Classic Books

First published in 1914, ‘The Cruise of the “Janet Nichol” Among the South Sea Islands: A Diary’ is a book published by the wife of the famous English writer Robert Louis Stevenson. “For many reasons “The Cruise of the Janet Nichol” has been pruned rather severely. It was, originally, only intended to be a collection of hints to help my husband’s memory where his own diary had fallen in arrears; consequently, it frequently happened that incidents given in my diary were re-written (to their great betterment), amplified, and used in his.” -Preface

IT began in the swimming pool at Glen Ellen. Between swims it was our wont to come out and lie in the sand and let our skins breathe the warm air and soak in the sunshine. Roscoe was a yachtsman. I had followed the sea a bit. It was inevitable that we should talk about boats. We talked about small boats, and the seaworthiness of small boats. We instanced Captain Slocum and his three years’ voyage around the world in the Spray.
We asserted that we were not afraid to go around the world in a small boat, say forty feet long. We asserted furthermore that we would like to do it. We asserted finally that there was nothing in this world we’d like better than a chance to do it.
“Let us do it,” we said . . . in fun.
Then I asked Charmian privily if she’d really care to do it, and she said that it was too good to be true.
The next time we breathed our skins in the sand by the swimming pool I said to Roscoe, “Let us do it.”
I was in earnest, and so was he, for he said:
“When shall we start?”

Legends have a fascination for all classes of people, but they possess a peculiar charm for children. They constitute, in fact, a form of literature particularly fitting to the mental world of the child. In them fact and fancy are happily blended. Around the bare facts of recorded or unrecorded history, are woven the poetic ideals of a romantic people.

Nothing could be more worth a child’s reading than a story of the past that conveys not only an idea of the everyday life of real people, but represents them also as striving after ideals in various forms of beauty.

First published in the year 1913, the present novel ‘The Custom of the Country’ by Edith Wharton tells the story of Undine Spragg, a Midwestern girl who attempts to ascend in New York City society.

First published in the year 1906, American Civil War soldier, journalist, and short story writer Ambrose Bierce’s ‘The Cynic’s Word Book’ is a satirical dictionary. This book consists of common words followed by extremely funny and witty definitions that can be read as a critical social commentary.

“I’m over forty, Frances, and rather set in my ways,” I said good-naturedly, ready to yield if she insisted that our going together on the visit involved her happiness. “My work is rather heavy just now too, as you know. The question is, could I work there—with a lot of unassorted people in the house?”
“Mabel doesn’t mention any other people, Bill,” was my sister’s rejoinder. “I gather she’s alone—as well as lonely.”

First published in the year 1893, famous American writer, journalist Ambrose Bierce’s ‘The Damned Thing’ is a horror short story. This story is written in four parts with separate subtitles (that are comical) to each. These subtitles adds a synical impact to the gothic imagery created inside the story.

The Danish History, Books I-IX’ is the history of Germany in nine long volumes by renowned Danish historian Grammaticus Saxo. It will serve as an essential reading for those interested in studying the cultural, war, geographical and political history of Germany.

In venturing to place before the public this little work—which takes up a line of enquiry never before attempted,—I would solicit criticism, not of that slashing condemnatory kind which destroys a statement without pointing out its correction;—that would only break my head, and make no one the wiser!—but I hope that antiquaries who have more knowledge than I, may, when pointing out errors, also explain what such statements ought to be, and give exact references in proof.

“How do you know when you’re a young lady?” asked Roberta Grey.
She was sitting before the ancient mahogany dressing-table in her—and Wythie’s—room, unblushingly regarding herself in the mirror, while the fingers of both hands, supporting her brilliant face, experimented with changes in it by pushing up the delicate eyebrows into quite a celestial angle.

