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First published in 1907 as a series of articles in “Human Life” magazine, “Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier” is the fascinating first-hand account of these famous Americans by Bat Masterson. Born Bartholemew William Barclay Masterson in Canada in 1853, Bat Masterson led an amazing life as a U.S. Army scout, professional gambler, and lawman in the American Old West. He went to find adventure in the frontier as a young man and soon earned distinction as a buffalo hunter. He eventually spent time as the sheriff in Dodge City, Kansas and was involved in several well-known shootouts. It was during these times that Masterson met some of the most important gunslingers in history. These accounts, written decades after Masterson moved back to civilization and worked as a writer and journalist, tell the incredible stories of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Ben Thompson, Luke Short, and Bill Tilghman. “Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier” remains an important historical document of five famous American gunfighters and a fascinating and entertaining account of the Wild West.

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First published in 1907 and considered to be one of the most famous stories of man-eating lions in modern times, “The Man-Eaters of Tsavo” is the first-hand account of Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson’s encounter with several deadly lions during the building of the Uganda railway through British East Africa in 1898. The book takes place in what is present day Kenya during the construction of the controversial Uganda Railway, which extended to Lake Victoria. Patterson was in charge of building a bridge and while the project was underway many of his workers and countless natives were killed by a pair of savage lions. Patterson writes that “between them [the lions] no less than 28 Indian coolies, in addition to scores of unfortunate African natives of whom no official records were kept” were killed. Patterson bravely hunts these lions down and encounters many other exotic and dangerous creatures in his adventures. In addition to the gripping account of the hunt for the man-eaters, Patterson also details other challenges to the bridge project, such as tensions between the workers and a devastating flood. Contained within this edition of this fascinating historical account is Patterson’s original 1907 work with over a hundred photographs and illustrations.

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First published in 1919, “Within a Budding Grove” is the second novel in the “In Search of Lost Time” series by famed French author Marcel Proust. Originally intended to be published in 1914, but delayed by the onset of World War I, “Within a Budding Grove” was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1919 and instantly catapulted Proust to international fame. The novel follows the narrator from the first volume, “Swann’s Way”, from childhood to adolescence. He grows bored with Swann’s daughter, Gilberte, and becomes infatuated with a new girl he meets while visiting the seaside town of Balbec with his grandmother. Albertine is a captivating beauty and the narrator enjoys spending time with her and her young and artistic friends. “Within a Budding Grove” explores the theme of involuntary memory, where common everyday occurrences trigger recollections of the past, which is a central concern of Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time”. Proust explores how childhood memories and impressions continue to affect a person for years, even as many of the specifics of the memories are lost to time and become meaningless. Proust’s novel is a timeless study of adolescent love. This edition follows the translation of C. K. Scott Moncrieff.

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J. C. Ryle was an acclaimed 19th century English Anglican bishop, prolific author, and first bishop of Liverpool. Ryle was beloved by many all over the world for his kind manner of preaching and his many works are full of his welcoming and affectionate tone. Ryle’s message of faithfulness and love was meant for everyone, both those who have been practicing their faith for decades and those new to religion, regardless of their age or social class. His straightforward and caring style was widely credited with bringing a renewed sense of spirituality to the working classes of England. First published in 1888, “The Duties of Parents” is Ryle’s enduringly popular and useful guide for parents to help them introduce their children to Christ. Organized around seventeen simple and profound responsibilities that Christian parents have to their children, Ryle shows parents how to guide their children’s faith through actions, words, and examples and how to use love, the most important part of the parent-child relationship, to shape the future of the next generation. Over a century after it was first published, “The Duties of Parents” remains an encouraging and practical guide for every loving parent hoping to raise devout and responsible children.

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“The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena”, sometime referred to as “The Dialogue of Divine Providence”, is a series of spiritual treatises by 14th century mystic and political activist Saint Catherine de Siena. Born in 1347 in the city of Siena in Tuscany, Italy, Catherine was well-known for her mystical visions and developed a close and influential relationship with Pope Gregory XI, an unusual accomplishment for a woman of her time. Her most lasting legacies are her “Dialogue” and her surviving letters, which are considered some of the most important works of early Tuscan and Italian literature. It is widely believed the treatises that compose the “Dialogue” were dictated by Catherine while she was experiencing ecstatic mystical visions and contain the wisdom and revelations given to her by God. Catherine instructs the faithful in how to have a more personal and rewarding relationship to God, how to give oneself fully over to prayer and devotion, and how difficulties and suffering in life can be transformed into something positive and beautiful through faith and God’s love. Saint Catherine of Siena’s insights remain pertinent and instructive centuries after they were first published and endure as a timeless classic of Christian spiritual literature.

