The story is set in the Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush—a period when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The novel's central character is a dog named Buck, a domesticated dog living at a ranch in the Santa Clara Valley of California as the story opens. Stolen from his home and sold into service as sled dog in Alaska, he reverts to a wild state. Buck is forced to fight in order to dominate other dogs in a harsh climate. Eventually he sheds the veneer of civilization, relying on primordial instincts and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild.
A 19th century Boston woman named Olive Chancellor is committed to the suffrage movement. Olive convinces a young feminist named Verena to move in with her as preparation for Verena's career, but Olive's cousin, Basil, would prefer that the young woman become his wife, rather than a political activist.
This inspirational novel tells the story of a young boy who is responsible for the near-death of another child and how he learns to be a true patriot and right the wrongs of his ignorance.
Miles Coverdale decides to live for a short time in the utopian community of Blithedale. There however, just like the author Nathaniel Hawthorne who joined Unitarian utopian Brook Farm in his early teens, he doesn’t find his answers he was searching for. Instead he gets ill and doubts the community philosophical views and way of life. He returns to the city as a changed man.
A revolutionary philosophical work, The Age of Reason was written by Thomas Paine as a Deist text which was well received in the United States in the late 18th century but seen as too incendiary in the United Kingdom. The Age of Reason challenges the idea of state religion and the legitimacy of the Bible.
Summa Theologica is an extensive five-volume masterpiece about the meaning of life and the presence of God in our everyday lives. Just like the universe, the compendium starts and ends with God; everything in between is related to God’s creation and how we as human beings can be saved.
A fun and carefree story of boyhood, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an American classic. Children and adults alike have enjoyed the antics of Tom, his friend Huckleberry Finn, and the other memorable characters in Mark Twain's most popular book.
An anonymous narrator arrives in Venice to retrieve Jeffrey Aspern’s - American poet and his idol - love letters. There he finds Juliana Bordereau and her aging niece who may or may not have the letters in question. To convince Juliana, the narrator tries to seduce the niece, Miss Tita but is he willing to pay the price?
The Age of Innocence was the first novel written by a woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Edith Wharton's novel centers around 1870's New York society, scandal and social structure.
Like a beast in the jungle, protagonist John Marcher waits for some catastrophic event to happen letting life and love pass by. Eventually he discovers that tragedy has already occurred: nobody can give his wasted time back to him. The other two stories, ‘The Jolly Corner’ and ‘The Altar of the Dead’ are another great examples of Henry James’ wonderful craft and knowledge of the human soul.
Some Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens is a collection of six short stories all revolving around the Christmas spirit. But these stories are first and foremost essays about life and about its struggles. Don’t expect a Christmas Carol-type of atmosphere. Instead expect some experimental Charles Dickens’ story creation.
A novel where the characters are put under heavy mental stress by fatal accidents and hostile environments, and their reactions become uncontrollable.
The American Crisis is a collection of articles that were written during the American Revolution arguing for Independence from England. The books were written so that even the common man could read and understand the meaning of the book.
This is the first volume of the famous masterpiece In Search of Lost Time. Using the involuntary memory technique, Marcel Proust travels back in time to his childhood where the reader meets Charles Swann, a friend of the family. The memories fade and reappear again in Proust’s mind this time telling the sad love story between Swann and Odette, an intriguing woman with an unusual style. What more can the narrator remember?
Raised in a small community by a highly-esteemed citizen, Charity Royall wants more for herself. So when Lucius Harney comes to town, she starts dreaming of escaping her status quo and living a happily-married life with the man she loves. But she soon finds out that there is a big difference between dreams and reality.
Tess sets out to clear her father's name after he is accused of murder.
Tao Te Ching is a classic text. This is a fundamental text for both the religions of Taoism and also the philosophical. It has also had a great impact on Legalism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism.
The Ball and the Cross by G.K. Chesterton is a philosophical and religious novel that centers around two main characters with opposite views of the world: one is Professor Lucifer, a convinced atheist; and the other is Monk Michael, a Christian apologist. The two engage in a debate about God and materialism. Is there a right or wrong, a black or white?
Skyrider by B.M. Bower is the story of Johnny Jewel, a cowboy who becomes a pilot during World War II.
When a young woman moves from the country to Chicago, she falls from innocence and starts on a path that will bring her fame, but not happiness.
Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and outlines the foundation of the Western critical tradition.
This collection contains: An Honest Thief; A Novel in Nine Letters; An Unpleasant Predicament; Another Man's Wife; The Heavenly Christmas Tree; The Peasant Marey; The Crocodile Bobok; and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man.
Armed with a letter of recommendation, young Frederic Moreau leaves for Paris where he becomes obsessed with an older woman, Mme. Arnoux. In order to see her more often and get to know her better, Frederic befriends with her husband, M. Arnoux. In spite of all his troubles, the young man can’t reach to Mme. Arnoux so he tries to seek love elsewhere. Will he find it?
Slave Roxa is at a crossroads: she is afraid both for her life and for her son’s. She wants to kill herself but eventually, she decides to switch her baby boy with his master’s. She succeeds and two decades later, she returns to town to see what has become of her real son.
Siddhartha tells the story of a young Brahmin's search for reality after a meeting with the Buddha. This strange and simple story has resonated with millions of readers looking for enlightenment and a blend of Eastern mysticism and Western psychology.
