Historical Fiction Classics

One of Thomas Hardy's classic statements about modern love, courtship, and marriage, The Return of the Native is set in the pastoral village of Egdon Heath. The fiery Eustacia Vye, wishing only for passionate love, believes that her escape from Egdon lies in her marriage to Clym Yeobright, the returning "native", home from Paris and discontented with his work there.

This is the charming story of David Langston, a young man in search of the woman of his dreams. She came to him in a vision and he knows he must find her.

"Death Comes for the Archbishop" is a masterful work of historical fiction by Willa Cather. Set in the American Southwest in the mid-19th century, the novel tells the story of a young French priest who is sent to establish a Catholic diocese in a rugged and unfamiliar land. Through his encounters with the indigenous people and his fellow settlers, the priest comes to understand the complexities and beauty of the human spirit.

La Ilíada (en griego homérico Ἰλιάς: Iliás; en griego moderno Ιλιάδα: Iliáda; en latín: Ilias) es una epopeya griega, atribuida tradicionalmente a Homero. Compuesta en hexámetros dactílicos, consta de 15,693 versos divididos en 24 cantos o rapsodias. La trama se centra en la cólera de Aquiles y narra los acontecimientos ocurridos durante 51 días en el décimo y último año de la guerra de Troya. El título de la obra deriva del nombre griego de Troya, Ιlión.

Beautiful, proud Roxana is terrified of being poor. When her husband leaves her penniless with five children, she must choose between being a virtuous beggar or a rich whore. Embarking on a career as a courtesan and kept woman, Roxana passes from man to man in order to maintain her lavish, glamorous lifestyle. But this life comes at a cost; she is torn between sinful prosperity and the respectability she craves.

In a case of mistaken identification, Barnaby Rudge, a pale half-wit with long red hair who dresses all in green and carries a large raven on his back, is arrested as the leader of a mob of anti-Catholic rioters. He is condemned to death on the gallows, but an upright locksmith named Gabriel Varden comes to his aid.

This magnificent novel, sequel to The Warden and second in the Chronicles of Barsetshire, satirizes the struggle for ascendancy among the clergy of a cathedral city. The contest is between the outgoing church authorities led by Archdeacon Grantly and the newcomers led by Mrs. Proudie and her protégé, the ambitious Mr. Obadiah Slope. Each wishes to become the dominant voice in the quiet diocese of Barchester, and they contend for the newly vacant post of warden of Hiram's Hospital.

First published in 1861, The Mill on the Floss was a best-seller in its day. This classic novel explores the traditions and moral expectations of an English rural community. Maggie Tulliver is a girl of uncontrollable romantic ideals. But her brother, along with most of society, cannot accept her brashness and vitality. Narrator Jill Tanner gracefully unfolds this tragic tale of love and loss.

This annotated edition of the classic Gothic novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly includes an historical introduction, an overview, study of the themes present in the book, and a list of famous quotes.

In the little hamlet of Lark Rise times are changing and Laura is growing up. Although she must attend the nearby village school, she would far rather read and make up stories in her head. Real-life excitement comes, however, when she and her beloved younger brother Edmund are allowed to walk on their own to the grand market town of Candleford to stay with their relatives one summer. There, Laura discovers the joys of the shops, the ways of boy-talk with her cousins and the secret world of 'Bookworms Ltd' with her Uncle Tom, before an offer arrives that will determine her future.

The Time Machine is H.G. Wells' warning of what will befall mankind if capitalism continues to exploit workers for the benefits of the rich. As the Time Traveler theorizes, the working class has been pushed underground for so long that it has evolved into a distinct, nocturnal species. The upper class has remained above ground, and their advanced civilization, stocked with amenities, has turned them into weak, lazy, and dependent creatures.

《金瓶梅》借《水浒传》中武松杀嫂一段故事为引子，通过对兼有官僚、恶霸、富商三种身份的封建时代市侩势力的代表人物西门庆及其家庭罪恶生活的描述，揭露了明代中叶社会的黑暗和腐败…… 《金瓶梅》借《水滸傳》中武松殺嫂一段故事為引子，通過對兼有官僚、惡霸、富商三種身份的封建時代市儈勢力的代表人物西門慶及其家庭罪惡生活的描述，揭露了明代中葉社會的黑暗和腐敗……

Anne of Avonlea follows Anne Shirley from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea School.

The book features many of the characters from Anne of Green Gables, including Marilla Cuthbert, Gilbert Blythe, and Diana Barry, and some new ones: Mr. Harrison, Miss Lavendar Lewis, Paul Irving, and the twins Dora and Davy. Anne matures slightly over time, even though she cannot avoid getting into a number of her familiar scrapes.

Magister Coelus, the College’s young and brilliant theorist, finally has a student capable of learning theoretical magery at the level at which he can teach it. He invites her to help him with his current research project, which promises to funnel through the hands of one mage more power than any mage has ever had. Ellen, who knows more about both the theory and practice of magic than a first year student should know, refuses, arguing that the Cascade will do more harm than good.

El mestre d'obres Prim Llombard rep l'encàrrec del comte de Besalú de construir un pont fortificat. Malgrat que els habitants de la vila veuen aquesta obra com a providencial, el constructor aviat sofreix els obstacles d'una intriga per afavorir que un altre senyor s'apoderi del comtat. Els conspiradors fan servir tots els seus poders a l'abast, naturalsni sobrenaturals, per aconseguir el seu objectiu. Confinada al call, la comunitat jueva passa a ser un suport indefugible en l’intent d’aturar aquest atac.

Der Klassiker der Weltliteratur - Lampedusas Leopard neu übersetzt und kongenial vertont Genau sechzig Jahre nach seinem ersten Erscheinen in Deutschland hat Der Leopard nichts von seiner Aktualität verloren und zieht das Publikum bis heute in seinen Bann. Nun erscheint der Klassiker der modernen italienischen Literatur in einer bestechenden Neuübersetzung. Mit melancholischer Ironie schildert Guiseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, inspiriert von der eigenen Familiengeschichte, den Niedergang des sizilianischen Adelsgeschlechts um Don Fabrizio, Fürst Salina.

Hoping the vast forests and towering peaks of the Rockies will hide them, Zach Connors leads his family into the mountains. As they enter this new and beautiful land, they face both Cheyenne and Arapaho hunters who are determined to prove the medicine of Grizzly Killer is not greater than their own. Sending his family ahead to safety, Zach and his dog face a cunning and brutal enemy alone.

Set in sixth-century Greece at the time of the Tyrants, the Persian Wars, and a great flowering of the arts, this novel takes the form of Simonides' memoirs, written in retirement in Sicily. The author was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and she also wrote "The King Must Die".

So what would Al Gore choose if he had a book club? Gore named Stendhal's The Red and the Black, a 19th century classic chock full of adultery, betrayal, and moral vacuity, as his favorite book on a recent broadcast of Oprah. It's a bit shocking of a choice, given his wife and running mate's position on clean, wholesome literature. Listen and decide for yourself the merit of this presidential pick.

Wilder's stories consistently explored the connections between the commonplace and cosmic dimensions of human experience, always returning to fundamental questions about the meaning of life. This Pulitzer Prize-winning tale concerns the lives of five people who fall to their deaths from a Peruvian rope bridge in 1714. A humble Franciscan, Brother Juniper, witnesses the accident and determines to learn about the lives of the victims in order to find out whether this accident happened by chance or by plan.