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Excerpt:'Wilford Heaton is not my real name, for why should I publish it to the world? The reason I do not give it is, first, because I have no desire to be made the object of idle curiosity or speculation, and secondly, although the explanation herein given will clear the honour of one of the most powerful of the Imperial Houses in Europe, I have no wish that my true name should be associated with it. I have, however, a reason for writing this narrative—a very strong reason. The story is an enthralling one; the adventures stranger, perhaps, than ever happened to any other living person. I have resolved to relate the plain unvarnished facts in their sequence, just as they occurred, without seeking to suppress or embellish, but to recount the strange adventures just as they are registered in the small leather portfolio, or secret dossier, which still, at this moment, reposes in the archives of a certain Ministry in one of the European capitals. There have recently been stories afloat—strange stories. At first I laughed at all the absurd rumours, but very quickly I saw how seriously distorted the real facts had become, for ingenious paragraphs of certain so-called Society papers, grasping the story eagerly, worked it up into a narrative which reflected very seriously upon the honour of one who is dearest in all the world to me. Well, my tale—or exposure—is written here. In order that those who read may clearly follow the curious chain of circumstances, it is necessary for me to go back some eight years or so—not a long period as far as time goes, but to me a veritable century. I was young, just turned twenty five. I was decently well-off, having come into an income of nearly a couple of thousand a year left me by my father, a sum which put me beyond the necessity of entering business, pursuing the daily grind, or troubling about the morrow. My career at Oxford had, I fear, been marked by a good many shortcomings and many youthful escapades, but I ended it by taking my degree of Bachelor of Medicine, shortly afterwards pursuing the fashionable habit of “going abroad.” Within two years, however, I returned to London world-weary—like so many other young men who, being left comfortably off, commence to taste the enjoyment of life too early—and settled down in a suite of smoke-begrimed rooms in Essex Street, Strand.'

Commonly hailed as his masterpiece and his own personal favourite, Dickens's novel “David Copperfield” was first published as a serial in 1849–50 and as a book in 1850. The story revolves around the titular character and spans his growth from infancy to maturity, chronicling the people and places of his life as he develops as a person. A must-read for fans of Dickens's work and well deserving of a place on every bookshelf. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812–1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as “Oliver Twist” or “A Christmas Carol”, Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers”, which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from “Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens” by G. K. Chesterton.

Martin Chuzzlewit is suspicious — and with good reason. His relatives think he's dying and they're flocking to his side from near and far in eager anticipation of inheriting his vast wealth. Their greed and selfishness has made him a misanthrope, and when he finds his namesake grandson romancing his ward, the old man's wrath drives young Martin off to America to seek his fortune. Already famous as the author of The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens declared this, his sixth novel, as'immeasurably the best of my stories.'The scheming Mr. Pecksniff, the corrupt Mrs. Gamp, the criminal Jonas Chuzzlewit, and other vividly realized characters populate this powerful black comedy, which features a parody of American mores and manners inspired by the author's 1842 visit to the United States. A captivating tale of hypocrisy and redemption, the novel is distinctive among Dickens'work for its combination of antic humor, searing satire, and lively melodrama.

George Robert Gissing was born on November 22nd, 1857 in Wakefield, Yorkshire.He was educated at Back Lane School in Wakefield. Gissing loved school. He was enthusiastic with a thirst for learning and always diligent. By the age of ten he was reading Dickens, a lifelong hero.In 1872 Gissing won a scholarship to Owens College. Whilst there Gissing worked hard but remained solitary. Unfortunately, he had run short of funds and stole from his fellow students. He was arrested, prosecuted, found guilty, expelled and sentenced to a month's hard labour in 1876. On release he decided to start over. In September 1876 he travelled to the United States. Here he wrote short stories for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers. On his return home he was ready for novels. Gissing self-published his first novel but it failed to sell. His second was acquired but never published. His writing career was static. Something had to change. And it did. By 1884 The Unclassed was published. Now everything he wrote was published. Both Isabel Clarendon and Demos appeared in 1886. He mined the lives of the working class as diligently as any capitalist. In 1889 Gissing used the proceeds from the sale of The Nether World to go to Italy. This trip formed the basis for his 1890 work The Emancipated. Gissing's works began to command higher payments. New Grub Street (1891) brought a fee of £250. Short stories followed and in 1895, three novellas were published; Eve's Ransom, The Paying Guest and Sleeping Fires. Gissing was careful to keep up with the changing attitudes of his audience. Unfortunately, he was also diagnosed as suffering from emphysema. The last years of his life were spent as a semi-invalid in France but he continued to write. 1899; The Crown of Life. Our Friend the Charlatan appeared in 1901, followed two years later by The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft. George Robert Gissing died aged 46 on December 28th, 1903 after catching a chill on a winter walk.

