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By: W. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) | |
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The Bab Ballads
The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before he became famous for his comic opera librettos with Arthur Sullivan. In writing the Bab Ballads, Gilbert developed his unique “topsy-turvy” style, where the humour was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. The Ballads also reveal Gilbert’s cynical and satirical approach to humour. They became famous on their own, as well as being a source for plot elements, characters and songs that Gilbert would recycle in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas... |
By: Keith Laumer (1925-1993) | |
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Gambler's World & The Yillian Way
Here are two stores starring the always unconventional Terrestrial Diplomat, Retief. As a diplomat, Retief does not always follow procedure. Well the truth is that he almost never follows procedure but somehow his wit and strength manage to salvage most situations from the bumbling of his superiors. His sardonic approach to inter galactic negotiations in these two stories is a delight to hear. Despite everything, he manages to save the day and come out on top. | |
The Yillian Way |
By: Fergus Hume (1859-1932) | |
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The Secret Passage
Excellent murder mystery. On September 9, 1905, the NY Times Saturday Review of Books described this book as follows: “That painstakingly ingenious person, Fergus Hume, has devised another of his hide-and-seek, jack-o’-lantern murder mysteries. It begins with a queer and rich old woman found stabbed to death in her chair and not a clue to the murderer. Then so many clues turn up that even the story-book detective is bewildered. Then nearly everybody turns out to be somebody else under an alias, and all the clues lead nowhere…” | |
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
“The following report appeared in the Argus newspaper of Saturday, the 28th July, 18– “Truth is said to be stranger than fiction, and certainly the extraordinary murder which took place in Melbourne on Thursday night, or rather Friday morning, goes a long way towards verifying this saying. A crime has been committed by an unknown assassin, within a short distance of the principal streets of this great city, and is surrounded by an impenetrable mystery. … “On the twenty-seventh day of July, at the hour of twenty minutes to two o’clock in the morning, a hansom cab drove up to the police station in Grey Street, St... | |
Madame Midas
Madame Midas is a murder mystery, In the early days of Australia, when the gold fever was at its height. Fergus Hume was born in England, the second son of Dr James Hume. At the age of three his father emigrated with his family to Dunedin, New Zealand. He was admitted to the New Zealand bar in 1885. Shortly after graduation he left for Melbourne, Australia where he obtained a post as a barristers’ clerk. He began writing plays, but found it impossible to persuade the managers of the Melbourne theatres to accept or even read them... | |
The Silent House
A mystery about a “locked door” murder committed in a house that has a reputation for being haunted. In the first half of the book, the murderer appears to be easy to figure out. The second half of the book, however, is filled with plot twists and mistaken identities and thus complicates the mystery much more. | |
The Green Mummy | |
Bishop's Secret |
By: P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) | |
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The Girl on the Boat
Also published as "Three Men and a Maid". The maid of the title is red-haired, dog-loving Wilhelmina "Billie" Bennet, and the three men are Bream Mortimer, a long-time friend and admirer of Billie, Eustace Hignett, a lily-livered poet who is engaged to Billie at the opening of the tale, and Sam Marlowe, Eustace's dashing cousin, who falls for Billie at first sight. All four find themselves on an ocean liner headed for England together, along with a capable young woman called Jane Hubbard who is smitten with Eustace, and typically Wodehousian romantic shenanigans ensue. (Introduction by wikipedia) | |
Death at the Excelsior And Other Stories | |
The Gold Bat | |
The Gem Collector | |
The Little Warrior | |
The Head of Kay's | |
Love Among the Chickens A Story of the Haps and Mishaps on an English Chicken Farm | |
Little Nugget
