Arthur Conan Doyle's Tales of Terror and Mystery (1922) is a haunting collection of twelve stories that highlights his extraordinary skills of storytelling. The first six stories are bloodcurdling tales of horror, and includes the macabre classic "The New Catacomb". The last six stories, closer in form to the Sherlock Holmes work, includes the classic railroad mystery, "The Lost Special". One of the stand-out works in the entire collection is "The...

A Timeless Classic of Societal Customs, Cultural Disputes, and The Cost of Non-Conformity Henry James' novella Daisy Miller, features one of his greatest heroines. At first glance it seems to be a simple story of a lovely young, independent American girl traveling through Europe. But her flouting of social conventions has the potential to lead to catastrophe as she disrupts the rigid social rules of the Old World, attracting and scandalizing all...

Well-known for his stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood, this time Howard Pyle transports children to a different but unforgettable and faraway magical land - where a young boy discovers a treasury of lost riches, where youngsters always play, and no one ever cries. 10 illustrations.

The Yellow Mask (1887) is a novel by Wilkie Collins. Written toward the end of his life, The Yellow Mask recaptures some of the author's trademark sense of mystery and psychological unease that made him a household name around the world. Recognized as an important Victorian novelist and pioneer of detective fiction, Wilkie Collins was a writer with a gift for thoughtful entertainment, stories written for a popular audience that continue to resonate...

The Land of the Blue Flower was not called by that name until the tall, strong, beautiful King Amor came down from his castle on the mountain crag and began to reign. Before that time it was called King Mordreth's Land, and as the first King Mor-dreth had been a fierce and cruel king this seemed a gloomy name... (Goodreads)

William, the narrator and faithful servant to rich widow, Mrs. Norcross, tells the story of his mistress' unhappy second marriage to James Smith. A detective lawyer's clerk, Mr. Dark, both confirms Smith's bigamous remarriage and, following his disappearance, proves Mrs. Norcross and William innocent of murder. Dark also recovers jewelry stolen by the maidservant and establishes her guilt.

An autobiographical narrative, Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House traces Elizabeth Keckley's life from her enslavement in Virginia and North Carolina to her time as seamstress to Mary Todd Lincoln in the White House during Abraham Lincoln's administration. It was quite controversial at the time of its release-an uncompromising work that transgressed Victorian boundaries between public and private life, and lines of race, gender, and society....

First published in 1917, "Understood Betsy" is the well-known children's story by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. The prominent social activist, educational reformer, and prolific author is famous for bringing the Montessori style of schooling to the United States. Her popular novel "Understood Betsy" is the story of a scrawny young 9-year-old orphan by the name of Elizabeth Ann who relocates from her city home to live with her cousins, the Putneys, on a...

The Pony Express was a swift mail service that was only active from April 1860 to October 1861. It was a crucial communication link between the East Coast and West Coast during a time when communication between Washington, DC, and Sacramento was helping establish California as a free state, as well as helping the Union factions gain strength just prior to the Civil War. A series of relay stations was established with fresh horses so the rider could...

Originally written for the daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a family friend, Louisa May Alcott charms us with the daily events in her fantasy world of flora and fauna. By using the magical fairies as actors in nature's play, Alcott creates delightful morality plays, allowing children to easily learn the lessons of right from wrong. Stories include "The Frost King, or, The Power of Love", "Little Bud", "Annie's Dream", "Eva's Visit to Fairyland" "Lilly...