“I think I have been laid up nearly two years on this sofa, Phillis?” said I.
“Two years, come the 6th of October,” said Phillis.
“And, during that time, what mercies I have received! what alleviations, what blessings!”
“What sea-kale and early spare-o’-grass! what baskets of grapes and pottles of strawberries!” said Phillis.
“What songs in the night, what in-pourings of strength!” said I.
“So many pheasants, too, and partridges!” said Phillis. “Teal, woodcocks, and wild ducks!”
“David might well say, the Lord maketh our bed in our sickness, Phillis,” said I.
“Such a pretty bed as it is, too!” said Phillis. “So white, sweet, and clean! Russia sheets and Marseilles quilt, bleached on a heath common, close by a sweetbriar hedge!”
“Not only that—” said I.
“Not only that,” said Phillis, “but such pretty daisy-fringe to the curtains, and a clean tarletan blind to the window.”
“Such a lovely view from the window!” said I.

First published in the year 1898, the present book ‘The Day’s Work – Volume 1’ is a collection of short stories by the famous writer Rudyard Kipling. The book contains 13 short stories, which were mainly written between 1893 and 1896 while Kipling was living in Vermont. Four of the stories contained in this book include anthropomorphic characters.

“Farms were held on lease in Drumtochty, and according to a good old custom descended from father to son, so that some of the farmers’ forbears had been tenants as long as Lord Kilspindie’s ancestors had been owners. If a family died out, then a successor from foreign parts had to be introduced, and it was in this way Milton made his appearance and scandalised the Glen with a new religion.” -an excerpt

During an interval in the Melvinski trial in the large building of the Law Courts the members and public prosecutor met in Ivan Egorovich Shebek’s private room, where the conversation turned on the celebrated Krasovski case. Fedor Vasilievich warmly maintained that it was not subject to their jurisdiction, Ivan Egorovich maintained the contrary, while Peter Ivanovich, not having entered into the discussion at the start, took no part in it but looked through the *Gazette* which had just been handed in.
“Gentlemen,” he said, “Ivan Ilych has died!”
“You don’t say so!”

I had simply, I suppose, a change of heart, and it must have begun when I received my manuscript back from Mr. Pinhorn. Mr. Pinhorn was my “chief,” as he was called in the office: he had the high mission of bringing the paper up. This was a weekly periodical, which had been supposed to be almost past redemption when he took hold of it. It was Mr. Deedy who had let the thing down so dreadfully: he was never mentioned in the office now save in connexion with that misdemeanour. Young as I was I had been in a manner taken over from Mr. Deedy, who had been owner as well as editor; forming part of a promiscuous lot, mainly plant and office-furniture, which poor Mrs. Deedy, in her bereavement and depression, parted with at a rough valuation. I could account for my continuity but on the supposition that I had been cheap. I rather resented the practice of fathering all flatness on my late protector, who was in his unhonoured grave; but as I had my way to make I found matter enough for complacency in being on a “staff.” At the same time I was aware of my exposure to suspicion as a product of the old lowering system. This made me feel I was doubly bound to have ideas, and had doubtless been at the bottom of my proposing to Mr. Pinhorn that I should lay my lean hands on Neil Paraday. I remember how he looked at me—quite, to begin with, as if he had never heard of this celebrity, who indeed at that moment was by no means in the centre of the heavens; and even when I had knowingly explained he expressed but little confidence in the demand for any such stuff. When I had reminded him that the great principle on which we were supposed to work was just to create the demand we required, he considered a moment and then returned: “I see—you want to write him up.”

An official document signed by 56 dignitaries to announce or declare America’s freedom or separation from English colonial rule. An important document, this book will interest students of political science and other feilds of social sciences.

It gives me great pleasure to write a few words of introduction to Lieut.-Col. Preston’s History of the Desert Mounted Corps, which I had the honour to command. In writing this History Lieut.-Col. Preston has done a service to his country which I am sure will be fully appreciated, particularly, perhaps, by those who served in the Corps, and who feel that the part they played in the Great War is but little known to the general public. -Introduction

In the early spring of 1822, the Paris doctors sent to Lower Normandy a young man just recovering from an inflammatory complaint, brought on by overstudy, or perhaps by excess of some other kind. His convale-scence demanded complete rest, a light diet, bracing air, and freedom from excitement of every kind, and the fat lands of Bessin seemed to offer all these conditions of recovery. To Bayeux, a picturesque place about six miles from the sea, the patient therefore betook himself, and was received with the cordiality characteristic of relatives who lead very retired lives, and regard a new arrival as a godsend.