Mrs Nesta Ford, in her London hotel room, reveals to her new friend Lord Mountry that she hopes to take her son Ogden on a yachting trip proposed by Mountry, despite her ex-husband having won custody of the boy. As Mountry leaves, Cynthia Drassilis arrives with Ogden, whom she has led away from his father's country house. Mrs Ford rewards Cynthia, but soon Mr Ford's secretary, a Mr Minnick, arrives to recover the stolen child. Cynthia tries to bribe his colleague, Mrs Sheridan, but to no avail, as she believes Nesta's influence has spoiled the boy... |
By: Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) | |
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The Palace of Pleasure, Volume 1 |
By: Frank Pinkerton | |
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Dyke Darrel the Railroad Detective
Dyke Darrel investigates an audacious train robbery that included the murder of a friend, and embarks on a man-hunt. High Victorian serial melodrama at its best! |
By: Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) | |
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Sister Carrie
Published in 1900, Sister Carrie follows its protagonist, Carrie, as she resolutely makes her way through the bustling city of Chicago in the hope of achieving her ultimate goal of a securing a better and more glamorous life for herself. Effectively illustrating his reputation as one of America’s greatest naturalists, Dreiser deviates from the established norms and moral values present in the Victorian era, and instead focuses his attention on accurately portraying the basic instincts that influence human behavior... | |
The Financier
In Philadelphia, Frank Cowperwood, whose father is a banker, makes his first money by buying cheap soaps on the market and selling it back with profit to a grocer. Later, he gets a job in Henry Waterman & Company, and leaves it for Tighe & Company. He also marries an affluent widow, in spite of his young age. Over the years, he starts embezzling municipal funds. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire redounds to a stock market crash, prompting him to be bankrupt and exposed. Although he attempts to browbeat his way out of being sentenced to jail by intimidating Mr Stener, politicians from the Republican Party use their influence to use him as a scapegoat for their own corrupt practices... | |
Jennie Gerhardt
This is a story of an innocent, caring, beautiful young girl from and extremely poor family who throughout her life is drawn into affairs with two different men from a much higher social class. How members of her family, the family of one of the wealthy men, and society in general react to her situation is the basis of this story. | |
Sister Carrie: a Novel | |
Twelve Men |
By: Herbert Allen Giles (1845-1935) | |
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China and the Chinese
Herbert Allen Giles (1845-1935) spent several years as a diplomat in China and in 1897 was appointed Cambridge University’s second professor of Chinese. His published works cover Chinese language and literature, history and philosophy. This series of lectures, published as “China and the Chinese”, was given at Columbia University in 1902, to mark the establishment of a Chinese professorship there. The lectures were not intended for the specialist, more to urge a wider and more systematic study of China and its culture, and to encourage new students into the field... |
By: Sir Stephen King-Hall | |
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Diary of a U-boat Commander
The infamous U boats deployed by Germany in the two World Wars have spawned several works of fiction and non-fiction. These deadly vessels were not just efficient and lethal killing machines, but they were also used very effectively in economic blockades. They were positioned primarily to obstruct the conveyance of fuel, food and other essential supplies which the enemy needed to sustain the war effort. In the Diary of a U Boat Commander, the author, Stephen King-Hall draws upon his vast personal experiences as a naval officer in World War I... |
By: Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) | |
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Helen of Troy and Other Poems | |
India Wharf
Sara Teasdale was an American lyric poet. |
By: Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) | |
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Mary Stuart
Schiller's tragedy depicts the final days of Mary, Queen of Scots, who has been imprisoned by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, because of her potential claim on the English throne. The action of the play revolves around an attempt to rescue Mary from prison and Elizabeth's indecision over whether or not to have her executed. The 1801 translation is by Joseph Mellish, a friend of Schiller's. | |
Aesthetical Essays of Frederich Schiller | |
The Robbers | |
