who yearns to be a real boy. Set in the Tuscan region of Italy, “Pinocchio” is a story which has undergone numerous adaptations, even from the first serialization to its publication in book form. In the original serialization Pinocchio dies a gruesome death, however this ending was changed for the book to make it more suitable for children. Pinocchio begins life as a talking piece of pine that refuses to become the leg of a table. When given to the poor woodcarver Geppetto, the pine becomes a mischievous puppet boy named Pinocchio. Early in the story Pinocchio encounters a talking cricket who warns the puppet of the dangers of acting impetuously. This foreshadows the unfortunate sequence of circumstances that follows for Pinocchio is his journey. Over the course of the book Pinocchio encounters numerous distractions and obstacles which keep him from his true path towards the goodness that will result in him becoming a real boy. This classic children’s tale is at once a mystical work of fantasy and a parable for good behavior. This edition is illustrated by Alice Carsey.

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Sherwood Anderson’s most famous work, “Winesburg, Ohio” is a cycle of short stories set in the fictional town of Winesburg, loosely based on the author’s own home town of Clyde, Ohio. A picture of small town America during the first part of the 20th century, the series of short stories revolves around the life George Willard, from youth, through his yearning for independence, to his eventually departure from the town. Each story tells the tale of a distinct member of the town as related to George, a young reporter for the “Winesburg Eagle”. Through this device the author establishes a frame in which George acts as a recorder of the other town members’ narratives and which also acts as a foil for his own coming-of-age story. Central to all the stories are the themes of loneliness and isolation which permeate the existence of small-town life. Belonging to both the modernist and realist literary traditions, “Winesburg, Ohio” is a work which in a way defies classification, being at once both a novel and a series of short stories. Generally well received upon its first publication in 1919, the work over time has come to be regarded as a classic of modern American literature. This edition includes an introduction by Ernest Boyd and a biographical afterword.

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Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in the middle of the 13th century and what is principally known of him comes from his own writings. One of the world’s great literary masterpieces, “The Divine Comedy” is at its heart an allegorical tale regarding man’s search for divinity. The work is divided into three sections, “Inferno”, “Purgatorio”, and “Paradiso”, each containing thirty-three cantos. It is the narrative of a journey down through Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and through the revolving heavens into the presence of God. In this aspect it belongs to the two familiar medieval literary types of the Journey and the Vision, however Dante intended the work to be more than just simple allegory, layering the narrative with rich historical, moral, political, literal, and anagogical context. In order for the work to be more accessible to the common readers of his day, Dante wrote in the Italian language. This was an uncommon practice at the time for serious literary works, which would traditionally be written in Latin. One of the truly great compositions of all time, “The Divine Comedy” has inspired and influenced readers ever since its original creation. Presented here is the third volume of “The Divine Comedy” translated into English verse by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This edition includes an introduction by Ellen M. Mitchell.

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Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is a much loved and classic work of American literature. It is the story of Tom, a rambunctious young lad who lives with his Aunt Polly. Tom is a boy who doesn’t much like going to school and throughout the book does everything he can to get out of it. Near the beginning of the novel Tom exhibits his keen wit by convincing some boys to paint his Aunt Polly’s fence that he has been punished with having to do for skipping school. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is a story of young love. Tom falls for Becky Thatcher, the daughter of the town Judge, and tries to woe her throughout the novel. It is also the tale of boyhood adventure and camaraderie. Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn witness a murder, become pirates, are thought to be dead, and search for lost treasure. Set within the Mississippi river valley of Twain’s youth, the novel is a witty portrayal of 19th century American life. This edition is illustrated by Worth Brehm, includes introductions by Percy Holmes Boynton and Bertha Evans Ward, and a biographical afterword.

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