Best of
20th-Century

1908

Martin Eden


Jack London - 1908
    Set in San Francisco, this is the story of Martin Eden, an impoverished seaman who pursues, obsessively and aggressively, dreams of education and literary fame. London, dissatisfied with the rewards of his own success, intended Martin Eden as an attack on individualism and a criticism of ambition; however, much of its status as a classic has been conferred by admirers of its ambitious protagonist.Andrew Sinclair's wide-ranging introduction discusses the conflict between London's support of socialism and his powerful self-will. Sinclair also explores the parallels and divergences between the life of Martin Eden and that of his creator, focusing on London's mental depressions and how they affected his depiction of Eden.

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus The Christ


Levi H. Dowling - 1908
    It covers his travels and meetings with various masters and holy men in countries like India, Egypt, Assyria, Greece and Tibet. It also teaches many deeper truths not found in other books and sometimes clarifies or reinforces known teachings in the Bible. Includes chapters on Mary his mother, John the Harbinger, much on his travels and teachings, his betrayal, trail, execution and resurrection, plus a chapter on the materialization of his spiritual body. Said to have been retrieved from the �Akashic Records�, this popular gospel may not be historically accurate in its entirety, but the truths in its teachings are timeless.

Seven Who Were Hanged


Leonid Andreyev - 1908
    "We must not aggravate, but ease the last moments of our son," resolved the colonel firmly, and he carefully weighed every possible phase of the conversation, every act and movement that might take place on the following day. But somehow he became confused, forgetting what he had prepared, and he wept bitterly in the corner of the oilcloth-covered couch. In the morning he explained to his wife how she should behave at the meeting.

The River Bank and Other Stories from The Wind in the Willows


Kenneth Grahame - 1908
    Toad.

Ancient Gods


Levon Shant - 1908
    Here two worlds stand face to face, love for a woman and the longing for God. Both of them do not cease, for the inner conflict of feeling and thought is continuos.A drama of inner dreams and desires, lofty stubborn idealism and stormy, soul-searching upheaval.

The Assistant


Robert Walser - 1908
    Coetzee ("dazzling"), Guy Davenport ("a very special kind of whimsical-serious-deep writer"), and Hermann Hesse ("If he had a hundred thousand readers, the world would be a better place"). Charged with compassion, and an utterly unique radiance of vision, Walser is as Susan Sontag exclaimed "a truly wonderful, heart-breaking writer."The Assistant is his breathtaking 1908 novel, translated by award-winning translator Susan Bernofsky. Joseph, hired to become an inventor's new assistant, arrives one rainy Monday morning at Technical Engineer Karl Tobler's splendid hilltop villa: he is at once pleased and terribly worried, a state soon followed by even stickier psychological complexities. He enjoys the beautiful view over Lake Zurich, in the company of the proud wife, Frau Tobler, and the delicious savory meals. But does he deserve any of these pleasures? The Assistant chronicles Joseph's inner life of cascading emotions as he attempts, both frantically and light-heartedly, to help the Tobler household, even as it slides toward financial ruin. Tobler demands of Joseph, "Do you have your wits about you?!" And Joseph's wits are in fact all around him, trembling like leaves in the breeze—he is full of exuberance and despair, all the raptures and panics of a person "drowning in obedience."

Anne of Green Gables


Clare West - 1908
    They ask for a boy, but they get Anne, who has red hair and freckles, and who talks and talks and talks. They didn't want a girl, but how can they send a child back, like an unwanted parcel? So Anne stays, and begins a new life in the sleepy, quiet village of Avonlea in Canada. But it is not so quiet after Anne comes to live there...

Opium and Other Stories


Géza Csáth - 1908
    During Csáth's lifetime Sigmund Freud, the scrutineer of dreams, built up the enormous hypothesis of the unconscious in Vienna, the greatest city of the empire, which encompassed Hungary, Csáth's homeland, more and more uneasy. It is difficult to read Csáth, a specialist in 'nervous disorders' himself, without thinking of Freud's analysis of the subtext of human experience.... [An] opium addict and therefore a specialist in dreams, [Csáth] wrote short stories comfortless as bad dreams, sometimes decorating them languorously with art-nouveau impedimenta of lilies, lotuses, and sulphurous magic, at other times relating them in the cool, neutral language of the case-book. He was also a doctor. No real contradiction here; the medical profession not only offers a free access to narcotics but often, since it involves considerable exposure to human suffering, implicity invites their use" - From the Introduction by Angela Carter"A memorable volume, Csáth's depiction of the collapse of Central Europe, by way of magnification of the collapse of the individual, is uncannily prophetic." - Joyce Carol Oates, The New Republic. Originally published under the title The Magician's Garden and Other Stories.

The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories


Lord Dunsany - 1908
    M. D. Plunkett, the eighteenth Baron Dunsany (1878-1957) produced a trove of gems of the imagination. The 12 stories here are some of his best. They will take you on a remarkable journey to places that sometimes seem soft and pleasant, sometimes bleak and ominous — but always surprising.Ten magnificent illustrations by S. H. Simes, perfectly reflecting Dunsany’s mood, accompany such inventive tales as "The Highwayman," "In the Twilight," "The Ghosts," "The Lord of Cities," "The Doom of La Traviata," and the title piece. A delight for lovers of fantasy, the volume will enchant readers of folk tales and science fiction as well.

Cy Whittaker's Place


Joseph Crosby Lincoln - 1908
    Lincoln's work frequently appeared in popular magazines like the Saturday Evening Post and The Delineator. Although Lincoln was aware of his contemporary naturalist writers like Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser who used American literature to plumb the depths of human nature, he rejected this literary exercise. Lincoln claimed that he was satisfied "spinning yarns" that made readers feel good about themselves and their neighbors. Lincoln's literary portrayal of Cape Cod can be understood as a premodern haven occupied by individuals of old Yankee stock which was offered to readers as an antidote to an America that was undergoing rapid modernization, urbanization, immigration, and industrialization. Lincoln was a Republican and a Universalist. Among his famous works are: Cape Cod Ballads, and Other Verse (1902), Cape Cod Stories (1907), Cy Whittaker's Place (1908), Keziah Coffin (1909), The Depot Master (1910), Cap'n Warren's Wards (1911), and Kent Knowles: Quahaug (1914).

The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs


R.H. Charles - 1908
    This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Further Experiences of an Irish R. M.


Edith Œnone Somerville - 1908
    M. continues the scenes and characters developed in Some Experiences of an Irish R. M., which recreates the world of 19th Century Ireland with its strange brew of Anglo-Irish combinations. (An "R. M." is a "Resident Magistrate" -- an appointment from England to an Irish provincial judgeship.)Somerville and Ross are masters of dialog and the shades and textures of life among the varying classes and of the amusements of life in the Irish Countryside. These works are classics of sophisticated comic writing, depicting the splodding efforts of a somewhat "slow on the uptake" English "gentleman" to keep his balance and dignity amongst the goings-on of a population of characters of a decidedly different perspective.This work was the basis for an acclaimed BBC series.

Ethics


John Dewey - 1908
    This comprehensive monograph on the concept of ethics will be of considerable utility to students of philosophy, and would make for a fantastic addition to collections of allied literature. Contents include: Definition and Method, Criterion of the Treatment, Typical Facts of Group Life, Kinship and Household Groups, The Kinship and Family Groups are also Economic and Industrial Units, The Kinship and Family Groups were Political Bodies, etc. John Dewey (1859 1952) was an influential American psychologist and philosopher. Many classic books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author."

The Story of a Border City During the Civil War


Galusha Anderson - 1908
    Louis, Missouri. The author was pastor of a Baptist church there.