Great Expectations is Charles Dickens's thirteenth novel. It is his second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. Great Expectations is abildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel, and it is a classic work of Victorian literature. It depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. The novel was first published in serial form in Dickens'weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. In October 1861, Chapman and Hall published the novel in three volumes. Great Expectations was to be twice as long, but constraints imposed by the management of All the Year Round limited the novel's length. Collected and dense, with a conciseness unusual for Dickens, the novel represents Dickens'peak and maturity as an author. According to G. K. Chesterton, Dickens penned Great Expectations in'the afternoon of [his] life and fame.'It was the penultimate novel Dickens completed, preceding Our Mutual Friend. It is set among the marshes of Kent and in London in the early to mid-1800s. From the outset, the reader is'treated'by the terrifying encounter between Pip, the protagonist, and the escaped convict, Abel Magwitch. Great Expectations is a graphic book, full of extreme imagery, poverty, prison ships,'the hulks,'barriers and chains, and fights to the death. It therefore combines intrigue and unexpected twists of autobiographical detail in different tones. Regardless of its narrative technique, the novel reflects the events of the time, Dickens'concerns, and the relationship between society and man. The novel has received mixed reviews from critics: Thomas Carlyle speaks of'All that Pip's nonsense,'while George Bernard Shaw praised the novel as'All of one piece and Consistently truthfull.'Dickens felt Great Expectations was his best work, calling it'a very fine idea,'and was very sensitive to compliments from his friends:'Bulwer, who has been, as I think you know, extraordinarily taken by the book.'ABOUT AUTHOR: Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812 – 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broadly acknowledged by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular. Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens was forced to leave school to work in a factory when his father was thrown into debtors'prison. Although he had little formal education, his early impoverishment drove him to succeed. Over his career he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, 5 novellas and hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens sprang to fame with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodistexpressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens went on to improve the character with positive features. Fagin inOliver Twist apparently mirrors the famous fence Ikey Solomon; His caricature of Leigh Hunt in the figure of Mr Skimpole in Bleak

Introduction and Notes by Dr T.C.B. Cook Following the success of Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby was hailed as a comic triumph and firmly established Dickens as a'literary gentleman'. It has a full supporting cast of delectable characters that range from the iniquitous Wackford Squeers and his family, to the delightful Mrs Nickleby, taking in the eccentric Crummles and his travelling players, the Mantalinis, the Kenwigs and many more. Combining these with typically Dickensian elements of burlesque and farce, the novel is eminently suited to dramatic adaptation. So great was the impact as it left Dickens'pen that many pirated versions appeared in print before the original was even finished. Often neglected by critics, Nicholas Nickleby has never ceased to delight readers and is widely regarded as one of the greatest comic masterpieces of nineteenth-centure literature.

Includes the unabridged text of Dicken's classic novel plus a complete study guide that helps readers gain a thorough understanding of the work's content and context. The comprehensive guide includes chapter-by-chapter summaries, explanations and discussions of the plot, question-and-answer sections, author biography, analytical paper topics, list of characters, bibliography, and more.

A fresh and vivid translation of Flaubert's influential bildungsroman Gustave Flaubert conceived Sentimental Education, his final complete novel, as the history of his own generation, one that failed to fulfill the promise of the Revolution of 1848. Published a few months before the start of the 1870 Franco–Prussian War, it offers both a sweeping panorama of French society over three decades and an intimate bildungsroman of a young man from a small town who arrives in Paris when protests against the monarchy are increasing. The novel's protagonist, Frédéric Moreau, alternates between aimlessness and ambition as he searches for a meaningful life through love affairs and republican politics. Flaubert's narrative includes scenes of high drama, as scattered protests across Paris swell into revolution, and quiet moments of self-aware romanticism, crafting a story that possesses the sweep and scope of a historical novel combined with deep emotion and scandalous intimacy. Suffused with tragedy and the poignancy of lost chances and wasted lives, Sentimental Education is sharpened by satirical observations of what Flaubert condemned as the Second Empire's endemic hypocrisy and willful blindness. This vibrant, new translation by Raymond N. MacKenzie includes an extensive critical introduction and annotations to help the modern reader appreciate Flaubert's achievement. Sentimental Education intertwines the personal, the intimate, and the subjective with the political, social, and cultural, embedding Frédéric's story in the larger arc of what Flaubert saw as France's decline into mediocrity and imbecility in its politics and manners.

