To the tough-minded and self-reliant farmers, the monopolistic, land-grabbing railroad represented everything they despised: consolidation, organization, conformity. But Norris idealizes no one in this epic depiction of the volatile situation, for the farmers themselves ruthlessly exploited the land, and in their hunger for larger holdings they resorted to the same tactics used by the railroad: subversion, coercion and outright violence. In his introduction, Kevin Starr discusses Norris's debt to Zola for the novel's extraordinary sweep, scale and abundance of characters and details.

    He doesn't have much patience for humans (unless they bring him sardines), but when 10-year-old traveler Henry can't find his new friend, the exuberant Ellie, Sam's enlisted to help. A ransom note is soon discovered and just like that, Sam and Henry are on the case, with the help of Clarence the Conductor (who supplies Sam's sardines). But is Ellie still on board the train? Did the salesman with his trunk full of samples sneak her off? And why does that couple keep acting so suspicious?  Veteran middle-grade mystery author Michael D. Beil has crafted a hilarious and appealing adventure set in the 1930s that's chock-full of quirky characters, red herrings, and all with an irresistible cat at its center.

    Each night there's a different project: railroad, canal, runway-and every one of them is being built in the middle of Franklin's bedroom. Where are all these people going? And why are they in Franklin's room? Franklin's determined to find out.With equal measures of dreamy adventure and down-to-earth construction fun, this collaboration between new author David Teague and established illustrator Boris Kulikov is sure to be a favorite bedtime book in homes everywhere.

    Of course, Jack to Douglas is C. S. Lewis to the rest of the world. The informal address Gresham uses to refer to the great writer is indicative of the intimacy he shared with Lewis for a dozen years, living in England as Lewis's stepson. Jack's Life is an affectionate account of days now long gone. It is a personal memoir of a man who touched many in the classroom, even more with his pen, and made a significant, lasting, and eternal impression on one young man. Douglas Gresham is uniquely qualified to offer such an extraordinary portrait.

    One can feel the gust of a satanic draught from these open holes, hear the flapping, maddeningly blown-about shutters; one can almost see the spectral faces of the passengers. . . .A wandering train that appears, seemingly at will; an engine driver who is inseparable from his machine; a passenger who waits for trains but never travels on them; obsession with speed and motion; a harbinger of disaster; a daring liaison: these are the themes of The Motion Demon, Stefan Grabinski's collection of nine stories, first published in Poland in 1919.Stefan Grabinski (1887–1936), often referred to as 'The Polish Poe', struggled during his lifetime to gain recognition in his native land. He was an idealistic loner who strove for an understanding of the hidden forces of both the world and the human mind; and he represented those forces in the most potent framework available to him—his stories of the supernatural.With no one to champion him in his own land, it took until 1993 and the publication of The Dark Domain (translated by Miroslaw Lipinski) for English language readers to become truly aware of this undisputed master of original and interesting fantastic fiction.The stories of The Motion Demon are peopled by memorable characters, and even a simple railway journey offers telling clues to the metaphysical and beyond. All aboard for a unique adventure!With this first complete translation of The Motion Demon, Ash-Tree Press begins a comprehensive series of Grabinski volumes that will duplicate the content of the original Polish editions and also assemble short stories which never saw book publication. The complete series will represent the first comprehensive, collected work of Stefan Grabinski in any language.CONTENTS: Introduction by Miroslaw Lipinski; Engine Driver Grot; The Wandering Train; The Motion Demon; The Sloven; The Perpetual Passenger; In the Compartment; Signals; The Siding; Ultima Thule.

    In November 1896, Clara Maher and her mother are traveling by train across the United States when snow blocks the tracks in Wyoming. A fellow passenger invites them to celebrate Thanksgiving with his friends in Utah -- but Clara is shocked to discover that the glorious feast's host is Butch Cassidy, the most notorious outlaw of all! An Outlaw Thanksgiving provides an enthralling look at the Wild West as it reminds us that hospitality can be found in the most unexpected places.