LITMIR.BIZ

"A strange, tragic, inspired novel . . . as poignant as anything in modern fiction." — E. M. Forster This acclaimed novel marked the debut of one of the twentieth century's most brilliant and important writers. In Virginia Woolf's captivating exploration of a young woman's growing self-awareness, the events of a shipboard journey to South America parallel the naive heroine's inner quest. Her experiences, from a first kiss to a surprising flowering of real love, may inspire the reader to reflect on gender roles in society, love among intellectuals, and the strivings and sorrows of life.The Voyage Out offers an excellent introduction to Woolf's writing. Not only is it the first of her novels, it is also one of the most accessible. Less formally experimental than Woolf's later books, but highly representative of her poetic style and innovative techniques, it offers a moving depiction of the thrills and confusion of youth.

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In 1937, Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and one of the most controversial figures in the history of race relations, assembled his most trusted organizers to impart his life's lessons. For one month he instructed this elite student body — at its peak the largest international mass movement of African peoples — on topics ranging from universal knowledge and how to attain it to leadership, character, God, and the social system.  A crucial guide to the understanding of Garvey's philosophy and teachings, Message to the People features profound insights into the nascent days of the Civil Rights movement. This volume will prove an enlightening companion to students of African American and twentieth-century history.

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This outstanding compilation presents stories by two of the writers who helped launch the early nineteenth-century German Romanticism movement: Ludwig Tieck and Jean Paul Richter. Translated by the great British historian Thomas Carlyle, it features seven highly influential tales that range in mood from fantasy and fairy tale lightness to witty satire. Shemlzie's Journey to Fletz and Life of Quintus Fixlien, a story and a novella by Richter, the least translated of the major German Romantics, are of particular note. Ludwig Tieck (1773–1859) is best known for his fantastic stories and short novels, which appeal more to the emotions than the intellect. He translated the works of Shakespeare and Cervantes into German, served as a literary advisor to Dresden's Court Theater, and ranked second only to Goethe as Germany's leading literary authority. Jean Paul Richter (1763–1825) bridged the shift in literature from the formal ideals of Weimar Classicism to the intuitive transcendentalism of early Romanticism. His works range in tone from sentimental humor to bitter satire and span a variety of genres, from fiction to treatises on education and aesthetics.

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Zastrozzi was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) at age of 17 during his last year at Eton, and it was published in 1810 when he was at Oxford. In the first edition, he was identified on the title page only by his initials. In St. Irvyne, published shortly afterward, he was identified as "A Gentleman of the University of Oxford." Both novels are of interest today as early artifacts of the age of the Gothic horror novel—the era that not long afterwards produced the magnificent Frankenstein by Shelley's wife Mary. A brief but complex tale of romance and revenge, Zastrozzi  —like its companion, St. Irvyne — was praised by some critics and derided by others. Both stories manifest the creative flair of their young author, who went on to become one of the greatest poets in the English language during his short life.

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This classic work presents the candid wit and wisdom of George Washington Plunkitt (1842–1924), a longtime state senator from New York who represented the Fifteenth Assembly District and was especially powerful in New York City. Plunkitt was part of the city's Tammany Hall organization and a cynical practitioner of what today is generally known as "machine politics," a patronage-based system in which politicians openly exercise power for personal gain.   Plunkitt defined "dishonest graft" as working solely for one's own interests, as opposed to "honest graft," which involves the interests of one's party and state as well as individual benefits. An enthusiastic party man, he believed in appointments, patronage, spoils, and all the corrupt practices that were curtailed by the civil service law, regarding them as both the rewards and cause of patriotism. Modern readers will find his strikingly modern-sounding motivations and justifications both entertaining and instructive.