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffman was born on the 24th January 1776, the youngest of three children, in Königsberg, then in Prussia but now part of the Kaliningrad Russian enclave.His parents separated when he was two and for many years life was to be provincial and, despite his talents for the creative arts and the classics, much was passing him by.At 20 Hoffman obtained employment as a clerk and to the art that now surrounded him. Two years later he was in Berlin attempting a career as a composer with an operetta called ‘Die Maske'. His gift for drawing caricatures and sharing them often got him into trouble that was easier to avoid.The years of Napoleon ravaging Europe were bad for Hoffman; he moved often and took on works as varied as theatre management and music critic. In this his talents were now more evident. His works on Beethoven where highly regarded by the master himself.His literary breakthrough came in 1809, with ‘Ritter Gluck', about a man who believes he has met the composer 20 years after his death. However the various jobs and the wars continued and plagued any career advancement despite his constant travel for opportunities, often through dangerous territories.In the wake of Napoleon's defeat in 1814, Hoffmann returned to Berlin where his opera ‘Undine'was performed by the Berlin Theatre. Life was now more settled and many of his most famous works were written at his time.From 1819, Hoffmann was struggling with both legal disputes and ill health. Alcohol abuse and syphilis were physically weakening him and from 1822 paralysis set in. His last works were dictated to his wife or to a secretary as all around him society descended into an anti-liberal agenda, stifling dissent with threats of legal action and even treason. The ailing Hoffman was among them.E T A Hoffmann died on the 25th June 1822 in Berlin of syphilis. He was 46.

François-Anatole Thibault was born on the 16th April 1844 in Paris, France, the son of a bookseller and bibliophile.He studied at the Collège Stanislas, a private Catholic school, and after graduating joined his father in the bookstore, which specialised in works on the French Revolution. Several years later he secured a position as cataloguer at Bacheline-Deflorenne and at Lemerre before being appointed librarian for the French Senate in 1876.His literary career had begun as a journalist and as a poet before publishing his novel ‘Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard'in 1881. Praised for its elegant prose, it won him a prestigious prize from the Académie Française, which later elected him to its storied ranks.His works were profound and thoughtful and often couched in surreal and outlandish expressions; whether penguins baptized by a near-blind Abbott transformed themselves into humans or of a guardian angel who becomes an atheist, his stories turned established thought into startling literature.His short stories run in the same vein. The premise may seem plausible but his distinctive style turns them into an individual viewpoint which invokes both discussion and admiration.In his private life his relationships with women were often turbulent. A Socialist, he was a fervent supporter of the Russian Revolution and the early years of the French Communist party.He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 but the following year his entire canon of works was placed on the prohibited list of the Catholic Church, which he thought of as a credit to his name.Anatole France died on the 12th October 1924 in Tours. He was 80.

Charles Dickens foi um influente escritor inglês, o mais famoso romancista da era vitoriana. Nascido em 1812, na cidade de Portsmouth, mesmo sem a oportunidade de receber uma educação formal, tornou-se um dos grandes escritores da literatura mundia e autor de livros memoráveis. A obra A Vida e Aventuras de Nicholas Nickleby é um desses livros. O romance retrata os percalços de um jovem britânico, Nicholas Nickleby que, com a morte do pai, tornou-se responsável pela família. Como a família não tinha emprego nem dinheiro, sua mãe escreve para Ralph Nickleby, irmão de seu marido recém-falecido, solicitando ajuda. Ralph é um homem rico e desalmado, mas mesmo assim o jovem Niicholas, direciona seus esforços para ajudar a sua família e seus amigos. Os livros de Dickens apresentam tramas e personagens que carregam traços em comum e que invariavelmente atraem e encantam o leitor. A forma como ele retrata esses dramas com um peculiar senso de humor é sempre um deleite com suas coincidências improváveis, as reviravoltas, e seus personagens caricatos e adoráveis.'A Vida e Aventuras de Nicholas Nickleby'é uma agradabilissima leitura.

Cow Country goes back to some of Bower's earlier works. Buddy is crossing the Staked Plains with his family and a herd of Longhorn cattle. He is all boy, as were all of Bower's youngsters whenever they appeared in the various books. He has adventures along the trail but survives them all to reach manhood at age 21, when he is promptly turned out into the world by his father. Well, that sounds a bit harsh. Bud (only his mother can still call him Buddy) is given a choice: ten thousand dollars and life in Europe making music or the gift of a select group of cattle so he can go off somewhere and start his own ranch. (Goodreads)

Excerpt:'The morning was hot, and Kit Musgrave, leaning on the African liner's rail, watched the volcanic rocks of Grand Canary grow out of the silver haze. He was conscious of some disappointment, because on the voyage to Las Palmas he had pictured a romantic white city shining against green palms. Its inhabitants were grave Spaniards, who secluded their wives and daughters in old Moorish houses with shady patios where fountains splashed. Now he saw he had got the picture wrong. Las Palmas was white, but not at all romantic. A sandy isthmus, swept by rolling clouds of dust, connected the town and the frankly ugly port. The houses round the harbor looked like small brown blocks. Behind them rose the Isleta cinder hill; in front, coal-wharfs and limekilns, hidden now and then by dust, occupied the beach. Moreover, the Spaniards on board the boats about the ship were excited, gesticulating ruffians. Bombay peddlers, short, dark-skinned Portuguese, and Canario dealers in wine, tobacco, and singing birds, pushed up the gangway. All disputed noisily in their eagerness to show their goods to the passengers. Yet Kit was not altogether disappointed. Somehow the industrial ugliness of the port and the crowd's businesslike activity were soothing. Kit had not known much romantic beauty, but he knew the Lancashire mining villages and the mean streets behind the Liverpool docks. Besides, he was persuaded that commerce, particularly British commerce, had a civilizing, uplifting power.'

