Classic Books

New Products For January - Classic Books

A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.Free

The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and other stories
A collection of stories from one of the masters of American fiction and humor. This volume of Twain's short stories represents some of his author's finest work, including the title story, which follows a stranger's plot to corrupt a purportedly honest community.Free

The Iliad
The Iliad of Homer: The Iliad; sometimes referred to as the Song of Ilion or Song of Ilium) is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege; the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war, and related concerns tend to appear near the beginning. Then the epic narrative takes up events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles' imminent death and the fall of Troy, although the narrative ends before these events take place. However, as these events are prefigured and alluded to more and more vividly, when it reaches an end the poem has told a more or less complete tale of the war. The works of Homer were more than entertainment for the ancient Greeks. They were nearly scripture. Oddysseus was the Archetypal Homeric ideal, the great example of what a man should be, and how he should live his life. Clever, smart, brave, strong, disciplined, loyal to his family and his country and willing to sacrifice all if required (and only if required) he embodied all the ideals a Greek was supposed to live up to. In fact, it was for repeatedly telling the youth of Athens that their parents were not living up to the Homeric Ideal that Socrates was condemed to death.Free

Pride and Prejudice
Austen’s most celebrated novel tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a bright, lively young woman with four sisters, and a mother determined to marry them to wealthy men. At a party near the Bennets’ home in the English countryside, Elizabeth meets the wealthy, proud Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth initially finds Darcy haughty and intolerable, but circumstances continue to unite the pair. Mr. Darcy finds himself captivated by Elizabeth’s wit and candor, while her reservations about his character slowly vanish. The story is as much a social critique as it is a love story, and the prose crackles with Austen’s wry wit.Free

£1,000,000 Bank Note
A collection of short stories including "1,000,000 Bank Note" written late in Twains career when he was facing financial problems. In the title story, a smart, honest, American man through a series of accidents ends up penniless in 19th century London where he attracts the attention of two wealthy gentlemen. The gentlemen lend him a 1,000,000 lb. bank note (roughly a 150 Million dollar bill) interest free for one month. At the end of the month he must return it, or face the consequences. Twain manages to play several tricks on the reader and still leave us smiling.Free

Eve's Diary
He talks very little. Perhaps it is because he is not bright and is sensitive about it and wishes to conceal it. It is such a pity that he should feel so, for brightness is nothing. It is in the heart that the values lie. I wish I could make him understand that a loving good heart is riches, and riches is enough, and that without it intellect is poverty." - Eve This short story describes, in journal form, coming into the world, and meeting Adam.Free

The Scarlet Pimpernel
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Free

Extracts from Adam's Diary
Adam describes how Eve gets introduced into the Garden of Eden, and how he deals with this 'new creature with the long hair', an annoying creature with a penchant for naming things, which Adam could do without. He reports on Eve eating the apple and finding Cain, a perplexing creature which Adam cannot figure out. He applies the scientific method to discover Cain's species. Eventually, despite his initial deep annoyance with Eve, Adam finds himself in love with her.Free

Peter Pan
The eternally youthful Peter Pan encounters Wendy and her brothers, who decide to join him in Neverland and never grow old. Their plans do not reckon with either the sinister Captain Hook or the unsuspected dark side of perpetual childhood. Peter’s adventures with Wendy take place in a glorious world of imagination, where fairies and Wild Boys are boon companions in swashbuckling conflict with wild beasts and pirates. But in Peter and Wendy we can see another conflict, that between the love of family and responsibility of the adult world and the carefree, impulsive freedom of childhood. This is truly a tale to be appreciated equally, yet differently, by both children and grown-ups. This dual appeal, and the lasting, fundamental charisma of Peter himself, have made Peter Pan both enjoyable and relevant for each new generation.Free