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The fifth story of Oz and the fourth detailing the magical travels of Dorothy, Baum takes the young Kansas girl and her dog Toto on a circuitous journey to Oz for Princess Ozma's birthday. She begins the adventure in an attempt to help a stranger, the Shaggy Man, find the road he seeks, and they are joined on their way by a perpetually lost boy named Button Bright and a fairy called Polychrome, daughter of a Rainbow. Through a series of encounters with foxes, donkeys, and other characters, both new and familiar, the group braves the Deadly Desert to reach the Emerald City for the royal birthday celebration. Baum continues his tradition of charming Oz stories in a tale that ultimately takes its characters where they wish to go, but not always simply by the 'right' road.

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Based on a trip with his brother in 1839, «A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers» is an excellent example of Thoreau's talent for naturalistic writing. In exquisite detail Thoreau depicts the nature that surrounds him over the course of his trip. One of only two books to be published during his lifetime, Thoreau began work on «A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers» following his brother's death in 1842, however the work was not fully completed and published until 1849. A failure when first published «A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers» has since been recognized as one of Thoreau's great naturalist works.

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Originally serialized in “Knickerbocker's Magazine” between 1847 and 1849, “The Oregon Trail” is a fascinating chronicle of Francis Parkman's travels on the Oregon Trail during the summer of 1846 through the western states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. Living and hunting with a tribe of Native Americans for a period of time, Francis Parkman captures the spirit of the old west in this gripping 19th century narrative. Fans of the old west and Oregon Trail history buffs will enjoy Parkman's historical biographical travel narrative.

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Along with Sophocles and Euripides, Aristophanes is considered one of the three great Greek playwrights. Only eleven of his nearly forty plays survive in their entirety to this day. «The Frogs and Other Plays» includes the titular play along «The Wasps» and «The Thesmophoriazusae.» Produced the year after the death of Euripides, «The Frogs» laments the decay of Greek tragedy which Aristophanes attributed to that writer. It is an admirable example of the brilliance of his style, and of that mingling of wit and poetry with rollicking humor and keen satirical point which is his chief characteristic. Here, as elsewhere, he stands for tradition against innovation of all kinds, whether in politics, religion, or art. In «The Wasps» Aristophanes pokes satirical fun at the demagogue Cleon and the Athenian law courts that provide Cleon with his power. «The Thesmophoriazusae» is concerned with the schemes of a group of women at the Thesmophoria, an annual fertility celebration dedicated to Demeter, who angered by Euripides portrayal of women in his plays as mad, murderous, and sexually depraved, plan to exact revenge upon him.

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Considered by many to be among the greatest works of political philosophy, especially in the English language, «Leviathan» is Hobbes' book, published in 1651, which outlines his theories on an ideal state and its creation. The structure of a society and a legitimate government, as he reasons, is perhaps the earliest example of social contract theory, which outlines the need of rule by an absolute sovereign. In Hobbes' time, the political and social structures of England were in a changing and uncertain state, which explains to some extent his ideas on the need of a strong central government in the face of a chaotic civil war. Hobbes believes that the prospect of peace this system would provide is worth giving up some of the natural freedom of man, who is essentially a being of individual fears and desires. This brings about his discussion of dissident forces, which threaten the commonwealth, itself the monstrous Leviathan at risk of war. A continually challenging work with reasoning that has stood the test of time, «Leviathan» has in some part contributed to the advancement of the modern world.

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Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works exhibit a mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her fiction. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely from powerful social commentary to titillating ghost stories that made Wharton extremely popular beyond her living years. Her 1907 novel, «The Fruit of the Tree», sheds light on a highly controversial topic: labor conditions and factory reform. This, in combination with a love story and the ethical debate over euthanasia, made for mixed, positive reviews upon its publication. Conflicts abound in this turn-of-the century tale of love, ethical dilemma and class division.

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Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870) was an author by hobby, not necessity, being the son of two talented and highly successful artists. He was also a lawyer, a public official, a senator, a painter, an authority on Russian literature and a member of the French Academy. As a public official, Mérimée travelled through France and Europe, from which he drew inspiration for his stories and novels. His first popular novella, «Colomba», was published in 1840. It is set in Corsica, and tells the story of the della Rebbia family, whose father has been murdered in an ambush, believed by his daughter to have been perpetrated by the town's mayor, Lawyer Barricini. She implores her brother, Lieutenant Orso della Rebbia, to avenge their father's death, but Orso does not share her passionate ancestral pride. His heart is torn between personal vendetta and a propensity to abide by the law.

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"Trent's Last Case" is actually the first novel in which the title character, gentleman sleuth Philip Trent, appears. A whodunit murder mystery novel, «Trent's Last Case» is unique in that it is more a spoof of the genre than a serious detective story. Trent, not particularly adept at detective work, falls in love with one of the suspects and in investigating the murder of a wealthy business tycoon at his mansion naturally comes to all the wrong conclusions. An amusing and inventive story, fans of the detective genre will delight in this humorous parody.

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Elizabeth Gaskell's «Wives and Daughters» was originally published serially in «Cornhill Magazine» between August 1864 and January 1866. The work, which was left unfinished at the time of Gaskell's death in 1865, was completed by Frederick Greenwood. The novel is chiefly concerned with Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a widowed Doctor, who upon visiting the Hamleys of Hamley Hall finds a substitute for her mother in Mrs. Hamley. «Wives and Daughters» is a classic 19th century romantic novel that addresses the constraints imposed by society between individuals of professional versus aristocratic social classes. We see this in Molly's relationships with the Hamley family and, when her father remarries, with her relationship with her stepsister, Cynthia, who is more worldly and sophisticated.

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In 1517, Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church, and ultimately altered the course of European history, when he nailed his «95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences» on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. At the time, Renaissance humanists were beginning to oppose the reign of the Church and the wealth it accrued from taxes and the sale of Indulgences to the people. A monk and a scholar, Luther intended to promote independent thinking with the translation of the Bible into the vernacular. He wanted people to read the words and understand God in terms of their own experience. Unsurprisingly, he was ordered by the pope to print a retraction, which he refused; he was ultimately excommunicated, and his action prompted the Protestant Reformation. This edition contains Martin Luther's «95 Theses», as well as the three other primary works of Martin Luther: «To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Respecting the Reformation of the Christian Estate», «Concerning Christian Liberty», and «On the Babylonish Captivity of the Church».

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