Jack Grant arrives in Western Australia in 1882, having been expelled from his public school and then sent down from an agricultural college. He experiences hunting, farming, gold mining, fights and his first love of women. His character is forged by the Australian landscape and its hard, no-nonsense people. From the young boy emerges a tough Lawrentian hero. (Goodreads)

Exerpt:'A creaking complaint of loose and rattling boards rose under the old mountaineer's brogans as he stepped from the threshold to the porch. His eyes, searching the wooded mountain-side, held at first only that penetration which born woodsmen share with the hawk and ferret, but presently they kindled into irascibility as well.'

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is semi-autobiographical, following Joyce's fictional alter-ego through his artistic awakening. The young artist Steven Dedelus begins to rebel against the Irish Catholic dogma of his childhood and discover the great philosophers and artists. He follows his artistic calling to the continent. As part of our mission to publish great works of literary fiction and nonfiction, Sheba Blake Publishing Corp. is extremely dedicated to bringing to the forefront the amazing works of long dead and truly talented authors.

'What do we seek through millions of pages? Still hopefully turning the pages -- oh, here is Jacob's room.'Who is Jacob Flanders? Virginia Woolf's third novel, published in 1922 alongside James Joyce's Ulysses and T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, follows this elusive title character from a sunlit childhood on the Cornwall coast to adventures in Cambridge, London, and Athens. Women fall in love with Jacob; young men desire his company and conversation. But Woolf keeps her scornful, charming protagonist at a distance, enveloping Jacob in mystery as he enters adulthood and the Great War thunders across Europe. A daring work that reimagines every element of the traditional novel, Jacob's Room tells a new story for a new century. In 1922, Lytton Strachey pronounced Jacob's Room'a most wonderful achievement—more like poetry, it seems to me, than anything else, and as such I prophesy immortal.'One hundred years after its publication, Woolf's first full-length work of experimental fiction pulls us into the inexhaustible mysteries of intimacy and mortality.

Jack Corey is a spoiled, rich 22 year old who spends his time skylarking with friends and drinking. On the way home from the beach late one night, those friends create all kinds of havoc as Jack struggles to keep his drunken eyes on the road. The hilarity gets out of hand after the friends decide to play Bandit. They end up shooting a man in another car! Not on purpose, but they did shoot him and everyone panicked, urging Jack to drive away in a hurry. Which, to his eventual shame, he did. By the time he got home, he was sober and worried about what to do. Should he tell his mother? Nah, she wouldn't care, as long as there was no damage to her car (at least so he tells himself). Should he go to the police and confess? No!! The injured man was bleeding badly when Jack drove away, he might be dead and then Jack would have to go to prison. So what to do? (Goodreads)

Excerpt:'It has not happened to many men, as I think, to have fallen into the hands of as cruel and bloodthirsty a monster as ever defiled God's earth, and to have escaped to tell the tale. Yet it is of this that I have come to write; and of all the hardships and perils which I went through from the time I fled from my father's house to seek for treasure in the East Indies; and of the battles in which I fought; and of the madness of love and jealousy which I knew; and of how the man I trusted became my enemy, and pursued me with his vengeance; and of the treasure which I found in the palace of the Hindoo king; and of how I returned at last to my own home. Nor do I greatly expect that the hearing of these things will be effectual to hinder those who come after me from adventuring in their turn, for young blood will have its way, like sap in the veins of a growing tree. But there are times when I think that if I could have looked forward and seen what was to come, and all the dire straits through which I was to pass—both among my own countrymen and in those distant lands—I might have given a different welcome to my cousin Rupert when he came riding into Brandon, on the evening of that day which was to be the last of my boyhood.'

This Side of Paradise (1920) is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published at the very beginning of Fitzgerald's career as a leading writer of American fiction, This Side of Paradise was a resounding critical and commercial success, allowing him to marry his young love Zelda Sayre. The novel is a semi-autobiographical study of youthful ambition, disillusioned romance, and a generation scarred by war. Amory Blaine is a young man from the Midwest with great ambitions and unfocused talent. He attends Princeton University, where he excels as a student and writer while keeping up a romantic correspondence with Isabelle Borgé, a girl from his youth. Greatly anticipating her arrival in Princeton, Blaine reunites with her one last time for a university prom, where he realizes whatever love they once shared has now been lost. Despairing, Blaine enlists in the army and is sent overseas to fight in the First World War. When he returns, he takes up a position as a copywriter at a New York City advertising agency, falls for the beautiful debutante Rosalind Connage, a quickly finds himself spiraling into self-doubt and out of control. This Side of Paradise is a tragic story of unrealized potential in a young man willing to meet the world head-on without ever looking at himself. Upon publication, Fitzgerald's debut marked the beginning of a promising career as one of twentieth century America's finest writers of fiction. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise is a classic work of American literature reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

