Lewis Carroll was the pen name and, it could be claimed, the alter ego of the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematician, writer and photographer. His creations, especially "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There," have been translated into countless languages and are as loved now as they have ever been. His neologisms ("curiouser and curiouser") and turns of phrase have forever infiltrated and enriched our language and culture.

    It is a dreamlike summertime world of hooky and adventure, pranks and punishment, villains and first love, filled with memorable characters. Adults and young readers alike continue to enjoy this delightful classic of the promise and dreams of youth from one of America’s most beloved authors. ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINNHe has no mother, his father is a brutal drunkard, and he sleeps in a barrel. He’s Huck Finn—liar, sometime thief, and rebel against respectability. But when Huck meets a runaway slave named Jim, his life changes forever. On their exciting flight down the Mississippi aboard a raft, the boy nobody wanted matures into a young man of courage and conviction. As Ernest Hemingway said of this glorious novel, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”--back cover

    In Freedom's Cause recounts the Scots' desperate but ultimately triumphant struggle in the face of overwhelming odds - a hard-fought series of battles conducted under the leadership of William Wallace and Robert Bruce.Time has burnished the feats of these great heroes to mythic proportions, but Wallace and Bruce were real people. This gripping tale of courage, loyalty, and ingenuity recounts their deeds within an accurate historical context. Readers join their company alongside a fictional protagonist, young Archie Forbes, whose estates have been wrongfully confiscated. Archie forms a group of scouts to fight alongside the legendary Scottish chieftains (who were memorably portrayed in the film Braveheart) for their country's independence.In Freedom's Cause is one among the many historical novels for young readers by George Alfred Henty. A storyteller who specialized in blending authentic historical facts with exciting fictional characters, Henty produced more than 140 books and achieved a reputation as "The Prince of Storytellers." Immensely popular and widely used in schools for many years, Henty's novels continue to fire young imaginations with their spirited tales of adventure amid exciting historical eras.

    Boule de Suife, his most famous tale exposes the brutality and hypocrisy of war. His stories are linked by irony and the frailty of human nature.17 stories:Boule de SuifTwo FriendsMme. Tellier's EstablishmentMlle. FifiClair de LuneMiss HarrietThe NecklaceMlle. PearlThe Piece of StringMme. Husson's "Rosier"That Pig of a MorinUseless BeautyThe Olive OrchardA SaleLoveTwo Little SoldiersHappiness

     Claire Benedict is a young woman who works tirelessly for her church and for the poor. But when tragedy strikes, Claire must interrupt her good works and find employment to support her family. Her new job takes her to South Plains, a small town that’s fallen on hard times; where poverty has made the residents forget how to be kind to their neighbors … including their minister. But Claire’s instinct to help others can’t be denied for long. She knows she can create beauty in the poorest of places; and her charitable work—that was once interrupted—finds new focus in South Plains. Before long, Claire’s efforts catch the attention one person who wants to help … then another. One by one, the citizens of South Plains join forces with Claire in transforming their town and the souls of its residents.

    Stories collected in this Library of America volume (the second of five volumes of James’s stories) show James working out, in a more concise fictional laboratory, themes that appear in such novels of the period as The Portrait of a Lady and The Bostonians. They include some of his most famous explorations of the international theme: “Daisy Miller,” the unforgettable portrayal of an innocent, headstrong American girl at odds with European mores, “An International Episode” and “Lady Barberina,” satirically probing tales of English aristocrats and the American marriage market, and “The Siege of London,” in which an American widow strives to work her way into English society.In “A Bundle of Letters” and “The Point of View,” James makes a fascinating experimental use of the epistolary form. “Professor Fargo” presents an unusually bleak view of the darker side of American life, while “The Author of ‘Beltraffio’” offers a disturbing portrait of a fin-de-siècle novelist. Throughout, James wittily limns the demands and hidden struggles of social life, and hones his mastery of the unexpected resolution and the brilliantly framed moral portrait.Adventurous in narrative technique, yet marked by precise observation rendered in quicksilver prose, the stories of James’s middle period present a breathtaking array of memorable characters and beguiling scenarios.

    - Comprehensive reading and study guides for some of the world's most important literary masterpieces- Concise critical excerpts provide a scholarly overview of each work- "The Story Behind the Story" details the conditions under which the work was written- Each book includes a biographical sketch of the author, a descriptive list of characters, an extensive summary and analysis, and an annotated bibliography

    He doesn’t mean to cause trouble … it just happens. But when he makes a new friend in Mr. Harris Browning, everything changes, for Mr. Browning knows a way to hedge Frank in and keep temptation, so Frank won’t ever get into trouble again. And Mr. Browning promises to give Frank a new “hedge” every month. Imagine Frank’s surprise when he discovers the “hedge” is actually a little card on which are printed Bible verses! Despite his skepticism, Frank soon discovers the verses really can help guide him through the everyday challenges in his life, if only he will let them. This edition of the 1884 classic Christian novella includes a biography of the author.

    The woman meanwhile had withdrawn into a remote corner of the court-room, where she sat with her companion, a tall, yellow, emaciated man, with a bald, pointed head, who nervously occupied a chair, his hands on his knees and his eyes fixed upon the crucifix hanging on the wall back of the judges. The woman had cow fully covered her face with a thick vail; not a feature of her countenance could be distinguished.