Love and Intrigue
Ferdinand is an army major and son of President von Walter, a high-ranking noble in a German duke's court, while Luise Miller is the daughter of a middle-class musician. The couple fall in love with each other, but both their fathers tell them to end their affair. The President instead wants to expand his own influence by marrying Ferdinand to Lady Milford, the duke's mistress, but Ferdinand rebels against his father's plan and tries to persuade Luise to elope with him. | |
Don Carlos | |
The Poems of Schiller — Third period | |
Maid of Orleans | |
Wilhelm Tell | |
The Death of Wallenstein | |
The Poems of Schiller — First period | |
Philosophical Letters of Frederich Schiller | |
The Ghost-Seer; or the Apparitionist; and Sport of Destiny | |
The Bride of Messina, and On the Use of the Chorus in Tragedy | |
The Piccolomini | |
The Poems of Schiller — Second period | |
The Works of Frederich Schiller | |
Camp of Wallenstein
This is the first play of Friedrich Schiller's Wallenstein Trilogy. Set in a Bohemian camp during the Thirty Years War, it introduces the major characters of the rest of the trilogy, like Albrecht von Wallenstein and Max Piccolomini, from their subordinates' point of view. | |
Demetrius | |
Turandot: The Chinese Sphinx | |
Fiesco; or, the Genoese Conspiracy |
By: Mabel Hale | |
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The Hero of Hill House |
By: Laura Lee Hope | |
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The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake Or, the stirring cruise of the motor boat Gem | |
The Outdoor Girls at Wild Rose Lodge Or, the hermit of Moonlight falls |
By: Robert Graves (1895-1985) | |
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Fairies and Fusiliers | |
Country Sentiment |
By: Frederick Marryat (1792-1848) | |
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Mr. Midshipman Easy
One of the first novel-length pieces of nautical fiction, MR. MIDSHIPMAN EASY (1836) is a funny and easygoing account of the adventures of Jack Easy, a son of privilege who joins the Royal Navy. The work begins as a satire on Jack’s attachment to “the rights of man” that may try the listener’s patience. But despair not, for the story soon settles down as the philosophical midshipman begins his many triumphs over bullies, foul weather, and various damned foreigners of murderous intent.Caveat audiens: This novel employs racial/ethnic epithets and religious stereotypes, as well as taking a rather sunny view of supply-side economics... | |
The Phantom Ship | |
The Settlers in Canada | |
The Pirate | |
The King's Own | |
Masterman Ready The Wreck of the "Pacific" | |
The Phantom Ship | |
The Privateersman | |
Jacob Faithful
Rebelling against the career chosen for him by his wealthy family, Frederic Marryat joined the Royal Navy in 1806 at the age of 14. He first served as a midshipman in the 38-gun frigate "HMS Imperieuse" commanded by Lord Cochran, 10th Earl of Dundonald whose real life exploits were used by Marryat in his fiction and which formed the basis for other famous fictional characters like Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey. Having survived more than 50 sea battles and attained the rank of Post Captain, he resigned from the Navy and devoted the rest of his life to writing, drawing a good deal on his distinguished career in the Navy and is now considered the Father of Modern Nautical Fiction... | |
The Mission; or Scenes in Africa | |
Poor Jack | |
Poor Jack | |
The Pacha of Many Tales | |
Frank Mildmay Or, the Naval Officer | |
Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet | |
Snarleyyow
This is a quite amusing nautical tale of the British Navy of the around the year 1700. While, as with much early 'humor', it is somewhat heavy-handed, the sympathies of the author are clear and good, and cruelty is often averted by good fortune or background characters. First published under the title 'The Dog Fiend', the primary characters are an evil captain of a cutter and his dog. The dog seems indestructible, as is the poor cabin boy who is the butt of the captain's ill humor, and who often is chewed on by the dog... | |
Masterman Ready | |
The Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet in California, Sonora, and Western Texas | |
Percival Keene | |
Valerie | |
The Three Cutters | |
The Pacha of Many Tales | |
Newton Forster The Merchant Service | |
The Settlers in Canada | |
Peter Simple; and, The Three Cutters, Vol. 1-2 | |
The Mission | |
Olla Podrida | |
Japhet, in Search of a Father | |
Olla Podrida | |
Japhet in Search of a Father | |
The Poacher Joseph Rushbrook | |
The Privateer's-Man One hundred Years Ago | |
The Little Savage |