An American Tragedy is a tour de force, one of the most important novels in the American cannon. Ripped from the headlines, it follows Clyde Griffiths, a handsome, ambitious man whose religious upbringing has left him unprepared to pay the price required to realize the American Dream. It's an ambitious novel that unflinchingly confronts the lie of the American Dream and myth of a classless society with opportunities for all, and an extraordinary crime novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.Nothing short of monumental.— Kirkus

Redburn: His First Voyage is the fourth book by the American writer Herman Melville, first published in London in 1849. The book is semi-autobiographical and recounts the adventures of a refined youth among coarse and brutal sailors and the seedier areas of Liverpool. Unable to find employment at home, young Wellingborough Redburn signs on the Highlander, a merchantman out of New York City bound for Liverpool, England. Representing himself as the'son of a gentleman'and expecting to be treated as such, he discovers that he is just a green hand, a'boy', the lowest rank on the ship, assigned all the duties no other sailor wants, like cleaning out the'pig-pen', a longboat that serves as a shipboard sty...

Claude's Confession (1865) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Written at night while Zola was employed at Hachette, Claude's Confession proved scandalous upon publication and resulted in the loss of his job. Undeterred by the response to his literary debut, Zola took advantage of his newfound infamy in order to embark on a career as one of France's foremost experimental writers. Intent on exploring taboo and the lives of people on the edge of society, Zola crafts a narrative capable of illuminating the human condition while humanizing those typically disdained by the literary elite. Born and raised in Provence, Claude is shocked to find that the Paris of legend is a city mired in poverty, decay, and loneliness. As he struggles to make ends meet in order to pay for his tiny apartment, he takes notice of a young woman who lives in the same building as him. Although he knows she is a prostitute, his feelings for him grow stronger than the impulse to look down on her way of life. After months of silent longing, he opens his door to find her standing there, desperate for help after being evicted. Despite his limited income, he welcomes her inside, and their relationship soon develops into a passionate romance. Claude's Confession is a story of forbidden love, fading hope, and the false promise of modern life. Written at the very beginning of Zola's career, it shows the innerworkings of a young mind interested in subjects too often ignored by writers, a mind whose guiding principle is truth and truth alone. This edition of Émile Zola's Claude's Confession is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Reflecting Conrad's genius for narrative that focuses on the quest for inner truths, The Arrow of Gold is an exploration of the dangerous appetites of men and of human vulnerability, as well as a profound meditation on the emotional boundary between people. During the Carlist war of the early 1870s, a young sailor, the unnamed protagonist, joins the champions of Don Carlos de Bourbon, pretender to the throne of Spain. The Carlists use the eager youth's intense attraction to the sea to persuade him to run perilous enterprises for their cause, ventures he later learns have been financed by the beautiful mistress and heiress of a rich man's fortune. Although not as well known as his earlier novels Lord Jim and Nostromo, The Arrow of Gold was critically acclaimed when it first appeared in 1919 and is still considered to be among the best of Conrad's later works. (goodreads)

This landmark 1925 novel—the basis for the acclaimed 1951 film A Place in the Sun—is both a riveting crime story and a devastating commentary on the American dream.One of The Atlantic's Great American Novels of the Past 100 YearsTheodore Dreiser was inspired by a true story to write this novel about an ambitious, socially insecure young man who finds himself caught between two very different women—and two very different visions of what his life could be. Clyde Griffiths was born poor and is poorly educated, but his prospects begin to improve when he is offered a job by a wealthy uncle who owns a shirt factory. Soon he achieves a managerial position, and despite being warned to stay away from the women he manages, he becomes involved with Roberta, a poor factory worker who falls in love with him. At the same time, he catches the eye of Sondra, the glamorous socialite daughter of another factory owner, and begins neglecting his lover to court her. When Roberta confronts Clyde with her pregnancy, Clyde's hopes of marrying Sondra are threatened, and he conceives a desperate plan to preserve his dream.

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street'is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville. In the story, a Wall Street lawyer hires a new clerk who, after an initial bout of hard work, refuses to make copies or do any other task required of him, refusing with the words'I would prefer not to.'Numerous critical essays have been published about the story, which scholar Robert Milder describes as'unquestionably the masterpiece of the short fiction'in the Melville canon.

