Best of
18th-Century

1940

Oliver Wiswell


Kenneth Roberts - 1940
    Though branded by U.S. history as cowardly traitors, many of them were people of strong convictions and fierce bravery.

Hester Roon


Norah Lofts - 1940
    Its trade was prosperous, its hospitality famous and the host was jolly and generous. To his servants he was cruel and menacing, and to Ellie Roon, the most menial servant at the Fleece, he was a figure of terror. Ellie was used to being bullied, but when her illegitimate daughter was born - in a rat-ridden attic of the Fleece - she decided that Hester must have a different kind of life. And so, Hester Roon began her eventful progress in the harsh world of 18th century England. After fleeing from the inn, and the attentions of the owner, she became involved in the London underworld. From there she found herself in a world far beyond her imaginings..

Master-at-Arms


Rafael Sabatini - 1940
    He sets off for France, and enters a life of confusion, mystery and suspense - and bloody execution.

Oh, Promised Land


James H. Street - 1940
    When pioneers Sam'l Dabney and his sister, Honoria, lose their parents in a Creek attack and must leave Georgia to begin new lives, they head for French-held Louisiana in order to find "Lock Poka", which in Choktaw means "here we rest" or "promised land".Sam Dabney is a man of rare strength and size and resolute spirit — a larger-than-life hero who rises by his boldness and acumen from being "ol' man Dabney's brat" to a man of consequence in the settling, trading, and armed protection of the land. Sam, his sister Honoria, his wife Donna, and his Choktaw companion, Tishomingo, form the core of this panoramic saga — Sam is an opportunist and is quick to take risks in order to establish himself and support his family; Donna, devoted but delicate, finds her life threatened by fever, but helps Sam guard a dangerous secret; Honoria, beautiful, unscrupulous and greedy, makes money her only standard; and Tishmingo works to develop an English alphabet for the Cherokee language and fulfills a debt of hatred. The story also teems with historical characters, Indians, renegades, politicians, pioneers, slaves and richly portrayed incidental figures as well as facts about French, Spanish, British and American interests that enhance or impede progress on every page.Oh Promised Land is the first book in a five novel saga of the unforgettable Dabney family. A robust and entertaining picture of a period (1795-1817) meticulously researched and convincingly portrayed.