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“Pygmalion and Other Plays” is a collection of eleven of George Bernard Shaw’s most studied and performed plays. The impact made by the Irish playwright, political activist, and Noble Prize-winner on Western theater and culture cannot be overstated. The plays contained in this collection showcase his genius and creativity and it is not hard to understand why his works continue to influence generations of writers and actors. Included are such frequently adapted classics as “Arms and the Man”, a biting and witty critique of the often falsely romantic depiction of war and the empty nobility of soldiers, “Candida”, a surprisingly modern story of a strong and intelligent woman who is the true force behind her husband’s success, “Pygmalion”, the classic and often adapted story of the transformation of Eliza Doolittle from a poor flower girl into a sophisticated lady at the hands of Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering, “Saint Joan”, the sensitive and nuanced portrayal of the iconic Joan of Arc which shows her as a complex, misunderstood, and deeply human character, as well as many more brilliant dramatic plays. Shaw’s works continue to entertain and captivate audiences with their insights into human nature and the shortcomings of our modern society. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First performed in 1923, “Saint Joan” is the celebrated play by George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright, social activist, and Noble Prize-winner. Premiering three years after Joan of Arc was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, Shaw wrote “Saint Joan” because he was dissatisfied with how the saint was often portrayed in literature and history and wanted to present a more realistic and human Joan. Considered Shaw’s only tragedy and one of his most significant works, “Saint Joan” follows the famous French soldier and commander from her life as a peasant girl who claims to experience visions sent by God to guide her, to her stunning and unexpected military victories, and finally to her trial and execution. Shaw’s Joan is a complex character: brave, devout, and clever, but also intolerant, naïve, and foolish. Joan struggles to understand why she is not embraced by her monarch and his court after her impressive victory at Orleans and remains confident in her faith even as she faces torture and a lifetime of imprisonment or death at the hands of her accusers. “Saint Joan” endures as one of Shaw’s most adapted and performed plays for its nuanced portrayal of a fascinating and often misunderstood historical figure. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Percy Bysshe Shelley quickly rose to the high ranks of the Romantic Movement with his pure and moving lyric verse. Born in Sussex, England, he became a visionary and highly influential Romantic in search of truth and beauty. Shelley maintained a close circle of literary friends, including Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, and Leigh Hunt. A master of versification, imagery, tone, and symbolism, Shelley’s poems propelled an entire era of English literature into the next century. This volume collects a diverse range of his work, representative of his great range and depth as a poet. Here we encounter “Ozymandias”, “Prometheus Unbound”, “Adonais”, “To a Skylark”, “Hellas”, “Ode to the West Wind”, and many more. Along with Lord Byron, Keats, Wordsworth, and Coleridge, Shelley would help propel Romanticism to its peak, paving the way for Victorian poetry and eventually 20th century modernism. Shelley’s influence is undeniable and far-reaching. His lines, subtle and complex, fleeting and permanent, name and grasp beauty in an attempt at transcendence through the sublimeness of the natural world. Also included in this volume is a selection of Shelley’s more notable prose works.

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Aminatta Forna is one of our most important voices and an international literary powerhouse. The Window Seat is the first collection of her acclaimed and influential essays. She has written for such publications as the Guardian , Freeman’s , Granta , The Nation , and The New York Review of Books , among others. She is currently Director and Chair of Poetics at Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice at Georgetown University. She has incredible connections in the literary and academic worlds, and we’ve already received glowing blurbs from Salman Rushdie, Aleksandar Hemon, Maaza Mengiste, and Chinelo Okparanta noting what a gifted essayist Forna is. We expect more high-profile blurbs. Forna’s essays are elegantly argued, finely written gems that remind us why she was a runner up for the Samuel Johnson Prize for The Devil that Danced on Water , and make an argument for a new cosmopolitanism that is a balm for our interconnected but extremely polarized world. Forna won the Windham Campbell Literature Prize for literary achievement, and her novel The Memory of Love won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book. The novel was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the International Dublin IMPAC Award, and the Warwick Prize for Writing. She has been a judge for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Caine Prize, the Giller Prize, and the International Man Booker. In 2017, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Forna’s last book, the novel Happiness , was a Sunday Times (UK) Best Book of the Year, a New York Times Editors’ Choice , and a Washington Independent Review of Books Favorite Book of the Year. Forna’s novel The Hired Man , was selected for several best of the year lists: NPR , San Francisco Chronicle , and Boston Globe , while The Memory of Love was an Indie Next List Notable selection and an Essence Book Club Pick. We expect similar extensive review coverage.

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This innovative essay collection explores the personal and civic function of humility from a range of popular and scholarly perspectives. What does humility mean and why does it matter in an age of golden escalators and billionaire entrepreneurs? How can the cultivation of humility empower us to see success in failure, to fight against injustice, to stretch beyond our usual ways of thinking, and to foster a culture of listening in an age of digital shouting? With contributions from renowned scholars as well as psychologists, artists, and many others, Radical Humility: Essays on Ordinary Acts offers guidance. Having witnessed the personal and civic costs of narcissism and arrogance, these and other writers consider humility as a valuable process—a state of being—with the power to impact institutions, systems, families, and individuals, and give voice to the ways in which humility is practiced in many ordinary but extraordinary actions. This groundbreaking collection should find a place in the library of anyone seeking alternatives to a culture of self-aggrandizing excess. Contributors: Aaron Ahuvia, Russell Belk, Charles M. Blow, Richard C. Boothman, Agnes Callard, Lynette Clemetson, Tyler Denmead, Nadia Danienta, Mickey Duzyj, Kevin Em, Eranda Jayawickreme, Kevin Hamilton, Eranda Jayawickreme, Troy Jollimore, Melissa Koenig, Aric Rindfleisch, Valerie Tiberius, and Ami Walsh.

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