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Born into Southern aristocracy, Mary Boykin Chesnut (1823–86) married a rising star of the political scene who ultimately served as an aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. As a prominent hostess and popular guest in the highest circles of Confederate society, Chesnut possessed an insider's perspective on many of the Civil War's major events, which she recorded in vivid journal entries. Her diary recounts the social life that struggled to continue in the midst of war, the grim economic conditions that resulted from blockaded ports as well as how people's spirits rose and fell with each victory and defeat. Hailed by William Styron as "a great epic drama of our greatest national tragedy," Chesnut's annotated diary won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1982 and served as a primary source for Ken Burns's celebrated Civil War documentary. This edition of the compelling narrative features photos and engravings from the original publication.

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This celebration of America's literary legacy, a companion volume to Dover's 100 Great Short Stories, offers students and other readers a superb selection of short fiction by master storytellers. Contributors include Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, O. Henry, Willa Cather, Washington Irving, Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe, Louisa May Alcott, and many others. The stories are arranged alphabetically by author. Selections from American literature of the nineteenth century include Herman Melville's "The Fiddler," Bret Harte's "The Outcasts of Poker Flat," "Adventure of the German Student" by Washington Irving, Ambrose Bierce's "The Eyes of the Panther," "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Ambitious Guest." More recent stories include Djuna Barnes' "A Night Among the Horses," Ernest Hemingway's "Up in Michigan," Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat," "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, Theodore Dreiser's "The Lost Phoebe," and "Jesus Christ in Texas" by W. E. B. Du Bois.

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Referring to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, H. L. Mencken noted that his discovery of this classic American novel was «the most stupendous event of my whole life»; Ernest Hemingway declared that «all modern American literature stems from this one book,» while T. S. Eliot called Huck «one of the permanent symbolic figures of fiction, not unworthy to take a place with Ulysses, Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, Hamlet.»The novel's preeminence derives from its wonderfully imaginative re-creation of boyhood adventures along the Mississippi River, its inspired characterization, the author's remarkable ear for dialogue, and the book's understated development of serious underlying themes: «natural» man versus «civilized» society, the evils of slavery, the innate value and dignity of human beings, and other topics. Most of all, Huckleberry Finn is a wonderful story, filled with high adventure and unforgettable characters.

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One of the English language's most popular and frequently quoted books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was the creation of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832–1898), a distinguished scholar and mathematician who wrote under the pseudonym of Lewis Carroll. Intended for young readers but enjoyed equally by adults, the fantastic tale transformed children's literature, liberating it from didactic constraints.The story is deeply but gently satiric, enlivened with an imaginative plot and brilliant use of nonsense. As Alice explores a bizarre underground world, she encounters a cast of strange characters and fanciful beasts: the White Rabbit, March Hare, and Mad Hatter; the sleepy Dormouse and grinning Cheshire Cat; the Mock Turtle, the dreadful Queen of Hearts, and a host of other extraordinary personalities. This edition features Sir John Tenniel's complete original illustrations, bringing to life a beloved classic that has delighted readers and listeners since its first publication in 1865.

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Having failed in a number of occupations as a young man, Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950) found his niche as a writer with Tarzan of the Apes, first published in 1914. Highly imaginative, exotic and suspenseful, the story tells of an infant — the son of an aristocratic English couple — abandoned when his parents die in the jungles of Africa. Rescued and reared by apes, he learns to speak their language and imitate their ability to travel swiftly through the treetops.Eventually, his courage, immense strength and exceptional intelligence earn him the respect and admiration not only of the apes, but of all the creatures of the jungle. The ape-man's story is told here in this classic, fast-paced novel, packed with riveting adventures as Tarzan avenges the killing of Kala, his ape-mother, subdues man-eating beasts of the jungle, meets and falls in love with the beautiful Jane Porter, vanquishes greedy pirate-adventurers, and deals with assorted other threats.Although Burroughs followed this story with many Tarzan sequels, it is doubtful if any ever equaled this novel for its originality, readability and sheer storytelling power. In this inexpensive edition, complete and unabridged, it will thrill a new generation with the legendary exploits of the «Lord of the Apes.»

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