“What—a woman or something?”

“Some affair of that sort. He’s such a reticent beggar, I really know very little about it.”

I placed a whisky and soda before the Rev. J. D. Eltham, also sliding the tobacco jar nearer to his hand. The refined and sensitive face of the clergyman offered no indication to the truculent character of the man. His scanty fair hair, already grey over the temples, was silken and soft-looking: in appearance he was indeed a typical English churchman; but in China he had been known as “the fighting missionary,” and had fully deserved the title. In fact, this peaceful-looking gentleman had directly brought about the Boxer Risings!

“You know,” he said in his clerical voice, but meanwhile stuffing tobacco into an old pipe with fierce energy, “I have often wondered, Petrie—I have never left off wondering—”

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One of the best-known and best-loved works of Buddhist literature, the Dhammapada forms part of the oldest surviving body of Buddhist writings, and is traditionally regarded as the authentic teachings of the Buddha himself, spoken by him in his lifetime, and memorized and handed on by his followers after his death.

There were the four Kings: the King of the North, the region of perpetual snow; the King of the South, where the sun shines all the year round; the King of the East, from whence the cold winds blow; and the King of the West, where the gentle zephyrs breathe upon the flowers, and coax them to open their petals while the rest of the world is still sleeping.

The spoof diary of a lower-middle-class London clerk, The Diary of a Nobody was first serialized in the legendary magazine of humour and satire, Punch, in 1888-89. It was published as a book in 1892 and has never been out of print since. This comic masterpiece—which details the doings of the ridiculously pompous and accident-prone Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie and their troublesome son Lupin—has been a source of delight to generations of readers and inspired many celebrated writers.

“In ‘The Diary of a Superfluous Man,'” says one well-known Russian critic, “we have to deal with the end of the pathological process upon the body of Russian society. In Turgénieff’s productions which followed it we have to deal with a crisis in Russian life, with the growth of a new order of things. Apart from the fundamental profundity of its tendency, the ‘Diary’ is extremely noteworthy for its artistic workmanship. In spite of a certain monotony of tone in its exposition, it produces a very strong impression by its abundance of poetical beauties, which are perfectly suited to the melancholy mood of the whole story… In creating his ‘Superfluous Man’ the author, evidently, aimed at making as powerful an impression as possible, and therefore employed the most brilliant pigments in depicting Tchulkatúrin. He attained his object. Russian society started back in horror at this portrait of itself, which was somewhat distorted yet a good likeness, and in its strong excitement vigorously repelled all community with the sickly figure of Tchulkatúrin. This horror showed that the time was ripe in Russian society for a different order of things, that it was tired of inertness and was seeking a wider field of activity in which it might freely develop its real forces.”

Kimball Webb had nothing of the sort. He was a bit distinguished looking, but that was because he was a New Englander by birth, and a playwright by profession and had won the D. S. C. in the late war. Now, though a lame knee interfered slightly with his outdoor pursuits, his mind was alert and eager to return to work and his brain was fairly bursting with new ideas for his plays. First, however, he must needs attend to a certain business of getting married. A delightful business it seemed to Webb, for Elsie Powell was as lovely and desirable in the flesh as she had looked to him when seen in his troubled dreams in far off France.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax’ is one of the stories among 56 Sherlock Holmes adventure by Arthur Conan Doyle.

The war has introduced into countless lives new conditions, and has strangely modified, or emphasised, those already existing. These Addresses, prepared under much stress of other work, are intended to supply, in very simple fashion, hints for conduct and points for thought along the lines of our fresh or deepened responsibilities. An Appendix gives a suggested subject and a passage of Scripture for each day during Lent. May God the Holy Ghost, without Whom man’s best labours are in vain, bless this little book to its purpose. Please say a prayer for the writer, who, as much as any, needs grace that he may try to practise what he preaches.