After a scandal breaks out involving a famous Irish Nationalist politician, Stephen Dedalus finds his family being torn apart over their differing opinions of the matter. Shaken by all the fighting and animosity, Stephen begins to wonder where he can place his faith. Questioning the Irish and Catholic ideology that he was raised on, Stephen begins to rebel against expectations as he departs for college. While he excels in his studies, Stephen struggles to conform to the social norms of his college, leading him on a self-destructive path of unwise behavior. Attempting to navigate his new home life, conflicting beliefs, and his own coming-of-age, Stephen searches for his identity and struggles to belong. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is a semi-autobiographical tale centered around finding one's identity, both separate from and amid societal expectations. First published in 1916, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man required a grueling writing and publication process, in which Joyce nearly destroyed the original draft of the novel in a fit of frustration. Written in a modernist style, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man depicts the timeless and relatable struggle of an intellectual and religious awakening. With themes of identity, religion, and family, Joyce's debut novel continues to capture the minds and hearts of modern audiences, and has inspired both film and stage adaptations. This edition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce now features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man crafts an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences while restoring the original drama and emotional mastery of James Joyce's literature. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Caleb Williams; Or, Things as They Are (1794) is a novel by English writer and political philosopher William Godwin. Published a year after the appearance of his Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (1793), Caleb Williams; Or, Things as They Are is a thriller and mystery based on the principles set forth in his popular work of anarchist political philosophy. Caleb Williams, a self-educated orphan, gets a job at the estate of Ferdinando Falkland, a reclusive aristocrat. Curious as to his master's temperamental nature, Williams asks the estate's administrator to share any information he knows regarding Falkland's past. Through Mr. Collins, Caleb learns of Falkland's feud with Barnabas Tyrrel, his oppressive neighbor. Caleb is surprised to discover that Falkland was once regarded as a generous and gregarious gentleman who persevered in vain for the love of Tyrrel's niece. Following Emily Melville's untimely death and the unsolved murder of Barnabas Tyrrel, Falkland became an embittered man, prone to violent outbursts and averse to social interaction. Shocked by Mr. Collins's account, Caleb begins to investigate Falkland's behavior and soon grows to suspect his master of murder. When news of his suspicion reaches Falkland, he accuses Caleb of attempted theft, forcing the young man to flee under threat of imprisonment. A fugitive, Caleb resists the temptations of criminal life, but the past—and Falkland—are never far behind him. This edition of William Godwin's Caleb Williams; Or, Things as They Are is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

When Squire Allworthy returns from London to discover a sleeping baby of unknown parentage in his bed, Tom Jones makes its rollicking start toward a picaresque journey across eighteenth-century England. Its foundling hero, having grown to young manhood and developed a passion for the girl next door, finds himself banished from the squire's country estate by the contrivance of a romantic rival. Lusty, good-hearted Tom is thus compelled to seek his fortune far from home and, ultimately, in the company of soldiers, thieves, whores, and other vividly drawn characters. One of the first and most influential novels, Tom Jones was an instant sensation upon its publication in 1749. Henry Fielding's masterpiece of wit, written in a mock-epic style that parallels Tom's adventures with episodes from classical mythology, offers an exuberant panorama of eighteenth-century life. Beloved for its bawdy humor and adroit social commentary, the novel has been adapted many times for stage and screen and ranks among English literature's greatest comedies.

The classic work “hailed as one of the great comic novels of English literature and author Henry Fielding's masterpiece” (HistoryNet.com). Both a picaresque and Bildungsroman, The History of Tom Jones follows the life of its hero from his discovery as a foundling on the property of Squire Allworthy in England's West Country to his banishment from the estate and subsequent journey to London to escape an arranged marriage. Tom's many dalliances and misadventures throughout add to the charm of this bawdy romantic comedy. Written in the eighteenth century, it is “a classic English novel that captures the spirit of its age and whose famous characters—Squire Western, the chaplain Thwackum, the scheming Blifil, seductive Molly Seagrim, and Sophia, Tom's true love—have come to represent Augustan society in all its loquacious, turbulent, comic variety” (The Guardian, “The 100 Best Novels”). “Incredibly complex, with a huge cast of characters, plot twists too numerous to relate and humor sharp enough to cut a finger.” —HistoryNet.com

Four unforgettable works by the author of The Great Gatsby—one of the greatest writers of America's Lost Generation. This Side of Paradise: Amory Blain experiences a childhood of worldly sophistication before a medical condition forces him to face reality. From prep school and Princeton University to the horrors of World War I, Blaine searches for his place in the world—a quest that personifies the struggles of his generation. The Beautiful and the Damned: The presumptive heir to an enormous fortune, Anthony Patch is a bon vivant of New York society. He and his wife, Gloria, live a life of extravagant pleasure until Anthony's inheritance disappears and the Great War breaks out, sending their glittering marriage on a disastrous downward spiral. Flappers and Philosophers: This collection of short stories includes the Jazz Age classic “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” in which an awkward young woman is transformed into a popular beauty by her jealous cousin. Other gems include “The Ice Palace,” “The Cut-Glass Bowl,” and “The Offshore Pirate.” Tales of the Jazz Age: This short story collection includes “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the classic tale of a man who ages backwards, as well as “May Day,” “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and many others.

One of Charles Dickens most acclaimed works Great Expectations displays the author at the peak of his skills, working a collection of vivid characters through a sprawling plot studded with richly drawn scenes. First appearing in 1861, Great Expectations offers a bounty of the pleasures only this author can provide. This is the sweeping story of Pip, an orphan growing up in an England Dickens brings to tumultuous life on the page. Pip must wrestle with injustice, poverty, duplicity and the trials of love while surrounded by a meticulously woven web of indelible characters. There are Miss Havisham, the spinster once left at the altar and still clad in her wedding dress, her adopted daughter Estella, beloved by Pip but curiously indifferent to all affection, and Abel Magwitch, the fearsome convict whose hidden nature affects Pip in a surprising fashion. These, and many other equally vital and amusing individuals are thrust together and pulled apart as they, and the reader, are borne along on a torrent of pure storytelling power. Great Expectations is arguably its author's finest achievement and one of the greatest novels of the Victorian era. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Great Expectations is both modern and readable. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Black Arrow, first serialized in 1883, was eventually published as a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1888. Although it was initially written for children, and has since remained relatively undervalued by critics, The Black Arrow has garnered praise from such figures as John Galsworthy for its richly imagined setting and vibrant dialogue. Set in fifteenth-century England during the infamous War of the Roses, The Black Arrow follows the young Richard “Dick” Shelton's journey of growth and discovery in a time of violence and terror. When the outlaws known as The Black Arrow attack his home, a strange rhyme discovered at the scene leaves Dick curious as to the true nature of his father's death. Sent to warn Sir Daniel—who has been chosen to care for Tunstall until Dick comes of age—the hero meets the heiress Joanna. The two follow Sir Daniel back to Tunstall, where Dick discovers that his father was murdered by the man appointed to protect him. In order to get revenge, and to rescue Joanna from captivity, Dick joins the outlaws of The Black Arrow and is knighted for his service in battle to the Duke of Gloucester. A classic of adventure and romance, The Black Arrow is a novel in which a young man faces down danger in order to protect what he loves. Published amid what is arguably Stevenson's most productive decade, The Black Arrow is often overshadowed by such works as Treasure Island and Kidnapped. What makes it worth reading, however, is its timeless tale of perseverance and growth that transports the reader to one of England's darkest periods. It is both historical and romantic, a story for children and adults alike. To read Stevenson is to enter a world unlike any other, and yet so strangely familiar it might be our own. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow is a classic of literature reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

“I'm not sentimental—I'm as romantic as you are. The idea, you know, is that the sentimental person thinks things will last—the romantic person has a desperate confidence that they won't.”From one of the finest American writers of the twentieth century, This Side of Paradise was rumoured to have helped F. Scott Fitzgerald gain Zelda's hand in marriage.Amory Blaine is an ambitious, aspiring young writer, haunted by intellectual curiosity, doomed relationships, adolescence, and the danger of seeking status in the early-twentieth century.This is vintage Fitzgerald, a perfect example of his ability to capture a particular period of American history.With this modern edition, you can dive into the back catalogue of a writer synonymous with both the flamboyant Jazz Age and the lost generation of 1920s America.The Legend Classics series:Around the World in Eighty DaysThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Importance of Being EarnestAlice's Adventures in WonderlandThe MetamorphosisThe Railway ChildrenThe Hound of the BaskervillesFrankensteinWuthering HeightsThree Men in a BoatThe Time MachineLittle WomenAnne of Green GablesThe Jungle BookThe Yellow Wallpaper and Other StoriesDraculaA Study in ScarletLeaves of GrassThe Secret GardenThe War of the WorldsA Christmas CarolStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeHeart of DarknessThe Scarlet LetterThis Side of ParadiseOliver TwistThe Picture of Dorian GrayTreasure IslandThe Turn of the ScrewThe Adventures of Tom SawyerEmmaThe TrialA Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan PoeGrimm Fairy TalesThe AwakeningMrs DallowayGulliver's TravelsThe Castle of OtrantoSilas MarnerHard Times

William Pett Ridge was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent on 22nd April 1859.His family's resources were certainly limited. His father was a railway porter, and his son, after schooling in Marden, Kent became a clerk in a railway clearing house

Considered one of the greatest American writers, Herman Melville leaves the sea behind in this short story collection to write about Wall Street offices, the Galapagos Islands, a sinister architect, apathy, capitalism, and humanity's precarious nature. In'Bartleby, the Scrivener,'a Manhattan lawyer struggles with a clerk who'prefers not'to do work or leave the office building. In'Benito Cereno,'a captain stumbles upon a Spanish slave ship off the coast of Chile, whose captain has been overthrown in a revolt. The short story collection also includes'The Piazza,''The Lightning-Rod Man,''The Encantadas,'and the'Bell-Tower.'This is an unabridged version of the 1856 edition.

Edgar Huntly, a young man who lives with his uncle and sisters on a farm outside Philadelphia, begins the novel determined to learn who murdered his friend Waldegrave. Walking near the elm tree under which Waldegrave was killed late one night, Huntly sees Clithero, a servant from a neighboring farm, half-dressed, digging in the ground and weeping loudly. Could Clithero have done what Edgar thinks he has?

The Beautiful and Damned, first published by Scribner's in 1922, is F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel. It explores and portrays New York café society and the American Eastern elite during the Jazz Age before and after'the Great War'and in the early 1920s. As in his other novels, Fitzgerald's characters in this novel are complex, especially with respect to marriage and intimacy. The work generally is considered to be based on Fitzgerald's relationship and marriage with his wife Zelda Fitzgerald. (Wikipedia)

Lawrence's first novel is a compelling exploration of the interpersonal influences that cause unhappiness in relationships and is based on the lives of three individuals, the lively Lettie and George and Leslie. (Goodreads)

Fitzgerald's first novel uses numerous formal experiments to tell the story of Amory Blaine, as he grows up during the crazy years following the First World War.

The novel's rich, symbolic language and brilliant use of stream-of-consciousness foreshadowed Joyce's later work.

The Lesson of the Master is a novella written by Henry James, originally published in 1888. The novella tells the story of a young writer, Paul Overt, who meets Henry St. George, a famous novelist Overt admires. During that time, Overt also meets and falls in love with Marian Fancourt, a young woman who admires both St. George's and Overt's work. During their meetings, St. George, who is married, advises Overt against getting married and having children, arguing that a wife and children will be the death of Overt's creativity and career. Overt then takes an extended vacation in which he considers St. George's advice. When he returns, he learns that St. George's wife had died, and that St. George had taken Marian Fancourt as his wife. Overt feels that St. George had set him up in order to have Miss Fancourt for himself, but St. George insists that by marrying her, he saved Overt and his career. (Wikipedia)

Booth Tarkington was born in America's Mid-West in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 29th, 1869. He is one of only three novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize on more than one occasion. When you look through the quality of his work it is easy to understand why. ‘The Magnificent Ambersons', ‘Alice Adams', ‘Penrod'– all classics. The Penrod novels depict a typical upper-middle class American boy of 1910 vintage, revealing a fine, bookish sense of American humor. At one time, his Penrod series was as well-known and as highly regarded as Mark Twain's ‘Huckleberry Finn'. Much of Tarkington's work consists of satirical and closely observed studies of the American class system and its foibles. Coming as he did from a patrician Midwestern family that lost much of its wealth after the Panic of 1873 the foundations for that outlook are clear. Today, he is best known for his novel ‘The Magnificent Ambersons'but almost every book he published is a consummate literary example of his brilliance. Few authors can rival that.

Ellen Price was born on 17th January 1814 in Worcester.In 1836 she married Henry Wood, whose career in banking and shipping meant living in Dauphiné, in the South of France, for two decades. During their time there they had four children.Henry's business collapsed and he and Ellen together with their four children returned to England and settled in Upper Norwood near London. Ellen now turned to writing and with her second book ‘East Lynne'enjoyed remarkable popularity. This enabled her to support her family and to maintain a literary career.It was a career in which she would write over 30 novels including ‘Danesbury House', ‘Oswald Cray', ‘Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles', ‘The Channings'and ‘The Shadow of Ashlydyat'. Sadly, her husband, Henry died in 1866.Ellen though continued to strive on. In 1867, she purchased the magazine ‘Argosy', founded two years previously by Alexander Strahan. She was a prolific writer and wrote much of the magazine herself although she had some very respected contributors, amongst them Hesba Stretton and Christina Rossetti. Although she would gradually pare down writing for the magazine she continued to write novel after novel. Such was her talent that for a time she was, in Australia, more popular than Charles Dickens.Apart from novels she was an excellent translator and a writer of short stories. ‘Reality or Delusion?'is a staple of supernatural anthologies to this day.Ellen Wood died of bronchitis on 10th February 1887). He estate was valued at a very considerable £36,000. She is buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. A monument to her in Worcester Cathedral was unveiled in 1916.

Skyros Publishing is dedicated to reproducing the finest books ever written and letting readers of all ages experience a classic for the first time or revisit a past favorite. Herman Melville was a prolific and prominent American writer in the 19th century. One of Melville's most famous works is Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street which is a short story centering around a Manhattan lawyer.

Maria Edgeworth was a prolific Irish writer and is considered to be a significant figure in the evolution of modern novels. Edgeworth's works are known for moral and social themes. This edition of Ormond includes a table of contents.

Nicholas Nickleby is one of Charles Dickens'classics, and has been adapted for film, TV, and theatre numbers times. Heraklion Press has included a linked table of contents for easy navigation.

Charles Dickens is considered one of the greatest writers to have ever lived and the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era. Whether it be Dickens classic novels or his timeless Christmas stories he remains one of the most read authors today. This edition of Dickens Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit includes a table of contents.

Benjamin Disraeli was a British politician who twice served as the Prime Minister and also became the Earl of Beaconsfield. Disraeli is noted for being influential as a politician and as a novelist. This edition of Vivian Grey includes a table of contents.

David Herbert Lawrence (September 11, 1885 March 2, 1930) was an English author who based much of his work off of his family life. Some of Lawrences books were banned in England due to the sexual content they contained. Despite the controversial nature of his works, few can deny Lawrence was a very talented writer. Some of Lawrences best known works are Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterleys Lover.